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• 90 per cent of colleges saw an increase in students diagnosed with mental health
condition in the past 12 months
• the 2021 Prince's Trust Tesco Youth Index revealed that half of 16- to 25-year-olds say
their mental health has deteriorated since the start of the pandemic
• now 41 per cent of 16- to 17-year-olds say they have needed more support with their
mental health since the pandemic began.
Surveys of students and young adults
In addition, the National Union of Students conducted three surveys on mental health of
students in further and higher education (NUS, 2020a; 2020b; 2020c). Based on samples
of 9872, 4178 and 4214 respondents respectively, the surveys found that the majority of
students were experiencing negative impacts on their social life and family life; their
finances; worried about the impact of the pandemic on their academic performance and,
particularly in vocational courses and placement opportunities; and overwhelmingly
concerned about their futures. Interestingly, mature students could be seen as more
vulnerable than younger students.
The 2021 Prince's Trust Tesco Youth Index, conducted by YouGov, gauges the happiness
and confidence levels of young people across a range of areas - from working life to both
physical and mental health. The 2021 Youth Index, which surveyed 2,180 16-25 year olds
from across the UK, reveals:
• A total of 60 per cent of young people say that getting a new job feels "impossible
now" because there is so much competition.
• A quarter (24%) of young people claim that the pandemic has "destroyed" their career
aspirations.
• Young people state that they are more likely to feel anxious now than at any other time
since the Youth Index was first launched over a decade ago.
While the pandemic has clearly increased levels of anxiety in young people, it is not the
only factor affecting stress levels. The latest release from the UCL COVID-19 Social Study
(2021) finds that 42 per cent of adults aged 18-29 report being stressed about Brexit, more
than the proportion who are worried about catching COVID-19 (32%) or becoming
seriously ill from the disease (22%).
Theme 3. Changes to modes of learning, assessment, learning and qualifications
Overview and assessment of the evidence
The pandemic has had a significant impact on student learning. In relation to the FE
Sector, there appear to be four learning related harms - learning disruption/loss due to
college closures; declines in participation in vocational and work-based learning; the
effects of remote learning and the possible knock-on effects of changes to examination
assessment in 2020 and 2021 (this last harm is analysed under Theme 5 on Problematical
Transitions).
Evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation (Francis, 2021) concerning the
impact of school closures and the digital divide on disadvantaged young people