Registration opens for latest ‘supporting our learners to thrive’ event focusing on cost of living challenges for students who are parents

The cost-of-living crisis is requiring Scotland’s learners to balance competing demands on their time. Managing part-time employment and financial pressures on top of family and caring responsibilities can come at a cost to their ability to engage effectively with their studies.

Hosted by Dr Helen Galbraith (Senior Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer, University of Chester), this fourth event in QAA Scotland’s ‘Supporting our Learners to Thrive’ discussion series focuses upon the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on the learning experiences of students who are parents.

This session opens with students who are parents sharing their experiences of being both a learner and a parent in tertiary education and the impact that parenthood has on their learning.

This is followed by a presentation from Associate Professor Andrea Todd, currently the UK’s leading researcher into the lived experiences of student-parents. Andy shares the findings of a 2023 UK-wide study of learners with parental responsibility, exploring participants’ experiences of pastoral and academic support in tertiary education. The findings of this study reveal that current failures in pastoral and academic support across the sector pose a significant risk to student-parent retention, progression and success, and the Office for Students has used this study’s findings to support the inclusion of student-parents in their Equality of Opportunity Risk Register from January 2024. Finally, Andy provides us with an overview of interventions including evidence-based toolkits outlining how we can provide practical support to ensure this group of committed and motivated learners flourish in their studies.

By attending this event, practitioners will learn about actions and adjustments providers are making to support such learners during these challenging times, and that they can take back to their own institution.

Colleagues can register to be part of this important discussion on the event booking site.