Mike is an educator who wants us to understand and confront the issues which increase inequality for many students. This book helped me think more deeply about class, race and mental health which disadvantage many students. The accessible style and language made it a pleasure to read. Readers also have the added bonus of being able to apply some good practical solutions to their own academic practice.

Susan Smith, Professor and Associate Director, Centre for Learning and Teaching, Leeds Beckett University, UK

This is an important book by Mike Seal as it both challenges accepted orthodoxies about access and equity in universities and provides practical ways to address the issues raised. Mike writes from lived experience and brings a wealth of knowledge as a pedagogical expert committed to participation and social change. His Freirean perspectives on teaching and learning come at a critical time for universities under threat from neoliberalism. He exhorts the reader to critically examine the motivations and policy drivers that sit behind the universities claims of social mobility outcomes for disadvantaged students, suggesting that higher education can be both a progressive and a regressive force for social justice.

Tim Corney PhD, Associate Professor, College of Education, Victoria University, Australia

A ‘must read’ book by Mike Seal for all interested in examining HE access in its widest context. Seal challenges the reader to consider uncomfortable reasons for lack of significant systemic change and offers new analysis for meaningful action. This work provides innovative insights concerning the navigation of disadvantaged students. Essential reading!

Stella Jones-Devitt, Professor of Critical Pedagogy, Staffordshire University, UK