Our focus was

‘What improvements do you wish to see in education having experienced the effects of Covid-19?” 

We were amazed by how many young people from all across the country on the call.
Over 100 passionate students registered and were driven to lead change. 

 We found out that young people were worried about

The mental health impact of not going to school and seeing their friends  

The impact of low motivation to partake in education while being homeschooled 

Disregard concerning university applications and 2021 prospective students

The inconsistency of communication between all levels of government, schools and students  

No clarity regarding exams and grades distribution

UCAS 

But we did see that there were some positives to draw from the situation too

More time to explore different subjects

More time for extracurricular activities  

Many learnt new skills with their time

Some students felt their schools had good pastoral system in place to support 

Lots of the Participants even had calls of actions for our government and schools

There should be government guidelines for schools about the amount of work they set 

Exam boards reduce exam content

 More focus on students mental health

A catch up week for students when schools reopen before there is more academic education

Schools should send regular emails to students to update them on their situation

As part of our online student event, it was only right to invite the inspiring Larissa Kennedy — president of the national union for students and change-makers — to share her experience with all things campaigning, activism and the power of youth-led movements. 

After a tightly packed agenda and engaging discussions in our breakout rooms, we called for solutions!
We challenged each participant (including ourselves) to pledge an action, big or small, that they would commit towards in order to move closer to the fair and just education we wish to see today.

It was absolutely amazing and inspiring and we hope that all the people involved will take the energy they showed on the Big Student Call Up and use it to work towards making a positive change no matter how small or large.  

We look forward to being able to tell you about our next youth voice project we are working hard to make happen!