As a response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Greenwich Students’ Union partnered with the University to establish the Greenwich Students’ Union Wellbeing and Retention Project, a peer-delivered telephone wellbeing check for every undergraduate student from September to December 2020. This campaign focused on meeting students where they are at, to provide a proactive, early intervention to resolve issues they might be facing.  

The Project’s success saw it grow and extend to cover all students at Greenwich. The project in 2021/22 has evolved to provide more targeted support to those who we know are statistically more likely to drop out. We work with the faculties and central University staff to deliver supportive calls to students who have been flagged for nonattendance and, using APP data, we also focus check-ins on students most at risk of withdrawing.

The project has been shortlisted for a Times HE Award 2022 for Outstanding Student Support 

What we speak to the students about

During the calls, we ask students about their studies if they know their personal tutor, their experience of loneliness and any pressures they might be facing. We tell students about GSU and the university support services available to them.

Where students need it we make a direct referral to an appropriate service.

The project has been hugely beneficial to individual students who have a peer-led conversation about the challenges they are facing and the resources and support available to them. Through the coding and recording of the responses to these calls, we have been able to better understand the overarching issues students are facing and work with SU services and University colleagues to resolve the structural challenges our students encounter.  

Who we call

We have called:

• Students flagged for non-attendance through the Student Engagement Policy
• International students
• Final year undergraduate students on some low scoring NSS courses
• Students prioritised by APP group
• PGR students to inform them of PGR specific support
• Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian students
• Sri Lankan Students 
• Bangladeshi students 

Request a check-in for a student 

University staff members can request we check-in with a student. We'll ask them about their experience so far and link them with support if they need it.

Please email the team at - gsu-retention@greenwich.ac.uk

If you have questions about the project get in touch with:

Steph Scott
Retention and Wellbeing Project Manager
s.e.scott@gre.ac.uk