Poor white teens in 'left behind' towns not going to uni

[Harry Bloomfield]

Someone once asked me why I lived where I did. "Because that’s where my house is" was my reply......

Well, I was born in one of the poorer areas and set my sights on something better and better than my parents managed. A few said that where I presently live was a nice place to live, a village suburb, so I set my sights on one day ending up here.

I quite fancied living out in the sticks, I was partly raised on my uncles farm out in the sticks, but its none to practical in reality. Regular bus 100 yards away, shops, restaurants and supermarkets a five minute walk away. Very practical, yet quiet, with zero crime.

 

[JP_]

Funny, white people admit that living in deprived areas leads to life long struggles with poorer education, poorer health, poorer welfare etc. but the same people totally dispute the idea that black people from poorer and deprived areas struggle for the same reasons - for them, it because they're black.

one day, people will realise that we are all equal, and that the main difference between us is the environment we are brought up in and the life choices that are available to us.

#peace #oneworld

 

[sxturbo]

The article says you're wrong, it does matter.

If you're BAME and on free school meals your odds aren't too bad, if you're white and on Free school meals then they are awful.

Something is clearly going wrong.

i believe its more a cultural thing,

i dont believe it's colour biased,

we keep hearing about racial bias, is it a thing? are we more likely to promote and do more for the BAME community in fear that we dont wish to offend and so poor whitey gets left behind?

 

[diy_fun_uk]

Funny, white people admit that living in deprived areas leads to life long struggles with poorer education, poorer health, poorer welfare etc. but the same people totally dispute the idea that black people from poorer and deprived areas struggle for the same reasons - for them, it because they're black.

one day, people will realise that we are all equal, and that the main difference between us is the environment we are brought up in and the life choices that are available to us.

#peace #oneworld

Whether intentional or not, articles of this type ... regardless of black or white references ... stoke racism. We need to aim for true (and continuing) equality for all. Of course we'll never get there, too much hatred and division still exists across the world and always will. However aim for the stars as they say.

There's too much to go into. It all links to a lack of real investment in these areas over decades, decades of closing traditional industries with promises of replacement industries that never fully materialised. The rise of cheap foreign travel and holidays meaning brits no longer had to holiday in an often cold, rainy seaside resort unless they really want to.

And as others have touched on, Uni is not the only route to a career. This was another myth promoted by governments. It was of course good to increase opportunity for those previously excluded from this educational route. However it's swung too much the other way now, hence governments trying to reintroduce the appeal of trades, apprenticeships etc.

 

[JP_]

Whether intentional or not, articles of this type ... regardless of black or white references ... stoke racism. We need to aim for true (and continuing) equality for all. Of course we'll never get there, too much hatred and division still exists across the world and always will. However aim for the stars as they say.

There's too much to go into. It all links to a lack of real investment in these areas over decades, decades of closing traditional industries with promises of replacement industries that never fully materialised. The rise of cheap foreign travel and holidays meaning brits no longer had to holiday in an often cold, rainy seaside resort unless they really want to.

There is that, although in the grand scheme of things, these seaside towns only developed after the Victorian period, before that they were just fishing and rural farming villages.
Maybe coronavirus will lead to a resurgence of the seaside town!

There was an interesting talk on BBC news today about why BAME people tend to suffer worse with coronavirus. The current thinking is that it is not genetic, but purely socio-economic - when people's lives are hard, with poorer nutrition, poorer healthcare, later diagnosis of problems, and generally a harder more stressful life, their bodies are not so well equipped to cope. Maybe when this is all over scientists and statisticians will reveal that the main determinant of covid survival is actually wealth.

In fact, some research already out ...
Social determinants of mortality from COVID-19: A simulation study using NHANES
Benjamin Seligman ,Maddalena Ferranna,David E. Bloom
Published: January 11, 2021https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003490

and this came out almost a year ago:
Class and COVID: How the less affluent face double risks
Richard V. Reeves and Jonathan RothwellFriday, March 27, 2020

 

[noseall]

another point to add is the cost of uni educaton.

Kinell, don't I know it!

I never had the chance to go on ski trips, uni education and the like, but I work like bu33ery to make sure my sprogs have the opportunities that my parents could not afford. I was a bit taken aback to hear my first born was tucking into Dominos pizza when his mother went to collect him for Christmas break. I thought they lived on cheap gear like pot noodle, sacks of rice and pasta?

 

[EddieM]

Kinell, don't I know it!

I never had the chance to go on ski trips, uni education and the like, but I work like bu33ery to make sure my sprogs have the opportunities that my parents could not afford. I was a bit taken aback to hear my first born was tucking into Dominos pizza when his mother went to collect him for Christmas break. I thought they lived on cheap gear like pot noodle, sacks of rice and pasta?

Used to, when uni was "free"!

 

[ellal]

Whilst this does highlight the inequity, I've never understood why the constant emphasis on the need to go to uni to have a decent future. Surely the huge amount of worthless degrees is testament to that.

University education is now a privatised business...

And the schools are going the same way...

Gotta keep the money rolling in, and also feed the subsidiary businesses such as large corporates building all that extra accommodation and facilities!

 

[diy_fun_uk]

There is that, although in the grand scheme of things, these seaside towns only developed after the Victorian period, before that they were just fishing and rural farming villages.
Maybe coronavirus will lead to a resurgence of the seaside town!

There was an interesting talk on BBC news today about why BAME people tend to suffer worse with coronavirus. The current thinking is that it is not genetic, but purely socio-economic - when people's lives are hard, with poorer nutrition, poorer healthcare, later diagnosis of problems, and generally a harder more stressful life, their bodies are not so well equipped to cope. Maybe when this is all over scientists and statisticians will reveal that the main determinant of covid survival is actually wealth.

In fact, some research already out ...
Social determinants of mortality from COVID-19: A simulation study using NHANES
Benjamin Seligman ,Maddalena Ferranna,David E. Bloom
Published: January 11, 2021https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003490

and this came out almost a year ago:
Class and COVID: How the less affluent face double risks
Richard V. Reeves and Jonathan RothwellFriday, March 27, 2020

This is nearly always the case regardless of the situation a country and/or the world finds itself in. Whilst, in the case of covid, the virus itself is equally happy to infect a homeless person or a billionaire, the latter has MUCH more opportunities should they so wish to mitigate their risk. I've intentionally taken extreme examples to make my point.

 

[JP_]

Yeah, I am dreading this! I went to uni but was the last of the full grant students. My mum didn't work, my dad scraped by on a self-employed income, so I got a full grant. I still needed to work holidays and use my overdraft and loans to survive. I don't think I had a Dominoes once in 5 years (I took a while!). Never a ski trip either.

My youngest son was grammar school material, teacher wanted him to sit the 11+. But then coronavirus came and that went to pot, but he didn't want to do it, and we were dreading the cost of grammar school (loads of school trips, sports equipment, musical instruments ....) glad he'll be going to the comp round the corner instead!

But uni today doesn't look like the uni I experienced either - not only the 9k a year fees, but accommodation looks better, but much more expensive. I stayed in some awful places, but paid £25/week, now £100 is cheap.

Hopefully my kids will go to the local uni or get a job!

 

[ellal]

Funny, white people admit that living in deprived areas leads to life long struggles with poorer education, poorer health, poorer welfare etc. but the same people totally dispute the idea that black people from poorer and deprived areas struggle for the same reasons - for them, it because they're black.

one day, people will realise that we are all equal, and that the main difference between us is the environment we are brought up in and the life choices that are available to us.

#peace #oneworld

One of the best posts for quite a while!

 

[transam]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-55804123

Poor white teenagers in England's former industrial towns and those living on the coast are among the least likely to go to university, warns the watchdog for fair access.

"These are the people and places that have been left behind," says Chris Millward of the Office for Students.

This is a travesty and needs to be addressed. University may not need to be the ultimate destination but the life choices and chances of young white teens in these areas needs to be addressed. Cuts to services and raising Uni fees has not helped. We need to do way more.

Doubt if there will be much of a fuss made

they are white

 

[diy_fun_uk]

It's not a popular view to hold, however I'll assert we need people to be spread across the socio-economic continuum. What we need to ensure however is those at the lower end are not living in poverty, hence the requirement for a genuine living wage. Not everyone can succeed even if they want to, if by 'succeed' we mean achieving more academically and/or career wise. Even if we have the mental wherewithal, we can't all be in the top tier, society doesn't function that way. And whether we like it or not, in many cases, coming from a middle/upper class background can help grease the wheels of progression.

 

[JohnD]

Yes, it's possible Buffoon might have made a decent decorator with an evening job as a club comic, and some bright kid from a disadvantaged background could have benefitted from the education he got.

Think how the nation might have gained.

 

[transam]

Doubt buffoon Johnson would know what a paint brush is

let alone ever used one