In 2020, SLC processed and paid more students than ever before and the next academic year looks set to be another record-breaker. Data published by UCAS showed 42.6 percent of all 18-year-olds had applied for university by the main January deadline, which is up from 39.5 percent on last year. At the Student Loans Company, we have already experienced a significant increase in applications, with applications up by more than 10% on last year.

Given the current economic climate, SLC’s role in enabling access to further and higher education has never been more important. It is our responsibility to ensure students have the finance in place to help them achieve their academic aspirations; and, so that students have the best possible start to their course, we want that finance to be in place by the start of the academic year.

We are looking very carefully at how the increasing applicant numbers may impact on the delivery of our services this year. Undoubtably, the high volume of students coming through the system will put pressure on us. This is particularly true at a time when we continue to prioritise the health and safety of colleagues by supporting them to work remotely due to Covid-19. We expect that over our peak periods this year we will very busy – in particular, we could see longer call queues, meaning customers may have to wait for longer than usual to speak with us. I am grateful for the patience that has been shown by our customers to date and I hope they will be reassured to know we are doing everything we can to ensure that any impact is minimal.

There is one simple step undergraduate students and potential students can take to ensure they have the student finance in place before term start this year – and that is to apply online now.

Applications are open for undergraduate students in England and students in Wales will be able to apply from late April. By applying before the deadlines (21 May for new students and 25 June for returning students) students can be confident their finance will be in place when their studies start.

Students should apply now even if they are unsure what course they will be doing or what university they will attend. If students wait for a confirmed offer before applying for student finance, it may be too late to have student finance in place by term start.

Applications take six to eight weeks to process so students do not need to contact us during this time to check on the status of their application. We will contact them, or their sponsors, should we require any additional information to support their application.

Since the start of the pandemic, we have provided support to customers by making additional information available online. Over the coming weeks and months, we will continue to provide extra information to address some of the key questions that we know new and returning applicants have at this time of year. So, if you are a student, a parent or sponsor and have any questions for us, I would urge you to visit our FAQs or get in touch with us by social media, and of course, apply now to ensure your student finance is in place for start of the next academic year.

At around 13:44 hrs on Monday 22 June 2020, a Transport for Wales (TfW) train struck a van which was foul of the track at Smiths Lower Cefn user-worked crossing (UWC), near Welshpool. When the collision occurred, the van driver was in the area of the vehicle’s open offside door. The collision caused the van to spin around, projecting the van driver into an adjacent field. The van driver suffered serious, life affecting injuries because of the collision. Based on the evidence found on site, and the position of the van as was seen on the train’s forward-facing CCTV, RAIB consider that it is possible that the far side gate of the crossing began to swing back as the van crossed, causing the driver to stop and attempt to get out of the van while it was still foul of the line.

TfW notified RAIB of the accident soon after it occurred. We have since gathered evidence from the railway industry and carried out a preliminary examination into the circumstances in which it occurred.

Based on the evidence gathered, RAIB has concluded that the accident occurred because the van driver did not call the signaller in control of the crossing to get permission to cross, prior to doing so. RAIB have not been able to determine with certainty why he did not call. The van driver was unfamiliar with the crossing, and with user worked crossings in general. RAIB considers that it is probably the case that the van driver also did not read some, or all of the instructions on the signage at the crossing, prior to using it.

RAIB has reviewed the findings of its preliminary examination and has decided not to carry out any further investigation of the accident. RAIB previously investigated a similar accident at Frognal Farm UWC in October 2017 (RAIB report 10/2019), which covered topics relevant to the accident at Smiths Lower Cefn UWC. Findings from that investigation showed that the van driver in this accident also did not use the telephone to contact the signaller. This was in part because the information on the signs at the crossing were not clear and concise, and unfamiliar users could misunderstand the instructions. Of particular relevance to the accident at Smiths Lower Cefn UWC was RAIB’s finding that the requirement to stop and call the signaller could be overlooked as it was not present in the numbered list of instructions lower down the sign.

RAIB made four recommendations from the Frognal Farm investigation. Two of these, addressed to a combination of Network Rail, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) and the Department for Transport (DfT), specifically related to the provision of signage, and improving the clarity, conspicuity and wording of instructions to crossing users. At the time of writing, both recommendations are being progressed towards implementation.

Recommendation 1 also considers the issue of how authorised users are expected to be briefed in the context of the ever-increasing use of contractor-driven delivery vehicles to private and commercial properties. This also raises the more general issue of the concept of an authorised user in the current circumstances.

RAIB has previously carried out many investigations into other accidents and near-miss incidents at user worked crossings, including a class investigation (RAIB report 13/2009) into such crossings, which was published in 2009. The class investigation noted a previous collision at Smiths Lower Cefn UWC-T on 10 September 2008, where the driver of a lorry admitted using the crossing without calling the signaller. Near-miss incidents at such crossings are often notified to RAIB or are seen in Network Rail’s daily control log. An investigation into a near-miss at Coltishall Lane UWC-T on 21 January 2021 is currently ongoing (details on the RAIB website).

Given the risk posed by such crossings, and the large number still present on the network, RAIB remain concerned that accidents and incidents will continue to occur unless substantive action is taken.

RAIB have written to Network Rail, copied to ORR and DfT, to alert them to this event and the need for action to implement previously made recommendations.