The strange experiences of estranged students

Widening participation (WP) agendas are supposedly a key priority of UK universities, supporting the transition and inclusion of under-represented groups. In the UK, the WP agenda has a large portfolio of target groups, including low-income students, people with disabilities and care leavers. Often these cohorts are viewed in silos, as discretely 'international', or 'non-traditional', for example, and policies are often replete with euphemisms, which don’t name the particular intersectional inequalities impacting on access and the 'student experience'. What then of 'estranged students' whose experiences may not fit or may even be ‘taboo’?