Over the last few weeks, UK students have been returning to the classroom for the first time since March. After months of uncertainty, supporting students is more important now than ever before.
The new measures imposed on schools and universities are unchartered territory and, for some pupils, the ‘new normal’ will have a huge impact on both their academic achievement and their mental wellbeing. Students’ home life circumstances have significant consequences for their education, often exacerbating the achievement gap between students from high- and low-income backgrounds.
Food insecurity
While a good diet is known to benefit academic performance, unhealthy or irregular diets are linked to lower levels of achievement. For many families, food insecurity is a struggle that’s all too real, affecting countless students across the UK.
For the duration of school closures very little was done to aid those who have been struggling with food insecurity and, in order to care for underprivileged students, it is important that the issue doesn’t continue into the new academic year. Fortunately, the government has provided guidance on how school meals will work this year, explaining that meals should be provided to all school students, including preparing meals for students who may be self-isolating at home.
Access to study spaces
The return to the classroom means pupils previously without access to an adequate study space at home are now back in an environment better suited to helping them learn. However, for university students, the question of where to study remains an issue in the new academic year.
“The lack of adequate space to learn and study could severely disadvantage students from low-income backgrounds”
Many universities across the UK have made the decision to move teaching online. While this decision has been made with the safety of students in mind, for some students remote learning is a challenge and those from low-income families will likely suffer the most. There are several reasons as to why this could be, such as living with those who are unemployed or in unstable jobs who are home much of the time, as well as living with younger children who require looking after in order to save money on childcare. Students living at home with parents and siblings – as well as students who have children of their own – may struggle to find a quiet place where they can focus on their studies.
The lack of adequate space to learn and study could severely disadvantage students from low-income backgrounds, and it is therefore crucial that universities do all they can to support students who may not have access to an environment suited to learning.
Social and emotional disruption
COVID-19 has thrown a blanket of uncertainty across everyone’s lives, but, for students from low-income households, anxiety levels are likely to be higher than most. Those dealing with already precarious homelives face the possibility of parents – or even students themselves – losing their jobs. Such unstable environments are detrimental to students’ ability to perform in school.
Changes in students’ social lives as a result of new measures are also likely to impact academic achievement, and disproportionately so for those from low-income families. For example, the children of first-generation immigrants now have limited opportunities to engage in their second language outside of the home, which may become a hindrance to achievement in school.
For families that are unable to provide support and stimulation with their children’s studies at home, it is arguably the responsibility of either the school or state to step in.
Reduced support services
School closures have already exacerbated existing inequalities between high and low-income students, and, upon returning to school, disadvantaged pupils now have limited access to support services that may be crucial in helping them navigate the changes to school life.
To comply with social distancing measures, many student support services have suspended drop-in sessions and, as a result of this, are experiencing higher demand for appointments.
With that being said, the government has launched the Wellbeing for Education Return Programme, aiming to assist and improve mental health and services in schools upon reopening. The programme offers training to schools and colleges in England in order to aid the response to the emotional impact of the pandemic on students.
What is the solution?
In an environment where the future is unknown and the pandemic is ongoing, supporting students is more important than ever. It’s the job of schools, universities, and the government to make sure pupils leave the education system with just as many opportunities as those who may have benefitted from learning in a more stable environment.
While all students will require a little extra support in these difficult times, those from low-income backgrounds need it most. Providing adequate academic and emotional support will be crucial this academic year and, as a world without Coronavirus seems ever more distant, it’s important to act now, before students get left behind.
Ellie Hutchings
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