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Behind the Scenes: My Parliament Visit & Solving Education’s Biggest Challenges

Sarah Dirrane 16 Feb 2025

A Half-Term Reset & A Busy Start to 2025

I hope you had a great half-term! After a much-needed break, I’m back feeling refreshed and ready to dive into what’s shaping up to be a busy and exciting year. 

Half-term for me included celebrating my eldest turning five (complete with a foam party disco that had me reminiscing about my fresher days!) and a rather unexpected cake mishap… let’s just say a wedding-sized cake made an appearance instead of one for a small child’s party (not my doing, for the record!). We also took a rare moment of calm at Rudding Spa in Harrogate – highly recommend if you haven’t been! – before rounding off the break with a fantastic Thai meal. 

The Student Outcome PodcastEpisode 3- The Equity Equation | Solving Education’s Biggest Challenges

In this episode, Professor Damien Page shares his personal journey and unpacks the systemic inequalities that continue to shape educational experiences.

He explores the challenges disadvantaged students face – not just in accessing higher education, but in truly thriving within it.

Watch or listen now and join the conversation on shaping a more equitable future in education.

NEW VLOGReflections on my recent visit to Parliament!

My Key Takeaways:

Uni Connect’s Impact is Undeniable – Since 2017, 195,000 activities have reached 1.5 million young people. Partnerships like Aimhigher are driving real change in access to HE.

Widening gap, but progress exists – NEON’s latest findings show a widening HE participation gap for FSM students. However, 11 areas have doubled FSM HE participation, proving progress is possible.

Hope on the horizon? – Challenges remain but could a government commitment to tackling inequalities mean the tide’s starting to turn?

Breaking Barriers: Key Summary Insights on Traveller Education & Initiative

This summary outlines key findings from a research paper exploring the educational experiences of Traveller children and the impact of the Lincolnshire Traveller Initiative (LTI).

The paper highlights how initiatives like LTI can support Traveller families in accessing education, gaining qualifications, and broadening future opportunities.

Discover the key takeaways from the full report by clicking below

Stay ahead with deeper insights and regular updates – follow me on LinkedIn to keep up with everything discussed here and more!

Until next time.

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