Supporting national conversations during Estranged Students’ Solidarity Week
Estranged Students’ Solidarity Week, which will be led by EaCES (Estranged and Care Estranged Students) between 24-28 November 2025, provides important visibility to estranged students. Whilst they often face many of the same challenges as care-experienced young people, they are a distinct group with their own experiences, circumstances and support needs.
Estrangement can happen for many reasons and it results in students pursuing education without the practical, emotional or financial support of a family network. Acknowledging that distinction from care leavers is important in ensuring that both groups receive the tailored support they deserve.
At Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) we are supporting the wider national conversation around Estranged Students’ Solidarity Week and National Care Leavers Month (which runs throughout November) through our social media and outreach work. Alongside this, we want to draw particular attention to an insightful article written by our colleagues Susan Darlington (GHWY Partnership Assistant) and Tahera Mayat (GHWY Collaborative Outreach Officer) for the Action on Access eBulletin.
The eBulletin provides a monthly round up of news, events and resources across the Higher Education (HE) sector and each issue features a special article highlighting work that supports student access, participation and success. Its guest article, titled How Go Higher West Yorkshire supports estranged students to access and succeed in HE, offers a thoughtful and detailed look at the barriers estranged students face and the collaborative work taking place across our partnership to address them.
As Susan and Tahera explain, estranged students are statistically less likely to achieve top degree outcomes and more likely to withdraw from their studies. These disparities highlight why targeted support is so important. Through initiatives such as our Estranged Students Pledge, our Care-experienced and Estranged Students Network and our e learning course for HE staff, we aim to make information clearer, support more consistent and the student journey less isolating.
The article also outlines how our collaborative Estranged Students Pledge helps students to compare support across our 13 member institutions and find named contacts, accommodation help, financial guidance and practical advice all in one place.
Read the full Action on Access bulletin, including Tahera’s and Susan’s piece.
As Estranged Students’ Solidarity Week encourages solidarity, we would also encourage colleagues and partners to read the full article in the Action on Access eBulletin. Anyone wishing to subscribe to the newsletter can register here.
Rob Scott, GHWY Training Delivery Officer
