How do Black girls and women experience education in Britain?  Due to the lack of attention given to Black female students, little is known about how they understand and engage with the education system, or the influences that shape their long-term strategies and decision-making in order to gain educational “success”

Dr April-Louise Pennant is a sociologist who works in education and social justice and has a particular interest in how identities, social class, gender, ethnicity, culture and race intersect to shape and influence individuals, the ways they interact with others and how they navigate within society.  She is also conducting history, heritage and memory research as a Leverhulme Early Career fellow.

Pennant recently published Babygirl, You’ve Got This!: Experiences of Black Girls and Women in the English Education System, which examines the personal accounts of Black British women graduates and their education journeys and provides insights into how to navigate the education system and provides alternatives to the normalised understandings of educational ‘success’.