Share
The Run of The Mill
Inside the fight to get into Trafford’s grammar schools
Backstabbing parents, extortionate private tutoring companies and a 'web of deceit'. This is the world of Trafford Grammar Schools, a highly selective group of schools where each year, desperate families put their children through extensive private tutoring to pass the rigorous 11+ exam. Are they living up to their original promise of delivering exceptional education to working-class children? And is there a sense of cruelty in how the system works? Ophira Gottlieb, staff writer at The Mill, takes you inside her reporting.
Read Ophira's first story: Backstabbing, crying, and a ‘web of deceit’: Inside the fight to get into Trafford’s grammar schools
Read her second story: Grexit: should Trafford keep its grammar schools?
To read more of these stories and support our mission to bring about a renaissance in high quality journalism in the North, sign up as a paying member for just £4.95 for your first three months.
With thanks to our sponsor, Newton Music Festival. If you fancy a summer weekend of DJs, bands and festival fun, Newton Music Festival is offering just that from Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd August. The lineup includes (former Mill contributor) Dave Haslam on Friday, The K’s on Saturday and Flash (a Queen tribute band) on Sunday, and is set to repeat the incredible success of last year’s festival. Hosted in the beautiful Mesnes Park, just a 20 minute train from Piccadilly, Newton Music Festival has something for everyone. Day tickets start at £15 and Mill readers can get an exclusive 10% discount using the code ‘1qjpad’ – click here to book.
More episodes
View all episodes
The inside storey of the CIS tower
17:55|Hello and welcome back to Run of The Mill! This week, Jack is joined by new staff writer Alec Herron to discuss his latest piece about the history of the iconic CIS Tower, Manchester's first skyscraper. For the story Alec spoke to the former staff members of Co-operative Insurance, which inhabited the building for decades. They described a kind of vertical village, with a free canteen in the basement, a disco room, bowling alleys, saunas, a plush executive lounge, high-end restaurant and observation deck. Kind of utopian, also kind of Severance. Enjoy!If you'd like to sponsor Run of The Mill, email grace@millmediaco.uk.
£32 for two chicken burgers at Labour Conference, welcome to Burnham's Britain
30:43|Welcome back to Run of the Mill! In this week's episode, Jack is joined by our newest staffer Ethan Penny, who has spend the week at Labour Conference in Liverpool watching Andy Burnham's enchanting hold over the national Labour Party in action.
Corn! Cigs! Bikes! What can't you find on the streets of Manchester nowadays?
22:49|Welcome back to Run of The Mill! This week Jack and Ophira cover the holy trinity of the Manchester streetscape: cig butts, hire bikes and corn sellers. Plus: we call on you, the listeners, to send in your top alternate routes for when you're trying to avoid whatever bits Manchester City Centre you like least. If you'd like to sponsor an episode of Run of The Mill, email grace@millmediaco.uk
How much are Mancunians making?
20:59|Jack and Ophira have been walking around Manchester asking people how much they earn. In today's episode, they talk money, the conclusion of the Mill impostor saga, seeing Gary Neville in the flesh, and applying for a job as Burnham's new No.10 North media adviser.
The Mill v food court jester - LIVE?!
19:49|Welcome back to the Run of The Mill! All sorts has been going on: a Mill-imposter has been trying to make Reddit think we're investigating people we aren't; we noticed Peppa Pig put the Factory Records logo on a medal and demand to know why, we look at how Greater Manchester's most scandalous council got control of the UK's biggest public pension fund and ask if Manchester's padel boom is on the verge of going bust. Ophira and Jack are on the mics, and if you want to read their and the rest of the team's work, go to: manchestermill.co.uk.If you'd like to sponsor an episode of Run of The Mill, email grace@millmediaco.uk.
The absurd truth behind Educate and Empower
22:37|In this week's episode of Run of The Mill, Ophira Gottlieb and Jack Dulhanty talk through our latest story on Educate and Empower, a self-proclaimed charity. Its employees dot the city asking for £5 donations from the public, but in its offices - wreathed in cigar smoke - the company's owner Phillip Hanks doesn't see it that way. He calls them sales. And, despite making tens of thousands from those believing they're donating to a good cause, Educate and Empower has only made paltry donations to a few sports clubs. So what's really going on?
You live in a sleepy village, then a "face melting" festival arrives
15:11|In our latest episode of our newly rebranded podcast, the Run of The Mill (ignore our outdated Spotify name, we're working on it), Ophira and Lucy talk about the latter's latest story about Moovin' Festival, which has landed in the sleepy village of Compstall on the eastern edge of Stockport. It's 500 residents aren't happy. They aren't happy with it's face-melting rock, or Craic by The Creek Irish festival, or the country festival either. What they're least happy about is the attendees, who have turned their semi-rural paradise into a party-haven. Can Compstall overcome this community tension? Listen to find out. If you'd like to sponsor one of our podcasts, email grace@millmediaco.uk.The Mill Mayoral election hustings roundup
21:08|In the latest episode of the Manchester Briefing from The Mill, Jack and Lucy discuss our recent mayoral hustings, breaking down each of the candidates' campaign promises and opening the floor to Reform's Sian Astley - who unfortunately dropped out of the event at the last minute. If you'd like to read more about the hustings, and the rest of our by election coverage, go to manchestermill.co.uk. And, if you'd like to sponsor a future episode of the Manchester Briefing, email grace@millmediaco.uk.We take a tour of Burnham's new digs
21:40|In today's episode, staff writers Ophira Gottlieb and Jack Dulhanty recount a recent walking tour of all the places Andy Burnham could set up No.10 North. Jack has been speaking to the people who know Manchester's buildings best - the leaders of its development industry - to get a sense of what buildings would be most suitable to host a Prime Ministerial office. Which of Manchester's building's could withstand a bomb, a tank attack, or a cavalry charge? This is the place to find out. If you'd like to get in touch with any tips for stories, email editor@manchestermill.co.uk.To sponsor an episode of our podcast, or one of our newsletters, email grace@millmediaco.uk.