Thoughts of a Psychology Student

Dear Theresa May, In the current political, social and economic climate, the promise to build a country that works for everyone is a welcome one, and you are having to contend with a history of Tory decisions that has meant that in too many circumstances, our country only works for the wealthy and elite.  However, in light of your new education reforms that involve lifting the ban on grammar schools, you will forgive me for merely lumping you in with your predecessors as you implement regressive reforms under the disguise of 'improving social mobility'. I know you intend to put measures in place to encourage more children from families with low socioeconomic status (SES) to apply to grammar schools, but I'm afraid the barriers for these children go deeper than you might think, and your approach is exclusive and damaging. A quota that works on the basis of lowering the pass grade for lower income families would be ineffective. Amongst children who ach...

As the British weather worsens and the daylight evenings begin to get shorter, we all have to start facing the fact that the summer holidays are coming to a close. For many, this means returning to school for another year of maths, science, english and detentions. For others, this marks the start of a new chapter: university. University has a shed load of pre-conceptions surrounding it. For some, university conjures up project-x style images of frat parties and those red beer pong cups that seem to serve no purpose but to reassure everyone else that you have the correct social status to even be at that party... For others, university seems to emit pure despair; textbooks as thick as rugby players thighs, research papers as dense as the Magna Carta, and lectures so dull even Hermione would fall asleep in them. When I was at school, the thought of not going to university never occurred to me. For me, university was the default option. Both my parents have English degrees; my older...