Semester Two

Due to UK government advice, only students studying at Sussex for degrees in medicine, education, social work and some other healthcare-related courses have been able to return to study on campus this week, as planned.

We have agreed that for all other students learning will remain online until the 26 February, with in-person teaching potentially starting again on Monday 1 March. 

We will let students know as soon as possible if this date needs to be extended, due to the pandemic.

You can read the information we are providing to students on the Student Hub.

These measures are needed to ensure we protect the health and safety of our staff and students. The new variant of Covid 19 is highly infectious and the number of people with coronavirus in Brighton and Hove is currently high and rising rapidly.

You can find more information and can access resources via our Semester Two webpage.

Our students’ learning

Throughout Semester 2, we will continue to provide at least 11 hours of live, real-time learning per module. 

The University has also taken the decision to deploy a no-detriment policy for students this year to ensure we support our students’ academic success through these unprecedented times.

This no-detriment policy will differ from that used for the last academic year – and we are still working through the detail, but we want to provide reassurances to ensure that students’ grades are not negatively impacted due to the pandemic. 

We will similarly ensure students can achieve their learning outcomes, and that the academic standards and value of their degree will be protected.

Testing

The University has significant testing capacity and our Test Centre is in operation. 

We are currently prioritising tests for those students on the designated courses and staff who need to return to campus.

We will ensure we roll out the mass testing for staff and students when they do return to campus. To minimise the spread of the virus students are required to take two Lateral Flow Covid-19 tests ahead of in-person teaching.

You can book your tests here and read our FAQs on mass testing. 

The FAQ’s also include specific guidance for research staff who may be coming onto campus for laboratory work and as such cannot work from home.

HR guidance for staff during this time

Unless you need to be on campus to do your job, you must work from home. Only staff delivering in person teaching in the subjects above and staff undertaking essential work that cannot be done at home such as facilities, libraries, catering and student support – can come to campus. 

We are aware that this has a significant impact on staff and, in light of this, we have updated our guidance on our HR policies and procedures page including FAQs for managers and FAQs for staff.

All staff should ensure that they are familiar with this key guidance. Please speak to your line manager if you have any concerns about your own personal circumstances.

The options open to the University in terms of the furlough scheme are under active review at present. We will publish more information as soon as possible.

Critical worker status

The latest guidance from the Department for Education is that all HE staff can be considered as critical, regardless of whether they are working remotely or on campus.

This means that all our staff qualify for this status. The Government have stated in their latest guidance however, that parents and carers who are critical workers should keep their children home if they can.

We also understand that this will not be suitable for everyone as many people have concerns about the transmission from schools, but it is one of the options available.

It is worth noting that proof of critical worker status will not guarantee access to schooling: access is at the discretion of a school and is likely to be influenced by staffing levels and therefore places available. 

You can complete the letter online by adding your name at the top (in the highlighted section). You can download, print it, save to a mobile device, or email it to your child's school to demonstrate you are a critical worker. 

You only need to show your University ID card if challenged when travelling to and from work so that you can evidence that you have been designated as a critical worker and are therefore eligible to travel at this time of strict restricted measures to tackle the spread of the coronavirus.

Support for staff

A reminder that all staff can access free, confidential counselling and support as part of our Employee Assistance Programme. 

You can refer yourself and do not need to inform anyone. There are also a number of additional resources to support your mental and physical health in our wellbeing hub.

Keeping you updated

Finally, we will soon also be sharing details with staff on a series of webinars to help answer any questions that staff may have at this time.