Students with parental responsibility
This refers to students with a parental responsibility for somebody aged 17 or under.
Most studies use self-declaration but some studies use Department for Work and Pensions data that matches benefits related to caring for a child to the adult learner.
Key statistics
On a provider level:
UCAS provides information on whether or not a student identifies as having parental responsibilities. This is self-reported by the student. It can be matched to Individual Learner Records by a provider for internal database purposes.
Note: Definitions and the quality of each study vary.
Lyonette, C., Atfield, G., Behl, H., Gambin, L. (2015) ‘Tracking student mothers’ higher education participation and early career outcomes over time: initial choices and aspirations, HE experiences and career destinations’. Final report. Institute for Employment Research, University or Warwick, Coventry
Todd, A. (2024). ‘Research Report: Student-Parents' experiences of academic and non-academic support in UK Higher Education’. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10520460
Webber,L. and Dismore, H.(2020) ‘Mothers and higher education: balancing time, study and space’, Journal of Further and Higher Education,45(6), pp.803–817.
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