In this article, the author explores the way that neo-liberalism is becoming more entrenched in the fabric of the education system in England. The article begins by setting out a very brief historical trajectory of neo-liberalism to provide a working definition of a complex and disarticulated socio-political and economic system. In part two, this context then allows for a focused analysis of the way that neo-liberalism is becoming part of the higher education system in England, and the way that it is reconfiguring the purpose of universities and practices of academics and students. In part three, a similar analytical treatment is applied to schooling, drawing particularly on the example of the Academies Programme, which represents a move away from state-provided education but fails to deliver on promises of improvement in achievement. The final part of this article discusses resistance, highlighting a grass-roots campaign against the Academies Programme and an example of an alternative model of higher education emerging. In this final section, the author also explores some of the limitations to such initiatives and concludes by suggesting that, whilst these initiatives may be limited, it is vital to have optimism and rally against the pessimism engendered by fatalism.