The 93% Club Durham is a social mobility network dedicated to representing the interests of state-educated students at Durham, and levelling the playing field for those who face exceptional inequality when obtaining opportunities at university and in the workplace.
The Covid-19 pandemic has created unique and challenging educational circumstances for Durham students from all backgrounds, which will carry over into their professional lives. What is clear from comparing the percentage increase in top A level grades in private schools (from 44%–70% A–A*) and comprehensive schools (21%–39% A–A*), though, is that state-educated students at Durham are unfairly set back due to the structural advantages and increased confidence in private school education. This has resulted in privately-schooled students, despite representing just 7% of the secondary school population, accounting for 74% of judges, 61% of Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians and over 50% of Cabinet members.
The 93% Club Durham aims to redress the employment gap and tackle imposter syndrome suffered by Durham students from socially mobile backgrounds by creating a safe community to share worries and experiences, and by providing various opportunities to participate in workshops, seminars, social events and activities that are geared towards building their confidence and equipping them with the necessary skills to compete with privately-schooled alumni in the job market.
