Last week at the FEA, we had the privilege of hosting two wonderful work experience students through TeachFirst. They shared with us what they learned and what they would like to see change in the education system to adapt to life after the pandemic.

Dear FEA,

As part of our work experience with the FEA, we studied Reconnect London data from a survey of 250 young people in London on the question ‘Following the pandemic, if you could have extra help or support with one thing at school, what would it be?' From these results, it's clear the education system is still suffering. 

Though the responses from students to the open question varied, we were able to identify two prominent issues: catch up and mental health support.  

The survey revealed a rise in uncertainty regarding learning, with 72% of students reporting working from home greatly impacted them. The solution for these students was simple. They requested changes to the way lessons were taught to account for lost learning and more lessons or interventions to help them catch up in areas they felt behind in. Students aren’t renowned for wanting to spend more time than necessary in school, so these requests demonstrate the maturity with which students are handling the situation and more importantly, the need for schools to take urgent action. As a Year 12 student put it, “Extra support with work, a more detailed guide to revision, extended deadlines and patience would be very much appreciated…”.

Another pressing theme was the necessity of support for students who are behind in school because they cannot afford important resources. These included Wi-Fi and tutors – such as those provided through a number of FEA members – to help them catch up. 
 
This academic insecurity also ties in with mental health, which was explicitly mentioned over 21 times, making it the main focus that we as young people want to discuss.  We know students need help, but some schools do not have counsellors, and those that do are overwhelmed. Therefore students reported feeling there is no one to talk to, which can further contribute to being unable to catch up and reach their academic potential. We identified two ideas that young people think could help in addition to counsellors in every school:

• Workshops discussing the reality of mental wellbeing

• More teachers considering students as individual people that have feelings and experiences, rather than simply learners.

As students ourselves, the trends the survey has shown are not surprising. We have seen students unable to have their voices heard, express themselves, or have their needs met.  There are times when it doesn’t feel like support is equally distributed, and instead focused on students who are more likely to get higher grades. This has a negative impact on students, who feel that teachers do not value their attention as much as others. This can lead to reduced performance because of a belief they just aren’t good enough. 
 
From these results, and our own lived experience, we believe the attitudes of parents, teachers and schools should change to account for the barriers young people might be facing, to ensure the best performance in all students.

Many thanks, 

Yedidia and Michelle, FEA work experience students