Centre for Social Mobility news archive: 2018-2022
Inspirational Exeter student ‘defies the odds’ to win Student Social Mobility Award
A University of Exeter graduate has been awarded a Student Social Mobility Award.
South West blighted by low social mobility, experts warn in new report
The South West suffers some of the lowest levels of social mobility in the UK, blighting the prospects of hundreds of thousands of young people across the peninsula, experts have warned.
Social mobility in the South West
New project aims to address the barriers to social mobility facing disadvantaged young people in the South West.
University of Exeter features in an Office for Students case study about care-experienced students
We are really proud to announce that our support for care-experienced students is featured as a case study for the Office for Students effective practice.
National Tutoring Programme will need to support ten times current numbers of pupils to reach all disadvantaged children, experts warn
The Government’s National Tutoring Programme to help children affected by pandemic school closures will need to reach at least ten times the current numbers of pupils being supported to help all disadvantaged young people, experts have warned.
Leading experts in public health and social mobility made fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences
Leading University of Exeter experts in public health and social mobility have been made fellows of the prestigious Academy of Social Sciences.
Social mobility in the news
Social mobility recently featured on Channel 4, Radio Exe, and the Daily Mail.
Social mobility prospects in a post pandemic world
Watch the recording for Lee Elliot Major’s latest book launch.
Learn about national and regional social mobility challenges from leading University of Exeter expert
The stark social mobility challenges facing the South West – and the UK – will be the focus of an event led by a leading expert on the issue.
Poorer pupils most likely to be away from school at the end of 2020, researchers tracking coronavirus learning loss have found
Poorer pupils were most likely to be away from school at the end of 2020, experts analysing the learning loss caused by coronavirus have found.
Social Mobility Awards success
Life-changing work by the University of Exeter to support disadvantaged young people has been recognised at awards which honour excellence in promoting social mobility in Britain.
One in 10 young people lost their job during covid-19 pandemic, new survey shows
More than one in 10 people aged 16 to 25 have lost their job, and just under six in 10 have seen their earnings fall since the coronavirus pandemic began, new research shows.
A duty of care and a duty to teach: educational priorities in response to the COVID-19 crisis
UCL have been leading a new ESRC-funded research project which focuses on how primary schools have been responding to the crisis
Fundamental reset of society needed to prevent decline in social mobility in the post-Covid era, experts warn
A fundamental reset of society is needed to avert an unprecedented decline in social mobility in the post-Covid era, leading experts have warned.
Home-educated children left without qualifications as exams replaced with teacher-predicted grades, study shows
The cancellation of exams this year in favour of teacher-predicted grades has had a “significantly detrimental” impact on many home-educated children, who are not able to gain qualifications this summer, a study warns.
UK Social Mobility Awards
The University of Exeter has been shortlisted for both Innovation and University of the Year in the UK Social Mobility Awards.
Coronavirus has led to major change in attitudes about parental responsibility for children’s education, survey shows
School closures have led to a change in attitudes among parents about who should be responsible for their child’s education, a major new survey shows.
Putting students’ mental wellbeing on the agenda
Professor Anna Mountford-Zimdars has contributed to an article in University World News.
Centre’s Co-Director writes blog for the Society for Research into Higher Education
The blog is called ‘How literature puts a spark into university access debates'.
Celebrating International Women’s Day
Centre for Social Mobility Co-Directors have made it onto the University of Exeter’s ‘Our Talented Women’ list.
It could take a century to hit the latest official university access targets
The Higher Education Policy Institute has published a new report on access to higher education which shows that, at the current rate of progress, it will take 96 years to hit the Office for Students’s targets for access to highly-selective universities.
Adjust children’s test scores by age to tackle summer-born disadvantage, education experts urge
Children’s test scores should be adjusted according to their age to tackle the disadvantage suffered by pupils born in the summer, influential education experts say.
Equity in Higher Education
Professor Penny Jane Burke, Global Innovation Chair for Equity from the University of Newcastle, Australia gave a talk entitled ‘Working for Excellence in Equity in Higher Education’.
Leading social mobility expert awarded OBE
Britain’s first Professor of Social Mobility has been awarded OBE for his work helping schools and universities to improve the prospects of disadvantaged young people
Centre represented at Inside Government HE national conference
Centre for Social Mobility member Dr Dawn Lees will be speaking about a university widening participation initiative at an Inside Government national conference ‘Raising student engagement in Higher Education’.
Office for Students adopts University's widening participation self-assessment toolkit
A research tool created by the University of Exeter’s Centre for Social Mobility will be rolled out to all universities to help assess the impact of widening participation activities in Higher Education (HE).
Exeter Scholars shortlisted for Whatuni award
Exeter Scholars, the University’s pioneering fair access programme, has been shortlisted in the prestigious Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2019.
University hosts South West Higher Education Advisers’ Days
Over 100 teachers and career advisers from schools across the South West attended two HE Advisers’ Days at Exeter and Penryn campuses arranged by our Student Recruitment team last month.
Centre hosts social mobility seminar on enhancing student retention and success
The second in the Centre for Social Mobility’s seminar series will take place on Wednesday, March 20th with a presentation by Professor Debby Cotton, Head of Teaching and Learning, at the University of Plymouth.
Record number of pupils recruited onto University’s progression programme Exeter Scholars
The University of Exeter is celebrating a record number of entrants onto its pioneering new progression programme Exeter Scholars aimed at helping high achieving pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Social mobility expert joins University of Exeter
One of the foremost experts on social mobility in Britain has been appointed as a Professor at the University of Exeter.
Diversity and inclusion highlighted in latest education publication
How do we make higher education learning and teaching more inclusive? What can we learn from each other’s experiences in supporting greater inclusion in higher education, and, in particular, greater inclusion in the curriculum and the academic side of higher education?
Social mobility and its enemies - guest lecture by Honorary Professor Dr Lee Elliot Major
Why is climbing the social ladder so difficult in Britain - and what can we do to create a fairer society? Are we all enemies of social mobility?
Social mobility research to be showcased by Centre members
Current research projects at the Centre for Social Mobility are set to be showcased in a series of presentations by academic members on November 27th.
Centre hosts first seminar on ‘students as insurers’
Young people have more ‘positivity about student debt as there is no point worrying’ and are more risk tolerant than previous generations was a key message from the first seminar held by the Centre for Social Mobility on October 17th.
Higher Education roadshow aims to reach 3,000 pupils in South West
HE Advisers and academics, including those from the University of Exeter, are on hand to give advice to thousands of young people on a special Higher Education Roadshow which is visiting schools and colleges across the south west until October 19th.
Centre for Social Mobility launches seminar series
The Centre for Social Mobility is launching a series of seminars starting on October 17 with a talk by Associate Professor Neil Harrison of the University of the West of England.
Medicine graduation joy for young mum
It can be challenging enough being a single parent, but University of Exeter alumna Justina Igwe managed to conquer a demanding five-year Medicine degree at the same time.
Supporting widening participation pupils through residential courses
The University’s Student Recruitment and Widening Participation team has hosted almost 300 prospective students from underrepresented backgrounds on residentials this summer.
'Ambition' award for manager of Exeter Scholars scheme
University of Exeter Outreach Manager and Centre member Melissa Ruddock has been awarded a Professional Services Recognition Award for the ambition she has shown on developing our flagship progression programme Exeter Scholars for Widening Participation school pupils.
Make greater use of contextual admissions, English sector told
Fair Education Alliance Contextualised Admissions 2018 report
Conference calls for social mobility champions across University
Over 100 academics, professional staff and students attended our inaugural Social Mobility Conference which was focussed on bringing people together to foster a whole institution approach to tackle the subject.
University student scheme supports ambitions of children in care
A University of Exeter student-run outreach scheme which supports the development and ambitions of local children-in-care is expanding after a successful first year.
University teaching chiefs ‘rarely have education background'
Study finds general management skills are valued more in education pro vice-chancellors than pedagogic expertise.
Keynote speaker announced for Social Mobility Conference
Dr Lee Elliot Major, Chief Executive of the Sutton Trust, has been confirmed as the key note speaker at our inaugural Centre for Social Mobility conference on June 12.
Book your place at Social Mobility Conference
We will be launching our new Centre for Social Mobility with a conference on 12th June at Streatham Campus open to professional services staff, academics, research fellows and students with research interests.
Alumnus supports the next generation at Exeter
A new Widening Participation scholarship is to be introduced at the University of Exeter, helping to ensure even more students can benefit from a University education.
Exeter Cohort 4 Pathways to Law Students Graduate
19 students from 13 state schools and colleges from across the South West region graduated from the Pathways to Law programme.