IP. Race.

Continuing the theme of investigating the intersectionality of socioeconomic class through data, specifically Working Class Home students. In this post I will look at UAL data on race and integrate census information and other data points.

Data Race. 
England and Wales race.

(Population of England and Wales. 2022).

England and Wales race overview.
(Population of England and Wales. 2022).

England and Wales Students. National data – selfdeclared.

(Religion by Housing, Health, Employment, and Education, England and Wales Census 2021).

UAL Race.

(Dashboards, UAL. 2024).

UAL Race Breakdown.

(Dashboards, UAL. 2024).

Comparison of data points.

(Dashboards, UAL. 2024).

Every race besides White is represented higher than the national average at UAL. Mixed being the highest, seeing a 389.7% representation comparatively to UK numbers.

Students accepted into Higher Education at age 18.

(Social Mobility Barometer – public attitudes to social mobility in the UK, 2021).

Gov.UK census data show that at 32% White students at 18 are the least likely to be accepted into higher education compared to any other racial group.

Data from the UK Government Socioeconomics.
Routine Occupation. Working Class jobs. Omitting unemployed and fulltime students.

(Social Mobility Barometer – public attitudes to social mobility in the UK, 2021).

Routine represents the lowest paid and least skilled jobs in the UK. White are proportionally over represented in this category by 8.9% compared to all other races which are underrepresented comparatively to the general population. For every job category white is overrepresented compared to the national number, this is due to white being underrepresented in the unemployed category and full-time student category. The white full-time student category aligns with the UAL data. 11.3% for UAL Mixed is high compared to UK population of 2.9%, and England and Wales full time students of 3.7%.

Socioeconomic Background of UAL Students.
UAL Data.
(Dashboards, UAL. 2024).


(Dashboards, UAL. 2024).

UAL LCC Data.

(Dashboards, UAL. 2024).


(Dashboards, UAL. 2024).

White working class students appear to be under represented in the UAL data compared to other races. There have been many great initiatives targeted to empower diverse lower socio economic groups, but not everyone in within these groups.


(Halfon, R. 2021).

A government Education committee found that white working class students fall behind their peers from an early age and struggle to catch up without investment of resources or opportunity. Strikingly, just 16% of disadvantaged White pupils went on to higher education last year (Halfon, R. 2021). 

Social Mobility Study UK Government 2021.
People responded on if they felt their backgrounds gave them an advantage in education, and in a professional context.

White.
(Social Mobility Barometer – public attitudes to social mobility in the UK, 2021). 

BME.
(Social Mobility Barometer – public attitudes to social mobility in the UK, 2021). 

Career.
White.

(Social Mobility Barometer – public attitudes to social mobility in the UK, 2021). 

BME.
(Social Mobility Barometer – public attitudes to social mobility in the UK, 2021). 

47% of BME individuals responded that their background gave them an advantage in education compared to White individuals that who answered at 31%. 15% BME think that their background gave them a disadvantage which was lower then the White respondents of 17%. The census data seems to show that BME feel less discriminated and more privileged in an education setting, than their White counterparts. In a career context this changes, with BME and White both answers 25-26% as an advantage, but 26% BME answering as a disadvantage. Both BME and White say it does not impact anything as the highest score.

Summary.
While UAL has made great progression in representation in certain areas, how can lessons be learnt from this and applied to students universally from all races that represent less affluent socioeconomic classes? Many of the systematic failures of the system to support white working class students will happen at a much earlier educational point before they are eligible to apply for higher education.

Through the data the intersectionality of race and social affluence was explored but, in the teaching space we need to not presume anyone’s socioeconomic background based on race, as any assumptions based on this can be misleading and problematic. Statistically in the classroom a student inclusive of race will most likely be from an affluent background, but not always, this is why data without stories and context are meaningless. This blog post could of been less data driven, and more story driven, but it is sometimes important to look at trends in the data to contextualise our classroom experiences. There is still the anomaly between attainment of white and black students at UAL that this does not address.

Intersectionality represents a complexity of characteristics, in this example a white working class student, would represent white privilege, but also class discrimination. These two things can sit in situ and both can be true. I think this is one of the strengths of intersectionality, where it adds depth and nuances to complex conversations. Respectful conversations in the teaching space can leverage these complexities for a better more human understanding of the pedagogy.




Reference List.

‘Dashboards, Enrolment and Profiles, Student Profiles’, (2024). Available at https://dashboards.arts.ac.uk/dashboard/ActiveDashboards/DashboardPage.aspx?dashboardid=5c6bb274-7645-4500-bb75-7e334f68ff24&dashcontextid=638573471260687090 . Last accessed 17^th July 2024.

Halfon, R. (2021)). ‘How White working-class pupils have been let down, and how to change it’. House of Commons Committees. Available at https://houseofcommons.shorthandstories.com/disadvantaged-white-working-class-pupils-/index.html#:~:text=The%20White%20working%20class%20are,free%20school%20meals%20(FSM). . Last accessed 17^th July 2024.

‘Population of England and Wales’, (2022). Gov.Uk. Available at https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/uk-population-by-ethnicity/national-and-regional-populations/population-of-england-and-wales/latest/. Last accessed 17^th July 2024.

‘Religion by Housing, Health, Employment, and Education, England and Wales Census’, (2021). Office for National Statistics. Available at https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/religion/articles/religionbyhousinghealthemploymentandeducationenglandandwales/census2021 . Last accessed 15^th July 2024.

‘Social Mobility Barometer – public attitudes to social mobility in the UK’, (2021). Gov.Uk . Available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-mobility-barometer-2021/social-mobility-barometer-public-attitudes-to-social-mobility-in-the-uk#fn:1 . Last accessed 17^th July 2024.

‘Working Age Population’, (2023). Gov.Uk . Available at https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/uk-population-by-ethnicity/demographics/working-age-population/latest/#:~:text=according%20to%20the%202021%20Census,aged%2016%20to%2064%20years) . Last accessed 17^th July 2024.