This article, “Who is Hope Haddon in Sex Education season 3” contains major spoilers for the Netflix series.
Sex Education season 3 forms a new era for the high school. After the “sex school” scandal, Michael Groff is gone. The school is in desperate need of a makeover. However, the students get a new headteacher that will make them feel the previous regime was a “walk in the park”.
Who is Hope Haddon in Sex Education season 3?
There’s a new headteacher in town — Hope Haddon. She has been tasked to change the high school and divert it away from the sensationalist title of “sex school”. With the board putting pressure on Hope and providing lucrative funds, the new headteacher needs to restructure the school and place a new culture.
But, Hope Haddon is a controversial figure in Sex Education season 3. She is a new villain for the students to face, but she’s a way stronger opposition than Michael Groff.
Hope, the oppressor
Hope has zero care for freedom of expression. Rather than letting the students discover themselves in a safe space, Hope represents an oppressor for most of season 3. She also has zero consideration for the LGBTQ+ community, forcing the non-binary characters to sit in a male/female box, despite their protests. Hope Haddon represents a chilling case study of how policy can severely hurt people. Supporting teenage abstinence, the school becomes a sexless environment, which does not make sense for those hormonal teenagers.
Hope, the family planner (minor spoiler)
However, outside the scope of being a headteacher, Hope Haddon does have her own sexual issues, which is ironic and contradictory. Hope is desperate to plan for a family, and she attends a clinic for IVF treatment. Previous rounds have failed, and she has the emotional distress of trying to convince the doctors to let her have another round. She feels like her body has let her down, which brings a sad underlying feeling towards her character.
This is what makes Hope a confusing character, which is purposeful. While she causes genuine pain for the students with her unethical methods, she’s having her own sexual crisis.
The ending of season 3 for Hope (major spoiler)
Hope Haddon’s dictatorial methods only cause a rebellion from the students, and on Open Day, a sex presentation is projected to embarrass her. With similar chaos that brought down Michael Groff, Hope suffers from the same fate.
However, the rebellion also hurt the students too. The funding board of the school drop out, which means the building has been passed on to a portfolio of developers. The school will no longer exist, which will have potential ramifications for season 4.
