Views & Opinion
Taking the load off: how university suppliers can help improve student wellbeing Comment by MALCOLM BROOKE, director at Circuit Laundry
University can be a challenging time for many students. Living away from home, more to pay for, and being surrounded by new people can all have an unsettling impact. The education sector has come a long way to recognising that challenge, but there is so much more to be done and every stakeholder has a part to play, including suppliers.
This can mean supporting universities with creating welcome physical spaces, extending financial support, opening communication
channels attentive to student needs or all of the above. But one thing remains the same: improving student wellbeing should be the focus. Creating a welcoming physical space
The power of a welcoming physical environment cannot be understated. This applies on campus and off it, from lecture theatres and university accommodation buildings, through to amenity spaces and laundry rooms. Before furnishing an area, it’s important to ask, what is the purpose of this space? Are you helping to create an area where the students are meant to be energetic, or is this space a calm chill-out zone? Every part of a university estate should provide a positive experience for students. Whether that’s an engaging seminar room that encourages conversation, or a bright laundry room that makes what can otherwise be a mundane task easier and enjoyable.
Taking care of students’ financial concerns
Amidst the cost of living crisis, bills are inevitably on the rise, so we know universities will want to do everything they can to help students better
manage their finances. This can begin with how they pay for university accommodation. Laundry-inclusive rent bills offer an incentive to students, as it means they know exactly how much their bills will be and can budget more effectively.
Re-booking schemes also mean that accommodation managers can offer returning students a pre-loaded laundry card with enough washes to last all year. This again gives students one less bill to think about, taking one source of stress off their shoulders. Partnering with conscious suppliers is also beneficial to university accommodation managers. Offering more options that reduce student financial concerns, like laundry-inclusive bills, sets them apart from other accommodation providers and gives students an incentive to choose their building over somewhere else. Helpful and meaningful communication
Communication is key to helping student wellbeing. If students have a problem, knowing who to turn to makes a huge difference. Universities need to ensure that whatever the service they’re offering to students is complemented by communication channels that solve any queries efficiently, such as an online chat function. With communication often digitalised, a human touch is still vital. Automated systems have their benefits, but the option of speaking to a real person can make all the difference. Online chat functions where students can then schedule a call is crucial to helping students build connections and have impactful human contact.
Working to improve student wellbeing is a collective effort, and it’s important for universities to partner with conscious suppliers who want to make a real difference in this process.
Maybe the government should ask the parents? Comment by SAL McKEOWN, journalist and editor
It was contentious. The DfE had said the Schools Bill would ‘pave the way’ for all schools to join strong trusts, and that it would drive up standards and steer more schools into MATs by 2030. Standalone trusts were not keen and many parents’ groups opposed forced academisation. In December 2022, the education secretary Gillian Keegan said the bill would not progress. This means that new academy standards, intervention powers for trusts and wholesale school conversions have been abandoned.
Joint general secretary of the NEU Kevin Courtney welcomed the news saying, ‘Parents and local councillors want an education system which is well-funded, responsive to local needs and which works for their local context, without pressure to join a mega-trust.’ Important reading for the political parties
With improved Labour ratings in the polls and the first murmurs of an early general election, politicians would do well to turn their attention to this key group of voters. They need to study the findings of an excellent research project from Public First, “Towards a new generation of Community Schools – listening to parents of the Red Wall”.
Researchers surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,000 parents of children in primary schools. There was a booster sample of parents from Red Wall constituencies, ten focus groups of between five and seven parents, plus a mixture of Labour and Conservative voters from key areas.
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www.education-today.co.uk What they can learn
While the Schools Bill had a heavy focus on academisation, core subjects, catch up and raising standards, parents have a different view. • Parents seem more positive about schools than the politicians are: 86% of participants rated their child’s school as quite or very good • They praised teachers and teaching assistants and felt that staff should be paid more • While parents want traditional skills to be taught, they want more emphasis on arts, sport life skills and extra curricular options • They want better quality, more organised ‘wrap-around’ with a focus on extra-curricular, rather than academic activities • They are not sold on the idea of technology in primary schools but really value a teacher at the front of the class • Word of mouth and local reputation count for more than Ofsted reports and league tables when it comes to choosing a school. Parents are not excited or impressed by academisation and strong trusts. ‘Community’ and ‘communication’ are key areas that matter to them. As the authors report: ‘There was a sense in our focus groups that parents broadly trusted the school were doing a good job and were not necessarily delving into great detail behind that – again and again parents told us that as long as their children were happy and thriving then they were content.’ ‘Happy and thriving’ may seem a modest goal, especially for governments with their eyes on PISA tables and university data but with increasing concern about children’s mental health and stress levels it is well worth fighting for.
“Towards a new generation of Community Schools – listening to parents of the Red Wall” by Ed Dorrell, Reza Schwitzer and Meg Price is available at
https://www.publicfirst.co.uk/wp- content/uploads/2022/12/Towards-a-new-generation-of-Community-Schools-11_12_22.pdf
February 2023
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