Call for University Support Follows Student’s Suicide Linked to Incorrect Exam Results

The parents of a student who died by suicide after receiving inaccurate exam results are advocating for universities to provide improved support. Mared Foulkes, from Anglesey, was sent an email in July 2020 stating that she had failed an assessment and could not advance to her third year – despite having already re-sat and passed it. Cardiff University has indicated that it has already implemented changes to its operational procedures. However, Mared’s family seeks a legal amendment regarding how universities support students with mental health issues and how they communicate with students’ families. Mared Foulkes, 21, was a talented and intelligent student from near Menai Bridge who had already committed her life to a career as a pharmacist, gaining experience by working in a chemist in Caernarfon, Gwynedd. But on 8 July 2020, she received an email from Cardiff University informing her that she had failed one of her assessments and implying that she would be unable to proceed to her third year. The email did not mention that she had already re-sat the exam and passed it. Mared’s mother, Iona Foulkes, said: “She came home that evening from work and we had a normal family meal.“Then she decided she wanted to make a cheesecake and said she was going to the local supermarket and asked if I wanted anything. “She took the car keys and left.” But Mared would never return. Two police officers visited the house later that evening to inform her family of her death. Mrs Foulkes said: “Every aspect of our family life has been shattered. Our home is heavy with memories and our lives are changed forever. “Passing by Mared’s empty bedroom is achingly hard.“Each day takes us further from the last few hours we had with our beautiful and much-loved daughter, we have not ceased to grieve.” Her parents later discovered that Mared had messaged a friend earlier that day to say “I did crap”. “She had worked so hard at her course,” her mother added.”She had her heart set on becoming a pharmacist from a young age. She had done voluntary work in a hospital in the Philippines and been accepted to study in China.“To be informed that you have failed two years of study and you couldn’t progress – it must have been horrific.“You are talking about a 21-year-old, a young person getting this information.“It is a tragedy which should never have happened. It shouldn’t be. Something needs to change – quickly – before more families have to endure what we have to live with for the rest of our lives.” Mared’s parents are collaborating with the families of other young people who have died by suicide to advocate for changes in the law concerning how universities support students and their families. They have initiated this process with a group of lawyers, who are preparing a report that will recommend improvements in university communication with families. Nine months before Mared died, she had visited the university’s support services to discuss her mental health, but her family did not learn of this until a year after her death. Mrs Foulkes said: “I fully understand that students are young adults, and some do not wish their parents or guardians to be informed what they do or what their exam results are.“But there should be some way that they can inform parents if something does go wrong.” A spokesperson for Cardiff University stated that the method by which students receive their results, and the information they are given, has already been altered as a consequence of Mared’s death. “We are determined to improve the tone and language of all our written communications to our students,” they said. “We will make explicit reference to where students can access help and support if they are concerned about their results.” However, the spokesperson added that discussing students’ mental health with parents was a complex matter. “Universities need to balance the legitimate needs of parents to be informed about their children while respecting the rights, privacy and wishes of adult students who may – for a variety of legitimate and complex reasons – not want their personal information to be shared with their parents,” they said. “We have put a new system in place where we ask students to give us a trusted contact when they enrol. This is someone the university will contact if there are serious concerns about a student’s health or wellbeing.“We know Mared Foulkes’ family feel we could have done things differently and we have apologised for where we did not get things right.“The impact of Mared’s death and her parents’ wishes have informed and continue to inform and impact on our approach.” If you’ve been affected by the issues in this story, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.