Resources

Mind the Gap

Walking into this event on Wednesday 14th May, I wasn’t quite expecting what I experienced.

‘Mind The Gap’, was an event hosted at Leeds Trinity University, focusing on the awarding gap and social injustice.

If I’m honest, I was expecting a short film made by students, which was a bit rough around the edges, backed by a lecturer who was proud of what their students had put together as part of a course project.

What I got was something completely different.

A well-polished, feature-length film that blended emotion, humour and some really tough conversations on a real and important topic. Yes, it was created with huge input from students (who have done a brilliant job), but also guided by Associate Professor Ricardo Barker, who wrote, directed and produced it. A director who managed to capture the topic in such an authentic, human way that anyone working in education, social justice or social mobility will connect with it.

Let me set the scene…

Let me set the scene…

It was a last-minute sign-up. I took the place of a colleague who was unwell. I saw it as a great opportunity to network and catch up with others in the sector, possibly bump into some old colleagues and of course get out of the office for a few hours. I arrived 10 minutes before the start, having parked a 15-minute walk away at my local football club. The sun was out, the walk was uphill, and by the time I arrived, I was slightly out of breath, hot and sweaty, and immediately bumping into people I knew. Time to slip off and sort myself out before mingling.

Fast forward 15 minutes, a bit of mingling done and now sat in a lecture theatre, expecting a film on a topic I know a bit about, but haven’t explored in depth. Working in social mobility and widening participation for over a decade makes you aware of these kinds of issues. Fast forward another 30 minutes and I’m hooked into a film in a way I definitely wasn’t expecting.  

The film focused on the awarding gap and the unconscious bias that affects the lived experience of students across the UK. With national stats showing that 86% of White students receive a first or 2:1, compared with just 75.2% of BAME (black and minority ethnic) students.

Here’s a bit more about the film, taken from the screening notes – It explores unconscious bias in higher education. The film follows Daniel, a Senior Lecturer whose grading practices are revealed to be influenced by unconscious bias, leading him on a journey of personal and professional transformation. The project represents the intersection of academic research, professional filmmaking, and collaborative learning. Co-created by Ricardo Barker, students, and staff at Leeds Trinity University, Mind The Gap transforms complex institutional data into a compelling narrative that exposes the subtle prejudices within higher education.

What this film did really well was make the topic relatable. It explored how racial bias can be so deeply ingrained in everyday systems and interactions that we often don’t even notice it. The lead character did a brilliant job of showing how someone who is against racism, prejudice and inequality and what it stands for, can still be part of a system that contributes to it without even realising.

It was a brilliant film that balanced drama and subtle comedy in a way that made difficult topics easier to engage with. One that had the audience asking plenty of questions in the panel that followed, as they tried to unpick the details of the film and the themes it explored.

What I wasn’t expecting was how much it made me reflect on my own time at university. That feeling of not quite fitting in (which the lead character discusses about himself in the film), just getting my head down and getting through it. Other than two or three people, I mostly kept friendships with my already established friends outside of university. It was a place where I often felt like I didn’t belong and shouldn’t be at. I carried the feeling that if I could just sneak through unnoticed, I’d get the opportunity to come out the other side with a degree. And get away with it.

It also reminded me why I care so much about the work I do in social mobility. I didn’t fully understand the value and positive impact that university had on my life until later. After I landed an internship in widening participation at Leeds Beckett University. A role I then held full time a few years later at Leeds Trinity University, where this was filmed and created! That internship changed my life. It continues to shape what I do now and hopefully will for years to come.

The film also highlighted the misconceptions we form every day based on someone’s appearance, job or setting in which we first meet them. When I work with young people in my role, I try to be as open and honest as I can. It helps me build rapport with the people I’m working with, but it also really helps to challenge assumptions about who I am. Particularly my background, experiences and relatability. It helps break down that default perception of me as just ‘the teacher at the front.’ I suppose in short, sometimes being a bit more open with your story can help untangle barriers and actually be beneficial.

Of course, it also made me reflect on my own biases. I work with young learners, particularly young men. Do I carry any unconscious biases into those sessions? A difficult but important question. Maybe one for another blog.

As you can see, quite a few topics were unearthed in this film.

Ricardo Barker said he wasn’t claiming to have the answers to social injustice but wanted the film to start conversations. It definitely did that. Senior leaders from across universities were already asking how they could show the film in their own institutions, which was great to see.

This is one of those films that deserves to be watched more than once to pick up all the nuances of what’s going on. I’ll definitely be watching it again when I can.

And honestly, I’d say it’s something everyone in education should see.

Thanks for reading!

Daniel Todd