After 3 long, hard years of studying at University to gain a degree, and for us trainee physical education (PE) teachers 4 years, there is the expectation that you will have a graduation as a formal celebration and send off to round off all of your hard work to finish the journey before starting your new career.

Unfortunately for us students at the University of Bedfordshire, the university has made the decision to cancel the graduation and substitute it with a virtual online ceremony during the first week of September. Not only is that a completely underwhelming and impersonal substitute for the graduation ceremony (an experience you look forward to throughout the whole journey of university), but for many who are becoming teachers (in which university has qualified us for such a role), the designated dates are during term time and therefore coincide with our work schedule. So we cannot even make it.

Because of this, we would like to create a petition to replace the online graduation ceremony with an in person graduation ceremony at a later date when COVID-19 no longer poses a problem to us. Although we have been told there will be an 'event' planned at a later date next year to celebrate, we are concerned that this will not be in the form of a graduation as it has not been specified. Therefore we will not be able to get the same send off as many have had in other years.

Please support us in this process as we feel we deserve a graduation like everyone else has had before us and will do after us, to ensure we gain what we are entitled to!