Dean attended Richard Hale School, leaving 'directionless' at 17. He then worked, including at his local Starbucks, for a number of years, and was still living at his mother's home when elected.[4][5] In 2020, he founded "Stortford Against Rhodes", which was successful in its campaign to rename Rhodes Birthplace Trust, in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.[6] On becoming an MP, he was an undergraduate student at the University of Westminster, studying Politics and International Relations, needing to finish his dissertation before he could graduate.[7]