The never-ending updates on vaccination and testing procedures, and checking the list of red, amber and green countries have been a daily reality we have all got used to, but there are other, longer-term implications of the Covid-19 pandemic that will impact long term on the student recruitment process.

At UK Education Guide we pride ourselves on an incredibly thorough student recruitment process. We make every effort to ensure that the shortlist of schools and universities we select for any family to consider reflects not only the individual student’s academic, but also their personal and social aspirations. This takes time – plenty of time – multiple Zoom calls with the family and at all points checking that our understanding of their needs is correct.

However, we have now had to add an additional stage to our process in light of our experiences during Covid-19.

Most boarding schools require a medical questionnaire to be completed by all students that are about to join them, but we have realised we need to add in a medical questionnaire to our own process. In light of the mental health challenges Covid has placed on students, we need to ensure we are asking questions about mental health before we start to shortlist potential institutions and before any approach is made to any school to consider an applicant.

Why? Best practice is that parents and prospective students come to the UK to visit an institution before application or certainly before accepting a place. Covid-19 has turned this process on its head and in many cases, families have been unable to visit the UK to see any schools prior to the acceptance of an offer.

Of course, schools have really stepped up to this challenge by offering virtual tours that have, in many cases, been of exceptional quality, but nothing can replace visiting a campus, walking around chatting to students, just getting a vital ‘feel’ for the institution.

Also, a visit to a school or a university campus usually involves spending a bit of time in the local town or city too. Again, this has been lost and it is an important part of really making the decision: ‘Can I see myself studying at this school or college in this town?’

Students being unable to visit before arriving in the UK to study has significantly increased the level of uncertainty and stress for many students and so we need to ask questions about mental health much earlier than we used to. A student that has existing mental health issues is almost certainly going to feel more stressed and anxious without the comfort of having visited a school, university, town or city before arriving to immediately start lessons or lectures.

Additionally, many young people have been suffering from increased levels of anxiety due to Covid itself, and some students are coming from countries that have been severely affected by the pandemic. Recently one of our students had a panic attack as she had been sitting next to a student in class who then tested positive for Covid later that day. Our student, from Brazil, had had several family members who had suffered badly with the virus and even though she was vaccinated, she was extremely anxious about returning to class.

Of course, asking questions about mental health is a very sensitive issue and needs to be done via a written questionnaire rather than via Zoom or in person. However, following up on this questionnaire via email, to make sure all points are fully covered is vital.

Having this level of awareness very early in the screening process is critical as this knowledge should impact on the institutions that are selected for a pupil, particularly at boarding school stage.

Completing a medical questionnaire really early allows us to share this information with all potential schools before application, so if the school feels unable to deal with any medical challenges flagged in our student report, they can highlight this before the family spends money applying to the school.

Fundamentally different decisions may be made as a result of access to this early-accessed medical information, as Caroline Nixon , International & Membership Director of the Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA) points out: “Covid-19 has added a whole new layer of responsibility to the screening process good agents and schools offer families, and it is important to recognise now more than ever that a full-time boarding school experience may not be the right option for every student.

“In a Covid-19 world it is more important than ever that families are totally honest about their child’s needs to ensure the right school or college is found for each young person,” she adds.

Also, this information is important to share early in the screening process with potential guardians. “During the pandemic many children have stayed for much longer periods of time with their host families, often over Christmas and Easter holidays. Clearly, many children have been distressed about being separated from their families for long periods of time, often unplanned, and so having access to additional detailed medical information about children we are working with is vital, not least in terms of making sure each child is matched to the most suitable host family to ensure their wellbeing,” says Julia Evans, Director of Cambridge Guardian Angels .

Of course, some families are unwilling to share mental health issues their children are facing and some students (over 18) do not necessarily like to share mental health concerns/existing conditions, but asking for this information from the start of developing a relationship with a new family shows, at least, that we believe this information is as important as asking for a student’s latest academic report or exam certificates. If we don’t flag the importance, then it is more understandable if the family does not see it as a priority.

Covid-19 will have a lasting impact on screening processes and I am sure we will be making more changes as the impact on students becomes even more apparent. Of course, we all hope we can return later in the year to hosting ‘in-person’ visits to institutions prior to arrival to study and this will negate some of the significant additional stress many students have faced over the past 20 months. But we are only just starting to understand the long-term implications of students seeing family members ill with Covid and being separated from friends and family for long periods of time, so for many the scars of Covid will last long after more obvious restrictions have ended and we need to be mindful of this.

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