I am sure I am not alone as I sit here worrying about all things Covid. With the 24-hour news channels talking continuously about rising infection rates and new lockdown measures, it has become impossible to escape our current reality.
As the chief executive of a large education group, the ongoing impact of the virus on every aspect of our business is enormous. Our priority is (and always has been) to keep students, staff and the wider community safe, while ensuring that we continue to deliver high-quality education and career support.
This is a fine balance that, thanks to a great team and some very hard work, we are managing well so far. Our blended learning model is limiting the number of people on campus at any one time to reduce the chance of transmission, while still making sure that all students have face-to-face learning and social contact with their peers. Our schools are fully open, coping with challenges around limited testing capacity and helping children to catch up on the months of lessons that have been missed.
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Yet while focusing on this day-to-day running of sites in the new Covid-safe environment, my thoughts and concerns have turned to the wider, longer-term effects of this pandemic. From rising mental health issues in young people through to the social pressures emerging from job insecurity and redundancy, it feels that the potential effects of the virus are being dwarfed by a mountain of other issues affecting our communities.
With the furlough scheme coming to an end and delays in benefit payments, there is no doubt that more families will face economic hardship over the coming months. One serious consequence of this is the fact that food poverty is becoming more widespread than ever before.
Festive FE food bank Friday
No one in this country should be going hungry, yet more than half a million people in the UK are now estimated to be reliant on food parcels, and food banks nationwide are reporting huge increases in demand. Recognising this as an issue within our own communities, we launched the FE food bank Friday initiative at the start of lockdown. This encouraged virtual donations via an online fundraising platform that were then donated to food banks across our three boroughs. Around 30 other FE colleges around the country joined us to raise money for their own local food banks, raising a collective total of over £40,000.
Our mission as a social enterprise is to work with local communities and support people as much as we can, in terms of both educational opportunities and social issues. As we approach the run-up to Christmas, it is clear that we must continue to offer this help. So today, we are launching our #FestiveFEFoodBankFriday campaign.
Our aim is to join with other colleges around the country to collect 30,000 items for food banks, as well as raising an additional £12,000 on our online fundraising platform. We plan to do this via a series of virtual events in the build-up to Christmas and encouraging staff and students to donate food items where they can.
Fundraising in tough times is not always easy, but we know that our own college community is incredibly supportive, with people always willing to do what they can to help one another. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought with it much hardship, grief and sadness – but it has also brought about a wonderful sense of community that has been heartwarming to see. I urge other colleges to join us on our mission, which will make a difference to so many people.
Sam Parrett is the chief executive of the London and South East Education Group
