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Our friends at RECLAIM talk about what they are doing to tackle educational inequality

Educating All is a youth-led programme set up to tackle the barriers faced by working class students within higher education. We do this by working with individual universities to create tailored solutions to improve the recruitment, retention, success and wellbeing of working class students.

We believe the best way to find solutions faced by a particular group is to empower them to come up with solutions themselves. We use their life experience. There are no better experts on the experience of working class students than working class students themselves. This, we believe, is the best way to create authentic and lasting change. It is the model and basis of RECLAIM, the social change and youth leadership charity who commissioned the programme.

Students from wealthier backgrounds are almost 3.4% less likely to drop out, 5.3% more likely to graduate and 3.7% more likely to graduate with a 2:1 than those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Having the the necessary qualifications at A level and getting a place into university does not equal a level playing field once there. There are skills that are associated with those from wealthier backgrounds, such as networking, debating and interview skills that might act as barriers to a working class student achieving their full potential. This ‘class ceiling’ also continues after university as working class employees are paid less than their middle class peers in the same roles. We say this is grossly unfair and it is time that something is done about it.

Our mission is in line with that of RECLAIM’s, to create a society in which being from a working class background no longer presents barriers to achievement, success or influence. We aim to tackle educational inequality. Our strength-based model looks to the abilities and assets a young person brings, rather than their perceived weaknesses. We believe that a person should not be defined by their lack of financial assets. For this reason we move away from terms such as ‘poor’ or ‘disadvantaged’ which can often reinforce negative assumptions about a person’s ability and potential.

Class is often viewed as a problematic subject, one that people would rather avoid. It can be difficult to define. The question often comes up about the relevance of class and the idea that it is an ‘outdated’ term or concept. But the notion has re-emerged in recent political discourse, with the term increasingly used in speeches and policy. Class may have a greater place in the political discourse of the future. We feel it is therefore vital that we do not shirk away from class and continue to have open and honest discussions if we are to truly confront the issue of educational inequality as well as wider societal inequality.

Identifying class is done through a combination of parental background, education, income employment and cultural interests. Though there is no consensus as to how to measure social class, being working class is often defined by an individual’s own perception.

What we have found and what do these research findings mean?

Through a mixture of qualitative and quantitative research we found clear evidence that many working class students do not view university as a place for them.

Interviews were conducted with sixteen students and recent graduates from across the UK. We also interviewed staff and student officers from five universities to provide the institutional perspective on the issues.

A survey conducted as part of the research was shared nationally and validated the experiences discussed in the interviews. 74% of state school educated students felt that class was a barrier when integrating at university, compared with just a third of privately educated students. The survey also found that 87% of those from comprehensive schools worried about finance compared with 60% of students from private schools.

These findings mean that although a lot of universities are doing good work in addressing these problems, a lot more needs to be done. One of the key findings from the research was that mental health support for students must be drastically improved to meet the increasing needs of under-pressure students. This doesn’t just mean better funding and resources. Universities must do more to create greater awareness and understanding amongst staff and students about this issue as well as ensuring that the support that is available is better advertised.

Our work aims to support students in all aspects of university life in order for them achieve to the best of their abilities and succeed, not just during but after education as they make the difficult transition into the professional world and enter the labour market.

If you’re a student who is interested in the topics discussed in this article or work within higher education and are interested in finding out more contact t.manyeh@reclaimproject.org.uk