An online roundtable
Shifting patterns of global migration and displacement, Brexit, and deepening inequalities across the UK have led to a changing landscape for widening participation in English studies across the Secondary, Further and Higher Education sectors within the UK. In practical terms, this has led to less uptake of the subject at all levels, which, when coupled with a funding model that prioritises international student recruitment and uncapped student numbers at Russell Groups, presents unique challenges to students from widening participation backgrounds enrolling on English degrees in the UK. This is further exacerbated by the growing perception of English as an elite subject, driven by the political climate of the culture wars, as well as the alleged lack of ‘value’ in Arts and Humanities degrees, meaning fewer often-left-out individuals are opting to study English if they are, in fact, able to attend university at all.
We invite you to join this roundtable to share and reflect on best practice within the field.
Our speakers include:
Dr James Bainbridge is Director of Go Higher, the University of Liverpool’s longstanding one-year Access programme for mature students without traditional qualifications. Rooted in the values of widening participation and lifelong learning, Go Higher offers a foundation in English Literature, History, and Philosophy, and has provided transformative entry routes into Higher Education for over 25 years. James is a lecturer in the English Department at the University, and is especially interested in how literature can open up conversations around identity, belonging, and power. On Go Higher, he leads the literature strand and is passionate about opening up the study of English to those historically excluded from it. He is committed to inclusive, dialogic teaching practices that centre lived experience and value non-traditional forms of knowledge. Go Higher continues to reimagine the university as a more open, welcoming space, and supports students in recognising themselves as both readers and makers of culture.
Emma Lennox, career consultant, Queen’s University Belfast
Since 2014 I have worked as a career consultant at Queen’s University Belfast, supporting Arts, English and Languages students. As an English graduate myself, I use career development tools to support students to understand their potential, recognise their skill sets and articulate these into meaningful and sustainable work. My research interests include career management, student perceptions of employability and achievement, creative industries, sustainable non-linear careers, Systems Theory Framework and practitioner wellbeing. My findings have been published in peer-reviewed journals, disseminated at conferences and won the AHECS all Ireland Research Informed Practice award in 2025. I’m a member of the AGCAS Research and Knowledge Committee, have collaborated with external agencies to promote the value of non-specialised degrees, and love when people ask ‘but what can you do with an English degree?’ It’s never a short conversation.
Sarah Kruschandl, Head of English, Head of Partnerships, and Professional Tutor. Sarah has served as Head of Department in four schools, ranging from special educational needs settings to academically selective institutions, and has taught English from Key Stage 3 to A Level for 25 years. She helps train the next generation of English teachers, working as a mentor and professional tutor. As Head of Partnerships, she runs an extensive outreach programme, building connections with local schools. Furthering her interest in education and assessment, she is vice chair of governors at an academy, leading on curriculum and assessment. Sarah has also worked as an examiner for AQA, a NEA moderator for Pearson, and a curriculum developer for OCR. Her professional interests lie in educational collaboration, and she is currently proposing a PhD exploring how partnerships between universities, arts organisations, and schools can enrich the teaching of Shakespeare at A Level.
Jennie E. Owen is a Lecturer and Staff Tutor with the Open University, having taught Creative Writing for over 20 years. She is the current Chair for the popular Level 3, Advanced Creative Writing module. Jennie has a background in Careers, supporting students to gain valuable experience in volunteering with third and public sector organisations. She continues to be passionate about working with the community through outreach and writing events. She has co-ordinated projects in partnership with libraries, museums, galleries and schools. Jennie is a practising and widely published writer, currently reading for her PhD with Manchester Metropolitan University, with a focus on poetry and traumascapes. Her new collection, Tips for Collectors of the Macabre, will be available later this year.
Lyndsay Miller teaches English and Comparative Literature at the University of Glasgow and has worked in various widening participation roles since 2008. Her research focuses on theories of revision, transmedia storytelling and fandoms. She is currently completing her first monograph, The Art of Revision: Vladimir Nabokov’s Oeuvre, for which she was awarded a Visiting Postdoctoral Fellowship at Columbia University, and has begun work on subsequent projects on transmedia oeuvres, titled The Transmedia Supertext, and a cultural history of Lolita.
