We’re not here to fix students, we’re here to fix the system

The debate about whether institutional racism exists or not is a harmful distraction from the real work of combating its pervasive influence. At Causeway, we’re maintaining our focus on fixing the system, not fixing the young people for whom that system presents significant barriers, writes CEO Sam Holmes.

As the Runnymede Trust clearly state: “a substantial and incontrovertible body of evidence confirms beyond any doubt that the incidence of direct and institutional racism prejudices the UK’s Black and minoritised communities to this day.”

The evidence for this has been set out time and time again. When I logged in to watch Dr Halima Begum, Runnymede Trust CEO, chair a panel responding to the Race Report, one point came across above all else: there’s real work to be done in tackling institutional racism, and a debate about whether it exists or not pulls vital focus away from this.

So, here at Causeway, we will remain focused on supporting students to overcome barriers in accessing higher education. There’s a reason we talk about barriers. When disparities are actually acknowledged, the language of the Race Report points towards a blaming of under-represented groups for the unequal outcomes they experience. In the education sector where Causeway operates, there is ample evidence of institutional barriers to the progression of young people. This was set out clearly by The Access Project CEO Nathan Sansom, in his blog published the day after the Race Report. If we are going to tackle inequality then a major part of this work is going to be about dealing with the barriers individuals face which are built into the system. At Causeway, we believe it’s not about fixing students, but fixing the system.

So what does this mean in practice? For some organisations like the Runnymede Trust this is about vital research and policy work to inform and steer the debate. For our work at Causeway, there are two key dimensions:

1. Plugging gaps in support for young people in the short term

We do this through mentoring in partnership with the Sutton Trust and a range of universities, as well as supporting other organisations like Amos Bursary.

2. Ensuring core provision meets the needs of all students in the longer term

We equip schools and colleges to provide the best support to students through our free online applications platform, OSCAR, and programmes like Access Champions and Sutton Trust Teacher Champions, which provide teachers and progression staff with practical guidance and advice drawn from our research.

Both these strands of work have a common underlying principle: we’re not here to fix students, we’re here to fix the system. Institutional racism is one of the forces which blights the current system. It is not the fault of the young people it disadvantages. Instead of wasting time debating its existence, we need to direct all our efforts into tackling it.