bstract
This paper presents data collected in individual case studies that aimed to investigate children and their families who succeeded against the usual 'odds' of disadvantage. Funded as an extension of EPPE 3-11 by the Cabinet Office for the Equalities Review, the study focused particularly closely upon the performance of disadvantaged children from White and minority ethnic groups. The study found that disadvantaged families often have high aspirations for their children and provide significant educational support through 'concerted cultivation'.

University was traditionally considered a ladder out of poverty for young working
class people; this report explores why so many are climbing down that ladder and ‘dropping out’. ‘Drop out’ is seen as a threat to the government’s widening participation policy and to its social justice agenda. It is commonly portrayed as a life disaster for the students themselves. This is the first report to explore ‘drop out’ in England, Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland and gain a qualitative picture of its meanings and implications.