Looking at HE participation rates, it is striking how much, from a regional perspective, it's London compared to the rest of the country. Though that very much hides enormous variation within region, and within local authorities (and among FSM/non-FSM students)

Striking also how the London effect doesnt appear to extend beyond the capital very far: Bracknell Forest has the *lowest* FSM participation rate of any local authority, followed by Hampshire. Wokingham and Reading have the largest FSM-non-FSM gaps in participation rates

I'm not sure what's going on in the Bracknell Forest-Reading-Wokingham part of Berkshire (or perhaps Berkshire more generally?). Any thoughts/interpretation?

When looking at a neighbourhood level, the southeast no longer appears, but former industrial towns, cities and coastal towns, in what is now familiar analysis. EVERY postcode in Great Yarmouth & Nottingham North is a low HE participation area. Tho these seem quite diff areas?

Not only does London signif outperform the rest of the country in terms of HE participation rates, but it has the smallest gap btw FSM and non-FSM students. In fact, the FSM HE participation rate in Inner London is higher than the non-FSM participation rate in every other region

Clearly some of this is explained by ethnicity, with BME young ppl being much more likely to attend HE, and given the much larger proportion of BME young people in London. But it's not the whole story: white FSM children in London are 2x more likely to attend HE than in SE

Though even in London, white FSM pupils are much less likely to attend HE than are ethnic minority FSM pupils. As elsewhere, part of this will be about migration histories (and the preferences & backgrounds of migrant parents), as well as a response to labour market inequalities

Ethnic minorities and migrants in the UK and globally are much more likely to seek additional qualifications and training, in part bc of the preferences of their parents and community, and in part bc they made need more/extra quals to get a job due to labour market inequalities

Understanding the regional and class differences in HE participation rates is clearly a complex story, but we need to keep in mind 3 thoughts:
1. There are multliple forms of HE inequalities
2. The reasons for those inequalities differ
3. The responses may also need to differ

A fourth if not final thought: this thread has mainly address HE participation rates. There are also varying gaps in retention, attainment and student outcomes. Which also deserve analysis - and addressing!