Sandra Clare is a PhD researcher at the Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester. As a former young-student-mother (now much older-student-mother), she understands how challenging and isolating studying while parenting can be. When changing nappies, she had no time or energy to also change the world but now researches with the vigour of a vexed mother. She has more than 20 years’ experience in community education and has a passion for problematising educational inequalities. She is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Manchester, and through her studies wants to expose injustice, to authentically engage with young-student-mothers, to craft recommendations for systemic change, and to create a new and valued space ‘at the table’.