Does it matter where you come from Individuals share their stories

The importance of support systems for students from non-traditional backgrounds was spelt out last week at a conference called "Does it matter where you come from?", organised by the Cambridge University Equality and Diversity team. The event was divided into two parts with the morning spent looking at the complex challenges faced by care leavers and the afternoon to the interface between the education system and Gypsy Roma and Traveller communities. Both groups have low participation rates in higher education. Only 16 per cent of looked-after children get five good GCSEs and just seven per cent of care leavers go into higher education (DCSF figures 2008). In the case of Gypsy Roma Traveller communities, the percentages are even lower. In his introduction, Professor John Bell said that the day was a valuable opportunity for the University "to learn from its students" and consider whether its policies are actually working at grass roots level. "Cambridge has changed a lot but perceptions often shift more slowly than realities.