Call on the University of Liverpool to do more to support parent students who are struggling through the current COVID crisis.

The pandemic is having a significant and unforeseen impact on students with children. Closure of schools and lack of informal and formal childcare arrangements are making it extremely challenging for parents to continue with studies.

Provisions made in childcare arrangements in order to be able to attain higher education are no longer in place for many. Much of this and the previous academic year has been in lockdown with homeschooling, when the children have been back, people have faced repeated periods of entire classes being sent home to self-isolate.

No parent could have foreseen this when deciding to embark on their degree. Many parents are having to spend the day teaching and supporting their children and then trying to study for full-time degrees in the evening. It is absolutely unfair that special measures have not been put in place over and above standard ones applicable to all students to support parents as a group through these challenging times.