Boys’ Impact Hub

Laura is the Development Manager at The Kent and Medway Progression Federation. She is responsible for leading purposeful cross-sector partnerships which support the development of outreach initiatives aimed at widening access for underrepresented groups to higher education.

Coming from a dual-class background, Laura’s interest in social class and structural inequality began at an early age. This was further embedded during her undergraduate degree in sociology, where she focused heavily on the link between class, education and social mobility. After graduating, Laura worked delivering youth programmes across Kent to NEET young people. Experiencing firsthand the impact of negative educational experiences and the power that effective youth work can have on young people’s trajectories has been the driving force in Laura’s passion for the boys’ impact work.

Francesca is the Widening Participation Research & Evaluation Manager at the University of Kent, bringing over eight years of experience in various widening participation roles. In her current position, she leads the development, research, and evaluation of the Championing Boys programme, which began in 2022. The inspiration for the programme stemmed from the “Learning to ‘Level-up’? Supporting Working Class Boys’ Progression to Higher Education” conference, as well as research insights gained from her doctoral research. 

Alongside her role at the university, Francesca is completing a doctoral thesis focused on the educational experiences of boys from low socio-economic backgrounds and the impact of widening participation initiatives on their educational journeys. Her broader research interests include oracy in education, the influence of social class on educational outcomes, addressing educational inequality, and exploring qualitative and creative research methodologies to enhance widening participation.