Semester Two: what you need to know

Find out how your work is affected by the latest announcements relating to Coronavirus.

Students returning to campus

Following the most recent announcement from the UK Government on 13 April, all students who have not yet returned to campus and in-person teaching may do so no earlier than 17 May and will need to continue with online study. The full announcement can be viewed here.
 
A message was sent to all students about what this latest announcement means for them.
 
The timing of when remaining students may return is in line with Step 3 of the UK Government’s roadmap out of lockdown, where current Government restrictions on social contact and indoor mixing will be eased from the 17 May.

On 8 March we resumed some in-person teaching for certain courses with practical elements in the following Schools and departments:

  • Life Sciences;
  • Engineering and Informatics;
  • Media, Arts and Humanities

This was in addition to in-person teaching in BSMS and ESW (which started in January).

What this means for you

For all lecturers or other members of teaching staff who are not involved in the teaching of Medicine, Teaching or Social Work, will conduct your sessions remotely.

From 8 March, only staff involved in the teaching of Medicine, Teaching or Social Work, Life Sciences, Engineering and Informatics; or Media, Arts and Humanities were able to come on to campus to provide face-to-face teaching.

The same safeguarding measures are in place as they were in Autumn 2020, including getting tested for Covid-19 before anyone begins teaching.

Since the start of pandemic, the health, safety, and wellbeing, both physical and mental, of our staff and students is our key priority and will remain at the centre of our planning and decision-making.

Our health and safety risk assessments have been reviewed for this term, so you can be assured they are up to date.

All students will be required to follow social distancing measures and will be made aware of the importance of taking lateral flow tests in their first week back on campus and then twice a week on an ongoing basis.

See our joint UEG/UCU statement [PDF] relating to our plans for Semester Two.

Research staff should work remotely where possible. Researchers who need to use laboratory equipment for their work can come on to campus to do this. Please follow the guidance on getting tested before working in research labs on campus.

If you are a member of professional services staff, you should continue to work from home. The exceptions to this are people working in core campus services (such as the Library and shops) that support our students.

Support for you

Nobody should be expected to work in an environment in which they feel unsafe and an important part of any return will be to give colleagues the agency to make decisions for themselves. This is especially important for those who have, or live with someone who has, an underlying health condition, although there are also other considerations.

If you are asked to return to resume in-person teaching or support services and you have personal circumstances that you consider might prevent you from returning at this time, please speak to your line manager about the health and safety and other measures that are in place to make campus as safe as possible, to help you make a reasonable assessment about the safety of your working environment.

During Semester Two we will maintain the arrangements outlined in our HR policies and procedures page including the advice for staff and managers FAQs. All staff should ensure they are familiar with this key guidance and resource.

Since the start of pandemic, the health, safety, and wellbeing, both physical and mental, of our staff and students is our key priority and will remain at the centre of our planning and decision-making.

Our health and safety risk assessments have been reviewed for this term, so you can be assured they are up to date.

All students will be required to follow social distancing measures and will be made aware of the importance of taking lateral flow tests in their first week back on campus and then twice a week on an ongoing basis.

Staff working on campus will be asked to take two lateral flow tests each week and this can be carried out at the Sport Centre on campus. You can book your tests here. It’s quick and easy to carry out these tests and we’ve had great feedback from those in our community who are using the facility regularly. You can find out more on the staff webpages. 

Staying informed

As our plans for Semester Two progress we will provide updates through weekly emails and these web pages.

Information and resources

You can also access the following documents:

Webinar recordings

The following webinars covers a lot of the questions raised by members of staff: