Deprived students face 'triple whammy' during pandemic, damning Scottish report concludes

The coronavirus pandemic has “exposed and exacerbated” inequalities of access to higher education across Scotland, with an “explosion” in demand for mental health support, according to a damning new report by one of Britain’s most respected educationalists.
Students across Scotland have staged widespread demonstrations at the impact of Covid-19 on their learning. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/GettyStudents across Scotland have staged widespread demonstrations at the impact of Covid-19 on their learning. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty
Students across Scotland have staged widespread demonstrations at the impact of Covid-19 on their learning. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty

In what he described as a “triple whammy” for students from deprived communities, Professor Sir Peter Scott, Scotland’s fair access commissioner, found that young learners from socially deprived homes found it more difficult to engage with online learning, adding that institutions with the highest proportions of students from disadvantaged areas also had the “most limited resources.”

He warned it will take “several years” to try and recover from the crisis, and said consideration should be given to ensuring the emergency measures implemented by colleges and universities become a permanent fixture,” given how the pandemic has highlighted deep-rooted “disadvantage” and “discrimination.”

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His analysis of the pandemic’s impact on the higher education sector pointed out that due to the cancellation of National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher exams in the summer, it was likely that the majority of additional funded university places were filled by applicants from more privileged social groups.

He said that continuing uncertainty over school examinations, coupled with uneven attendance patterns, could see efforts to close the attainment gap stall, “or even go into reverse,” stressing: “The implications for fair access to higher education are both stark and obvious.”

He also noted “greater nervousness” about meeting targets for university entrants from the most deprived areas of the country. Such applicants accounted for 11 per cent of new entrants at the University of St Andrews in 2019/20, for example, and the figure is expected to fall this year to 9.5 per cent.

Sir Peter, emeritus professor of higher education at University College London, wrote: “Covid-19 has laid bare the massive, and morally unacceptable, inequalities that exist in society and economy and disfigure our democracy. They are now in plain view. They cannot be denied. There is no longer any room for scepticism about the urgent need for fair access. Nor can these inequalities be minimised, and attributed to gaps in attainment or deficits in aspiration. Effects can no longer be confused with causes.”

He called on individual universities and colleges to utilise indicators of disadvantage to identify those “newly impoverished” as a result of Covid-19, and set their own targets accordingly.

He also said universities should look at whether their minimum entry requirements need to be “further adjusted,” given the shift from examinations to teacher-assessed grades, and the widespread interruptions to school attendance.

Other recommendations set out in his interim report include the implementation of a Covid-19 recovery fund by the Scottish Government, in association with the Scottish Funding Council and other institutions, which is focused on addressing “digital poverty,” financial hardship, and poor mental health among the student population.

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He warned that the legacy of Covid-19 on mental health had been “severe”, with most students suffering from higher levels of stress and depression.” Those enduring the most harm, he said, were those students from deprived communities, who already needed more support to adjust to university life, and faced the greatest economic challenges.

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Care experienced students, as well as those from abroad, were also “particularly exposed,” he said, adding further pressure to a mental health crisis which “had already been approaching epidemic proportions” prior to the pandemic.

Highlighting the trend of “digital poverty” experienced by students, Sir Peter said that the reliance on online learning had disadvantaged poorer students. He pointed to the example of Glasgow Kelvin College, based in one of the most deprived areas of the country, which felt it was “unable” to afford the IT equipment needed by its students.

The college said that in many cases, disadvantaged students were relying on mobile phones for their work, which it accepted was “not suitable for positive or prolonged learning experiences.”

The new report, entitled ‘The Impact of Covid-19 on Fair Access to Higher Education’, also notes huge spikes in applications to student hardship funds. It notes that while the University of Glasgow paid out just £50,000 through the scheme between August 2019 and March, it distributed almost £1.6 million between April and August.

Aberdeen University, meanwhile, said it anticipated distributing £650,000 in hardship funds this year, but admits that even such expenditure will produce “relatively small sums for each student in need which is insufficient to replace lost income.”

Sir Peter, a former editor of the also pointed that the impact on higher education staff had received “limited attention,” despite the fact moral was “fragile,” with some dissatisfied with the quality of the learning they are able to provide.

He added: “This feeling has been exacerbated by fears that some institutions may seek - or need - to restructure their courses and delivery in light of the pandemic, with inevitable implications for job security and promotion prospects.”

Sir Peter said that the repercussions of the pandemic on fair access would be lasting, and that it will take “several years” to deal with the effects of the disruption to schooling, as well as for the “shock to ambitions and aspirations” among young, deprived students to wear off.

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He explained: “In other words, the measures that colleges and universities, as emergency responses in 2020, will probably have to be continued for several years – and perhaps on a permanent basis because the disadvantage, and, to speak frankly, discrimination, that Covid-19 has highlighted, and in response to which these measures were taken, are deep-rooted.”

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