Students’ success this year is richly deserved

Congratulations to the students who received their A-level and level 3 vocational results this week. I am delighted for Sarah Edwards at the Weald and Dan Lodge at Collyer’s and their teams that all their efforts supporting their students over the past difficult year, have come through – and even more so for the pupils themselves.

For most students they have only enjoyed one term of A-level study before the arrival of the pandemic and all the the issues it has brought, success this year is particularly richly deserved.

For some these results will mean going on to university of their choice, for others they will start work or apprenticeships.

For those keen to go straight into work, but finding the right place a struggle to find employment, support for 18–24-year-olds is available at the Y Wish Hub in Swan Walk which I enjoyed visiting last month and has an established record of success.

The usual academic process isn’t the only area in which young people have missed out – and it was great to visit the National Citizenship Service programme at the Roffey Club.

The group I met were politically engaged, which made for great discussions. Alongside their team building endeavours including shooting, bouldering and canoeing the teams have been working on their social action project – for one team cycling the same distance as London to Paris in support of the Horsham Matters’ Food Bank.

For all of us we are determined to ensure that we can move on from the lockdowns and whether it’s in education, health or the economy we can return to normal and repair the damage.

Our local hospitals and GP surgeries, have worked incredibly hard to restore services which have been disrupted by the pandemic.

The impacts have been twofold – procedures which had to be delayed due to Covid and pent up demand from patients not presenting with symptoms during the pandemic. The local team are particularly focussed on cancer care and planned care and are in a strongly improving position on both.

The local NHS are restoring services alongside delivering the biggest vaccination programme in our nation’s history. Appointments to receive second and first doses of Covid vaccines are still available and details of local walkin appointments can be found here: https://www.sussexhealthandcare. uk/keepsussexsafe/sussex-covid-19vaccination-programme/

Plans are already underway locally and nationally to deliver a Covid booster jab, if it is required, later in the year. With over 75 per cent of adults now double-vaccinated we have come along way but we are all determined to do everything possible to make lockdowns and there impacts permanently redundant.