Work is underway across the School and Students’ Union to improve the experience and outcomes of Black students, building on evidence from surveys and analysis to strengthen inclusion, belonging and student success.
This includes work under our Access and Participation Plan (APP) and the LSESU-led Black Students Experience Working Group, formed last academic year.
Positive impact
Recent findings show encouraging progress. Changes to Welcome Week this academic year, developed through close partnership between LSE and LSESU, have led to a marked improvement in Black students’ sense of belonging and overall experience compared to 2024.
Results from the 2025 Welcome Survey results found that 82% of Black students rated their Welcome experience as good or excellent (up from 71% the previous year), and 90% were satisfied with the programme of events (up from 75%).
Most notably, there was a 24 ppt improvement on the previous year in the measure "feeling part of a community" following Welcome, shifting from -20ppt to +4ppt compared to White students.
While differences in experience remain, this reflects meaningful progress and demonstrates the value of targeted, evidence-informed action.
Priorities and progress under our APP
Addressing the awarding gap
The School continues to prioritise reducing the awarding gap between Black and White students through its Access and Participation Plan (APP), including:
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A key commitment to reduce the First Class Honours awarding gap between Black and White students, with a target to halve the gap to 14 percentage points by 2028/29
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Work to build a stronger understanding of the drivers behind these gaps, so that action is better targeted
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Ongoing work under APP includes improved insight, targeted action and transition support to reduce ethnicity awarding gaps
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Further analysis and reporting on Home (UK) ethnicity awarding gaps is underway at both School and department level
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Developing new interactive dashboards to support departments in identifying priorities, with further engagement planned through learning lunches to share insights and coordinate action.
Black Student Experience Working Group
Created by LSESU, the Black Student Experience Working Group was established to bring together staff and students to drive practical improvements.
The group is a space for actions-focused discussion, and will aim to share good practice and new initiatives to ensure a joined-up approach across the institution. The groups aims are:
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To promote a sharing of resources, data and good practice across the School and LSESU
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To increase Black students’ involvement in community-building activities, including LSESU sports clubs and societies
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Working with Eden to promote inclusive practice in and outside the classroom, working towards closing the race awarding gap at LSE
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To create a set of targets – around the areas of Welcome, wellbeing, education and community – for improving Black students' experience at LSE, which can be taken to the Race Equity Steering Group and Student Experience Sub-Committee.
Next steps for the Working Group include creating a "how to" guide for staff wanting to run Black History Month and other inclusion-focused events, and working towards creating more of a community of practice in the group.
Together, this work reflects a sustained, collaborative approach to improving outcomes and strengthening belonging for Black students at LSE.
How to find out more and get involved
- Departments interested in contributing to the exploratory work on Ethnicity Awarding Gaps, or understanding the performance of contextual offer holders, are invited to share what would be most useful for them. Please contact the Senior APP Delivery Manager, Marta Almeida Hill at m.castro-de-almeida-hill@lse.ac.uk to discuss further.
- If you'd like to find out more about the work of the Black Student Experience Working Group, please contact Neve Atkinson, Senior Access and Participation Project Coordinator at LSESU at N.Atkinson2@lse.ac.uk.
