"BME students and social mobility”
Speakers
- Professor Anna Vignoles, Professor of Education and Director of Research, University of Cambridge
- Professor Geoff Layer, Vice-Chancellor, University of Wolverhampton
- Anne-Marie Canning, Director of Widening Participation, King’s College London
- Niaomi Collett, Deputy Director of Widening Participation, King’s College London
- Rt Hon David Lammy, MP for Tottenham
Professor Anna Vignoles noted that there had been a significant change in recent years for some groups of students. Pupils from all minority ethnic groups are, on average, more likely to go to university than White British pupils, except in the richest fifth of households, where Black Caribbean and Black Other students are less likely to attend higher education than White British students. Minority ethnic students are also more likely than a comparable White British student to attend the most selective higher education institutions, except in the case of Black Caribbean and Black Other pupils.
Professor Vignoles noted that her research, focusing on young students progressing from school to higher education, had shown that the principle driver of whether someone participates in higher education was dependent on their socio-economic background. In addition, ethnicity and socio-economic status were interlinked, with ethnic minority students more likely to come from poorer households. She also noted that where inequalities do exist these begin to emerge in primary school and are also found in the job market.
She closed her comments by remarking on where government and sector policy should focus to counter these distinctive problems, suggesting that there needs to be a focus on low achievement of poorer children earlier in the school system and a focus on progression of BME students throughout their higher education studies and onto employment.
Professor Geoff Layer opened his comments by questioning whether the phrase Black and Ethnic Minority was helpful as the barriers to and in higher education is varied in a more nuanced way. He then went on to discuss whether access to higher education was or should be the main focus of social mobility, arguing that social mobility should refer to how somebody moves between points in their life and while access to university can be a major part of it, it was only one part. Professor Layer noted that most of the data collected on BME participation in higher education referred to three year full time study by 18 year olds and not to mature or part-time study. He argued that this means the sector is missing a large section of the full picture which, if considered, would help to understand where university can make positive interventions.
He then went on to describe the ‘social model’ through which he feels is the lens that this issue should be looked at. The social model suggests that it is society, as opposed to intrinsic personal causes, that has created the barriers to higher education. He argued that for the sector to address this issue and increase social mobility for BME students these barriers must be removed. For example, universities need to be able to fill gaps where they are occurring. Students wishing to study medicine, whose school doesn’t provide a chemistry teacher at A-Level, could be encouraged to pick up this qualification as part of a foundation degree at university.
Professor Layer finished his comments by describing what his aspirations for the system were. Beginning with a school structure that fully prepared all students for the course they wished to study, for all to have their costs for attending higher education supported in some way and for a fair and proportionate regulatory system.
To continue reading please open PDF below.