King's College London

Specifically, the study will:  

1. Explore mixed-heritage young people's perceptions and experiences of their ethno-racial identity within the higher education context of London.
2. Investigate the role of schools and universities in supporting mixed-heritage young people's academic success and well-being.
3. Identify the barriers and challenges mixed-heritage young people face in negotiating higher education within London.
4. Chart and examine statistically the relationship between mixed-heritage status and access to HE, progression, attainment and educational experience within higher education in London.
5. Provide recommendations, based on the above findings, for educational policy and practice that support mixed-heritage young people's academic success and well-being.

The study will employ a robust mixed-methods approach to gather and analyze data.

1. Qualitative research – namely ten semi-structured individual interviews with staff, and 16 focus groups with young people in selected sixth-forms, colleges and universities in London.

• Explore mixed-heritage young people’s perceptions and experiences of their racial/ethnic identity within the higher educational context of London (at sixth-form/college and university)
• Investigate the role of schools and universities in supporting mixed-heritage young people’s academic success and wellbeing
• Identify any barriers and challenges faced by mixed-heritage young people in their educational careers.

2. Quantitative analysis of publicly available dataset such as: i) Universities and College Admissions Service (UCAS); ii) National Student Survey (NSS); iii) Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA); and iv) Evidence for Equality National Survey (EVENS) that explores the following:

• The higher education trajectories and transitions of mixed-heritage young Londoners.
• Map and understand the progression, outcomes, and attainment of mixed-heritage students in London higher education institutions.
• Mixed-heritage ethnic identification and student experience in higher education in London.

Identity and belonging

Mixed-heritage students encounter ongoing identity challenges throughout their educational journeys. They often navigate complex social dynamics marked by peer scrutiny, identity policing, and pressure to ‘choose a side’ amongst their heritages. Many adopt nuanced strategies – such as concealing, simplifying, or code-switching – to gain social acceptance. According to survey analysis, mixed individuals tend to place less emphasis on ethnic identity, and also report a lower sense of belonging to British society compared to other minority ethnic groups, challenging assumptions about their ease of integration.

School experiences

Challenges in secondary education:

• Mixed-Black students are frequently accused of being ‘whitewashed’ based on their friendships, speech, or cultural preferences – forcing painful choices between cultural authenticity and institutional approval.
• Peer-led identity policing generates anxiety around self-expression, especially regarding appearance, behaviour, and friendships.
• Harassment related to mixedness is often minimised by teachers and seen as less serious than other forms of ethnicity-based discrimination.
• Teachers hold racialised assumptions, with mixed-Asian students facing ‘model minority’ stereotypes, while mixed-Black students are subject to behavioural scrutiny and lowered expectations.

Parental and institutional influences:

• Parents often hold high academic aspirations but may lack the cultural capital to navigate the UK education system particularly in migrant families.
• Schools exhibit institutional invisibility: inconsistent data practices, categorical erasure (e.g., merging mixed students into monoracial groups), and a lack of targeted support.
• Mixed-heritage perspectives are largely absent from curricula and cultural programming.
• Students frequently manage identity-related challenges independently, with limited parental or institutional support

Sixth-form as a turning point: Students consistently describe sixth-form as a more liberating environment, characterised by reduced peer policing, greater maturity, more diverse communities, and stronger institutional support for identity expression.

Higher education patterns

Access and outcomes: Mixed-heritage students face paradoxical trends in university access and success. Despite demonstrating smaller continuation and awarding gaps once enrolled, they receive fewer offers from high-tariff institutions and are overrepresented at lower-tariff universities, where outcome gaps widen. White/Asian students progress to higher education at nearly triple the rate of White/Black Caribbean peers, with mixed White/Black Caribbean males critically underrepresented in higher-tariff institutions and absent from the university sample.

University experiences:

• Diversity can both normalise difference and intensify exclusion, with students facing new forms of identity questioning.
• Student-led cultural societies (especially Black and African Caribbean) foster inclusive belonging, while White-European societies often demand authenticity based on appearance.
• Some mixed students are able to deploy their proximity to Whiteness as a form of cultural capital to facilitate navigation within university spaces. This is experienced ambivalently. It provides institutional advantages but also generates anxieties around legitimacy.
• Academic staff are often unaware of students’ mixed-heritage backgrounds, and limited ethnic diversity among faculty restricts mentorship opportunities.
• None of our university case studies had interventions specifically tailored to mixed-heritage students; and existing frameworks lack nuance

Financial and support barriers: Scholarship criteria based on monoracial categories create eligibility ambiguities, often requiring uncomfortable ‘identity performances.’ Mixed-Black students expressed uncertainty about accessing monoracial Black-focused funding, unsure of their entitlement or comparative disadvantage

Intra-group differences

The ‘mixed’ category encompasses significant diversity. White/Black Caribbean students face compounded disadvantage, the lowest GCSE attainment, highest exclusion rates, and greatest socio-economic hardship. In contrast, White/Asian students outperform national averages. Mixed White/Black African students occupy a middle position. The mixed-other category has grown significantly but remains under-researched. Intersectional analysis reveals wide FSM gaps and complex socio-economic dynamics that underpin some of these inequalities.

Institutional invisibility

Mixed-heritage students are consistently invisible within school and university policies and practices:

• Poor data collection and categorisation obscure the needs of mixed-heritage students.
• Small population sizes are used to justify neglect, despite likely undercounting.
• Mixed students are absorbed into broader categories, erasing distinct identities.
• Colour-blind approaches focus on material disadvantage while ignoring cultural and identity dimensions.
• Post-1992 universities show more proactive monitoring, but targeted interventions are absent across all institutional types.

Potential Impact

With London being one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the UK, the mixed-heritage population is substantial, comprising nearly 5.7% of the city’s population. Students from mixed backgrounds often face unique academic and social challenges. Research suggests that while mixed-heritage students bring a diversity of perspectives, they may also encounter challenges linked to negative stereotyping, limited institutional recognition of their heritage, and intersecting issues of identity, socioeconomic status, and racialization.This research will provide valuable insights into how mixed heritage students experience higher education, informing the development of policies and practices that better support these students. By highlighting the specific needs and challenges of mixed heritage students, this study aims to:

• Shape inclusive practices and support systems within higher education.
• Enhance understanding among educators, policymakers, and institutions.
• Offer recommendations to improve student wellbeing and academic success for mixed heritage populations.

The final report will be shared with educational institutions, policymakers, and community organizations to encourage broader systemic support for mixed-heritage students.