“…The twenty English Russell Group universities responded to increased government pressure to widen access by committing £265 million to widening participation activities in the 2019/20 academic year (Russell Group, 2019). However, elite universities have been criticized for adopting a 'deficit approach' in their discourse around diversity and inclusion and hence towards students recruited through such schemes (Archer, 2007;Thompson, 2019), and viewing them as lacking the required academic skills and attributes (Archer, 2007;Gibson et al, 2016;McLellan, Pettigrew & Sperlinger, 2016). Research has shown that some WP students who enter elite institutions feel 'out of place' in academic, social and recreational spaces (Reay, Crozier & Clayton, 2009).…”