WHY I BECAME
A CAMPAIGNER
For better access to higher education Sarah Cullen has been campaigning for better access to education since the age of 10. There was never much doubt that she would dedicate her career to widening access to higher education. Here she tells Channel how it all began. What first sparked your interest in widening participation (WP)? It is hard to identify one particular thing. I’ve been aware of inequality in education since an early age. My mother was an ardent campaigner for comprehensive education when Brighton lagged behind in the 1970s and so I was exposed to arguments about the inequities of the system. My sister and I reluctantly made the pages of The Argus demonstrating in Churchill Square. This interest has stayed with me as through my life I have experienced education from different perspectives. In my previous role as a guidance leader in a local college I regularly came into contact with students who were disaffected and struggling often through no fault of their own. Seeing the difference that support and encouragement can make is incredibly motivating. In my first week at the university I bumped into one of my ex-Falmer students who was just about to start a PGCE, an achievement she wouldn’t have thought possible when I first met her in year 11. What were your own experiences of higher education? My own experience of HE enabled me to explore the link between education and social mobility further. Ironically I benefitted from passing the 11+. Although I wasn’t a particularly conventional academic high flyer, I was fortunate to have enthusiastic and supportive teachers who encouraged me to
apply for Cambridge University. I was also part of an early WP scheme because the college I applied to used its own entrance exam which required less coaching and was meant to level the playing field for state school pupils. Studying Social and Political Science enabled me to further my interest in education and inequality. On a personal level I found the academic side of HE stimulating but socially it was difficult which I think is an experience echoed by many of the young people I work with now. How did this lead to your career in WP? This was mainly through my job at Varndean College. I was in charge of school liaison which involved working closely with local high schools and applicants. One of my link schools was Falmer where progression rates were very poor. The college and school secured funding to run an after school scheme where pupils visited Varndean for study skills support. When two larger initiatives to WP were launched I was delighted to be asked to lead this work within the college. What does your current job involve? One of the many appealing aspects of my job is its diverse nature. One day I can be involved in the production of a Widening Participation Strategic Assessment for the university and the next working with a group of primary pupils explaining what the term
22 Channel Magazine November | December 2009
lecture means. I lead the work of the Widening Participation Outreach team which includes activities that span year 5 to Access students. We also link with schools within the
university to deliver subject-specific projects such as the Fashion School for the Crew Club and an Applied Social Science Conference for college students.