Ex-student blames Rochdale college for mental health issues and missing top grades

A former student at a Rochdale college which is rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted has shared how his studying experience made his mental health struggles worse and may have caused him to miss out on top grades.

Sam Duckworth, 18, was studying at Rochdale Sixth Form College (RSFC) when his mental health took a turn for the worse in February due to a family issue. He previously suffered from anxiety and the event only made things worse, making it more difficult for him at college, he says.

He went through a friendship breakdown and moved to sit with a new group of people in one class, but claims he was made fun of and then not moved back when he wanted to return to his former place. This led to his father Stephen Duckworth pleading with the college to do more to help.

Things became worse for Sam during his exams when an arrangement for him to sit near the door of the room in a smaller group was not put into place. After Sam tried to email a teacher about the problems he was going through, he claims he was denied access to the college’s online portal.

In April he stopped going to the college and started to study at home.

He was expected to get top grades in his A-levels in biology, chemistry and psychology, but he ended up with results of CDE.

Sam told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “They made no arrangement that would help me at all, I complained about how I was treated but only a few things were done. They could have done more.

“The impact has been detrimental on me, I go to therapy now and we talk about what the college did, I’ve not felt happy since April. This college has seriously affected my well being and others and put us in immediate risk of developing mental health issues such as depression which I have experienced because of them.

“Their actions have totally impacted me and my family’s lives and I am yet to have recovered from it.”

Sam and his family submitted a complaint to the college’s governing body about the lack of safeguarding from the college.

The outcome of the complaint recognised that ‘seating arrangements in class could have been reviewed to reduce any anxiety and distress for Sam’ and that there was ‘a breakdown in communication’ in seating arrangements in exams which were detailed in Sam’s risk assessment.

It also found that the language used in the risk assessment for Sam ‘was not appropriate for the situation and could have been kinder, softer’.

His father Stephen, 54, explained that the response from the college to Sam’s mental health challenges was difficult for the family to deal with.

He said: “It’s been horrendous to be honest. The college was concerned about his anxiety but they seemed to safeguard everyone from Sam and not look out for his interests. It was like Sam was treated like a bad kid even though he is nothing but respectful.

“For his exams we had an agreement that he would sit in a small group near the door but on the day he sat in a big group not near the door and the response was ‘well that’s the way it is’.

“This has really hampered his future, he’s a shadow of his former self.”

Rochdale Sixth Form College offers A-level and vocational courses to around 1,800 students, and on its last inspection in October 2022 it was rated ‘outstanding’ in every category.

Karl Smith, principal at Rochdale Sixth Form College, said: “Safeguarding is at the heart of all college activities at RSFC. The college has a very experienced safeguarding team, with a college counsellor and professional external agencies available to support students.

“In supporting Sam throughout his time at college, RSFC put in place a highly detailed and comprehensive plan to help him to complete his studies and enable him to sit his exams. The pastoral and academic support provided was both comprehensive and extensive. In total, ten members of staff were involved in supporting Sam in passing his A levels.

“The support provided included additional tutoring and bespoke pastoral support during the exam period. The college counsellor and external agencies also provided significant support. The college continues to offer support to Sam regarding his future.

“We would like to wish Sam and his family all the very best for the future, with the offer of support remaining open as it does for all our former students.”

Declan Carey, Local Democracy Reporter