When Charlotte Slaughter accepted her degree certificate this summer, she became the fourth member of her family to graduate from the University of Brighton — and the story is far from over. Her sister Rosie is now in her third year, meaning the Slaughter family’s connection to Brighton spans six decades, from a grandfather studying Mechanical Engineering at Brighton Polytechnic in 1962 to two sisters pursuing careers in healthcare today.
This remarkable family legacy offers more than a heartwarming anecdote. It illustrates how a university can shape not just individual careers but entire family trajectories — influencing where people live, whom they marry, and what they pass on to the next generation. For prospective students weighing up their options, the Slaughters’ story provides a useful lens through which to examine what makes a university experience genuinely transformative.
From Brighton Polytechnic to University of Brighton: A Story Across Six Decades
The family’s Brighton story begins with Derek Slaughter, who enrolled at Brighton Polytechnic in 1962 to study Mechanical Engineering. His route into higher education was unconventional by today’s standards — he had already begun working life as an apprentice toolmaker before making the decision to study. He recalls a very different student experience from the one his granddaughters would enjoy decades later, including lecturers dictating notes so quickly that, he jokes, his already poor handwriting deteriorated further.
What Derek gained, however, was lasting professional momentum. His studies helped him progress from the drawing office and production management into procurement, and eventually to directorship, overseeing teams of around 90 workers across sites in Wales and Southwick. His story is a reminder that the value of a technical education is often measured not in the lecture hall but in the decades of career progression that follow.
A New Generation Arrives: Meeting, Marriage and a Changed Direction
More than thirty years after Derek first walked through the doors, his son Paul arrived at Brighton in 1996 to study Mathematics Education. But it was during his second year that his life took an unexpected turn — he met Victoria, a nursing student who had moved to the south coast from Ely in Cambridgeshire.
Victoria’s decision to study Nursing at Brighton proved formative in more ways than one. The qualification enabled her to work and develop as a post-registration nurse, but the friendships she made reshaped how she saw the world. Those connections were strong enough that she chose to stay in Sussex rather than return home after graduating. She later returned to the university for professional development, including return-to-practice studies.
Reflecting on her experience, Victoria points to a quality she believes has endured across generations: the university’s celebration of individuality. In her words, it is not merely about acceptance but about celebrating personality — and as a parent, what stood out most was the care shown to a new student who needed extra support.
Paul’s own trajectory illustrates how university can redirect a life entirely. He arrived expecting one path, changed course, and eventually became a maths teacher before rising to Executive Principal overseeing schools across the south-east. For him, the combination of the university and the city itself mattered — a place, he says, where you can be yourself and find your own path.
Choosing Brighton Independently: Charlotte’s Transfer Story
It might seem inevitable that the third generation would follow, but Charlotte insists it was never her plan. Her parents encouraged her to consider Brighton, yet she was initially adamant she would go elsewhere. She enrolled at Keele University — and then changed her mind.
What persuaded her? A formative experience with the BrightMed widening participation programme, run by Brighton and Sussex Medical School, had given her an early taste of the university and its staff. When she found herself unhappy at Keele, the memory of how welcoming and friendly everyone at Brighton had been influenced her decision to transfer.
Once settled, Charlotte embraced university life fully. She became Vice President of the university’s Surf Society in her final year, travelled with friends, and built close friendships beyond the classroom. Academically, she valued supportive lecturers and hands-on practical experience — both of which contributed to her securing a position as a Senior Medical Laboratory Assistant at Chichester Hospital, with a trainee route towards becoming a Biomedical Scientist.
Her experience offers a practical lesson for any applicant: university choice is not simply about rankings or prospectuses. Early contact with a university — through widening participation schemes, open days or summer schools — can shape how supported a student feels when challenges arise. Feeling welcomed before you enrol can matter enormously once you arrive.
Creating Your Own Story: Rosie’s Perspective as a Third-Generation Student
Rosie, now entering her third year studying BSc(Hons) Nursing (Child), describes being a third-generation student as special — but she is equally clear that she is writing her own chapter. She values the shared family connection while making her own memories and having her own experiences along the way.
Her situation raises a question worth considering: does following a family member to the same university diminish the experience, or enrich it? The Slaughters’ answer appears to be the latter. Each generation studied different subjects, lived through different versions of the city, and forged independent paths. What they share is not a script but a setting — a university and a city that each found worth holding onto.
What the Slaughter Family Story Teaches Prospective Students
Beyond the human interest, this family’s sixty-year connection to Brighton offers several practical takeaways for anyone currently choosing a university:
- Support systems matter long after enrolment. Victoria’s praise for the care shown to a student needing extra support — and Charlotte’s memory of welcoming staff — suggest that pastoral care should weigh heavily in your decision.
- Flexibility is real. Charlotte transferred from another university; Paul changed course mid-study. A university that accommodates change can be the difference between dropping out and thriving.
- Practical experience shapes employability. Charlotte’s hands-on opportunities led directly to her hospital role. Investigate how your chosen course embeds placements, laboratory work or professional practice.
- The city is part of the education. Both Paul and Victoria credit Brighton itself — its individuality, its community — as central to their experience. Visit the city, not just the campus.
- Student societies build lasting networks. Charlotte’s role in the Surf Society created friendships and experiences she says will stay with her. Look beyond academics when evaluating what a university offers.
The University of Brighton Today: Recognition and Standing
The university that hosted three generations of one family has, of course, changed considerably since 1962. Today’s University of Brighton holds a Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Silver award for the quality of its teaching and student outcomes, and sits within the top 4.3% of institutions globally according to the Center for World University Rankings 2025. It has also earned Race Equality Charter Silver, Athena Swan Silver for gender equality, Stonewall’s LGBTQ+ Inclusive Employer Gold Award, and EcoCampus Platinum accreditation for environmental sustainability.
For applicants, these accolades translate into practical questions: how does a university support students from all backgrounds, and how seriously does it take equality and wellbeing? The Slaughters’ experience across three generations suggests that a culture of individual support is not new at Brighton — it appears to be longstanding institutional character rather than a recent marketing position.
Is Brighton Right for You? Questions Worth Asking
No single family’s story can settle your decision, but it can prompt useful reflection. If you are considering the University of Brighton, or any university, ask yourself:
- Will I feel able to be myself there — genuinely, not just in the prospectus language?
- What widening participation, outreach or early-contact programmes can I join before applying?
- How does the course structure support students who want to change direction?
- What practical, hands-on experience is built into my chosen subject?
- What do the city and surrounding area offer for the life I want alongside my studies?
The Slaughter family’s answer to the first question, across sixty years and four students, has been a consistent yes. Charlotte’s advice is implicit in her experience: go where you felt welcomed, even if it was not your original plan.
Continuing the Story: Your Place in Brighton’s Next Chapter
Derek began at Brighton Polytechnic in 1962; Charlotte graduated in biomedical science this summer; Rosie is heading into her final year of paediatric nursing. Three generations, different courses, different eras — one shared connection to a university on the south coast.
If you are thinking about university this September, whether you have changed your mind, are awaiting results, or are still exploring your options, it is worth speaking directly to universities about what they offer. Visit open days, ask questions about support and flexibility, and consider programmes that let you experience a university before committing.
And if your own family has a university story — or you are hoping to start one — the University of Brighton’s Clearing team can talk you through the courses still available and whether Brighton might become part of your family’s next sixty years.
