Changing the Narrative

Written by Christine Kinnear, CEO, With Insight Education

“Mum, I don't think that I can go to places like Oxford and Cambridge. They’re just not for people like me.”

My daughter’s words back in 2017 were the spark to start With Insight Education and this month we celebrate five years of supporting black-heritage students to change this narrative. And yes, also, my daughter's graduation from the University of Cambridge.

Her words had hit me hard. As a bright A-level student myself, the world should have been my oyster when it came to my university choice. Instead, when I visited various universities and there was nobody else that looked like me, my choice of university became coloured by the fear of not fitting in. I ended up turning down a top university offer, opting instead for a lower tier one where I felt safe. Decades later, my daughter’s words really brought home to me that not much had really changed.

I had recently been made redundant and it was during this time of wondering ‘What next?’ that my daughter’s life-changing words echoed loudest. Frustrated by the lack of progress in tackling an enduring problem, I started With Insight Education soon afterwards.

The mission of the charity continues to be to remove self-limiting doubts and instead empower black-heritage students with the confidence, knowledge and soft skills to secure a prosperous future that is reflective of their potential.

Five years on, we have supported over 1000 young people. Our budding Year 9 & 10 pupils transform their ideas of what’s possible after spending time with their black-heritage university student mentors. Our sixth formers develop essential skills and look to their future with more confidence. Ultimately, 87% of our Insight2Uni mentees secure a top third university place.

But there is more to do.

In 2018 only 8% of black students went to a Russell Group university. That was less than half the proportion of their White and Asian peers. Five years on, this figure has improved but when compared to other major racial groups, black students still consistently have the lowest entry levels to top universities. They are more likely to drop out of university than their peers and those that get to the finish line are less likely to graduate with a 2:1 or 1st class degree for a host of institutional reasons.

In the year that we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the arrival of Empire Windrush, I reflect that my parents came to these chilly shores full of expectation that through hard work they would secure themselves and their families a bright new future. It breaks my heart that all these years on, charities like mine are still needed to break barriers and unleash the potential of black-heritage children in a system that remains stubbornly stacked against them.

My vision is an educational landscape where that isn’t the case.

I started With Insight Education five years ago after being made redundant. Wouldn’t it be something if I had reason to be dusting off my CV again in another five years time?!