Record student numbers but still no plan: a recipe for more campus chaos

One of the hallmarks of the current UK government has been an inability to learn from its failings during the pandemic. Among its most unforgivable failings is its desertion of students and the higher education sector (not to mention the wider education system).

A cumulation of lost learning, grade inflation and inequality means many students entering their first year of university will need more support than ever when term begins.

This time last year, the government failed to prepare for university students’ return to campus. Then it repeatedly ignored the needs of students throughout the academic year. As we bounced from one lockdown to the next, thousands were left without the resources and space for studying remotely. Restrictions also consigned many to paying rent for accommodation they couldn’t use, with uncertainty about when or whether they could return to campus. 

There are now signs that the campus chaos of last year looks set to be repeated. With more than 210,000 university places confirmed on A-level and BTEC results day – and even more due to be confirmed through clearing in the remaining weeks – students will be arriving on campus in unprecedented numbers.

But significant numbers of them will also be arriving less well prepared than in previous years. The differing levels of disruption and support that school students have experienced throughout the pandemic have exposed the inequality at the foundations of the UK’s education system. This has resulted in nearly two fifths of leavers from state schools feeling unprepared for university, compared with just 17 per cent from private schools. It is why Labour has been so clear about the importance our children’s recovery plan.

For this year’s cohort, however, universities must make up for ministers’ failures and help students catch up, filling gaps in the knowledge of course material that may not have existed in previous years. They must also address the increased mental health concerns that have arisen as lockdowns and other restrictions have taken their toll on young people.

This will be made all the harder by the difficulties that many top institutions are reporting in accommodating all their incoming students, forcing many to find accommodation miles away from the comforts and pastoral support of campus – sometimes in different towns or cities altogether. Many may miss out on the traditional halls experience, and the sense of community. The government must work with universities to ensure this does not lead to a new cohort of isolated first years struggling away from campus.

Universities also need clear guidance about how to keep their students and staff Covid-safe. And they need it now, so they can implement it before term starts. Scientists writing in the British Medical Journal have recommended a phased return to universities, with continued mask wearing in busy lecture theatres, improved ventilation across campuses and bolstered contact tracing and on-campus testing. This cannot be left to individual institutions to implement: it needs a system-wide approach and leadership from ministers.

More than 18 months into the pandemic, the government has now announced a pilot to improve ventilation in some schools but still nothing for universities and colleges. Germany invested heavily in enhancing ventilation in education settings over a year ago. Once again, the government is late to the (well-ventilated) party.

The government must also step up to deliver easy access to vaccines as a priority. It is good to see universities seizing the initiative on setting up campus vaccine clinics to boost take-up; indeed, they have worked closely with local public health leaders throughout the pandemic to boost local testing capacity. But this should not be left to institutions to manage on their own. With record numbers arriving on campuses, every effort must be made to avoid a repeat of last year’s chaos, which saw thousands of students forced to isolate in halls as the government expected universities to cope as case rates rocketed.

The higher education sector in general and first-year students in particular are crying out for extra help to ensure they suffer no further avoidable disruption.  

Matt Western is the UK’s shadow higher education minister and MP for Warwick and Leamington.