BME Student Experiences at Central School of Speech and Drama

In 2012 Central School of Speech & Drama (University of London) received funding from the Higher Education Academy (HEA) to carry out research in to the experiences of their Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) students. The research included a review of pre-existing reports of the experiences of BME students in Higher Education (HE), as well as qualitative interviews with fifteen third year students and five staff members. Of the students interviewed, all categorised themselves as BME, whereas the staff were mostly a variant of White British. The interviews with students focused on their individual experiences of their time at the institution, specifically in relation to their race and the extent to which they felt their identities as BME students had been acknowledged and affirmed during their time at Central. Students discussed in detail their experiences before and during their time at the University.