Over 1,900 King’s students sign safety net policy petition

A petition demanding that King’s College London maintain the safety net policy during the 2020-2021 academic year has so far gathered 1,955 signatures. The petition asks that the safety net policy be applied this academic year as “the Covid-19 period is not over,” and as students are continuing to “face increasing amounts of pressure” relating to health issues, issues with studying at home, and a “delay in communication from King’s College London.”

The safety net policy was first implemented in March 2020 as “a means to ensure that no student will be disadvantaged academically by the impact of the current situation.” The King’s Coronavirus and Assessments page states that under the policy, the university “will put in place a range of ‘safety net’ arrangements to manage any negative impact on students’ outcomes.”

In light of this, the petition asks that “the previously released (March 2020) decision and conditions regarding the ‘safety net’ policy should be modified and applied to this academic year (2020-21).” This includes ensuring that “marks are to be adjusted to ensure that the average for the year is at least at the level of the ‘safety net’ average” for all modules completed after March 15th, 2020.

The petition also raises a number of points regarding issues faced by students during the pandemic for the University’s consideration. The list “is not exhaustive,” but includes that a majority of students “have not and will not have any face-to-face teaching this year, clearly reducing education quality.”

It also adds that continued lockdown in London means students are facing increased pressure and “mental health issues,” alongside “ongoing issues of studying at home such as the lack of a dedicated workspace, unstable wifi connection and noisy environments.” The petition also acknowledges the difficulties faced by international students during the pandemic.