No such thing as a free lunch : widening participation in English higher education for those on free school meals

Pickering, Nathaniel (2019) No such thing as a free lunch : widening participation in English higher education for those on free school meals. Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, 21 (3). pp. 57-80. ISSN 1466-6529

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Abstract

Government policy is committed to increasing the representation of students that come from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds at selective universities in England. However, access and participation of this group remain stratified and unequal. Focusing on free school meals as a proxy for socio-economic disadvantage, this article will examine how successful the Government has been in influencing 25 of the most selective universities in England to change their widening participation policies in relation to free school meal students. Drawing on the Stephen J. Ball conceptualisation of policy as text and policy as discourse, a macro-level policies were enacted at a micro-level. Findings indicate that the Government has had some success at influencing some local practices of the sampled institutions. However, universities have also deployed strategies that are based on established and dominant discourses to maintain their elite and selective position in society.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning
Subjects:
?? free school mealshigher educationpolicypolicy as discoursepolicy as textstephen j. balluniversity access ??
ID Code:
150982
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
21 Jan 2021 14:50
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
15 Jul 2024 20:40