ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION In this chapter the intention is to examine the perspectives of some young people who live, study, and work in London. The aim is to explore the ways in which the experiences of poverty infl uence the learning identities used to navigate through the end of compulsory schooling and beyond. These identities are less recognised in policy attempts to overcome exclusion and lack of formal educational success. First, the chapter will briefl y review what is involved in understanding the ‘idea’ of poverty and will explore the way in which it is currently being deployed in contemporary policy. The chapter will then consider the specifi cities of the urban setting in terms of social inequalities, education provision, and the labour market. The macro-level theme of poverty and the specifi cities of the meso-level urban setting, will provide a contextualisation through which to examine the micro-level life experiences and identities of some young people in order to provide scope to disturb some of the barriers to educational achievement arising out of poverty.
