93% Club

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 93% Club is a student-run charity that aims to provide opportunities and a network for state school–educated university students in the United Kingdom.[1] It has chapters at 45 universities in the UK and has reached more than 10,000 students.[2][3]

History[]

The organisation was founded by Sophie Pender, who graduated from secondary school with three A* grades at A-Level but found her working-class council estate background criticised when she began studying at the University of Bristol in 2016.[1][2][4] At that time, more than 35% of students at the university came from independent schools and private schools.[5]

The 93% in the name refers to the share of British people educated in state schools.[1] Jasmine Andersson of inews.co.uk described the club as a "reverse Bullingdon Club", referring to the exclusive private club at the University of Oxford.[2] The charity intends to counteract the traditional "What school did you go to?" question assumed to allow former private school pupils to get good jobs.[6] It gives advice to students, such as helping them select a hall of residence or explaining that state school undergraduates may have built up resilience and may outperform the privately educated.[5]

The movement attracted increased attention in 2020, when it grew to over 10,000 students in 36 universities. It obtained charitable status that December and has accrued sponsorship from CapitalOne, Teach First and OC&C Consulting.[6]

Reception[]

In June 2021, the charity attracted attention for a social media campaign asking users to share that they are "state school and proud".[2] It also received some hostility, as some of its events were disrupted, and the organisation was criticised as "elitist".[6] Pender rejected these criticisms, saying privately educated students "don't need to set up a 7% club because they already benefit from privileged networks".[6] Other commentators have argued the "educational apartheid" of independent (private) schools is preventing social mobility.[7]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Nye, Catrin (25 June 2021). "Being proud of going to state school". BBC News. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Andersson, Jasmine (1 July 2021). "The university students widening access for the 93% of pupils who went to state school". inews. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  3. ^ "The 93% club Official Website". 93percent.club.
  4. ^ Pender, Sophie (17 March 2021). "I set up an 'alternative Bullingdon Club' for state school students". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  5. ^ a b Bailey, Charlotte (19 December 2018). "We spoke to The 93% Club, Bristol's own state school society". thetab.com. The Tab. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d Verkaik, Robert (6 March 2021). "A Bullingdon in reverse: how working-class student club is taking on elitism". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  7. ^ Green, Francis; Kynaston, David (2019). Engines of privilege : Britain's private school problem. London: Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-5266-0127-8. OCLC 1108696740.
Retrieved from ""