Frequently asked questions regarding the November UK lockdown
Dear students,
After the Government announcement on Saturday of a new national lockdown from Thursday 5 November, we received further guidance from the Minister of State for Universities, Michelle Donelan MP, yesterday evening. Although she explained that the Government is still working on the specifics of how new restrictions will impact universities, she made it clear that universities should remain open.
The Government’s message since the weekend to universities has been to continue to prioritise the wellbeing and long-term futures of students. As such, and subject to full details from Government, DMU will remain open during the period of the next national lockdown.
In the Minister of State’s letter to every student in the country, she outlines the key reasons for why keeping universities open is important for your learning journeys. She also explains why you should not leave your term-time address to return to your parents’/carers’ or other home until at least 2 December - and should continue to learn at university for the remainder of this term. This is crucial to reducing the transmission risk and preventing any further spread of Covid-19.
It is also critical to your learning outcomes, health and wellbeing, access to resources and other elements of the student experience, as explained below.
Learning and teaching
In line with this Government guidance, I can confirm we will not be changing our current timetables and we will maintain our existing blended learning offer to you. The Your DMU Future website provides all the advice and support you need to get the most from your university studies and the student experience.
I want to reiterate that we will continue to follow the evolving guidance and measures put in place by the Government to keep our students and staff safe, and we remain committed to supporting our students by providing high-quality education.
During all of these arrangements, you will continue to receive the teaching you are entitled to expect in order to achieve learning outcomes and progress in your studies.
Although we do appreciate that this is difficult, it is important that you continue to attend on-campus teaching where you are expected, as non-attendance that has not been approved will have an impact on your attendance record and learning outcomes. If you cannot attend a teaching session on campus, you must notify your Faculty Student Advice Centre as soon as possible.
Arrangements for accessing the library, study spaces, and other areas on campus which are currently open remain unchanged.
Please be aware that under new guidelines, the Rule of Six has changed in study space settings. You must use these spaces independently and not gather together unless it is part of an in-person, timetabled seminar or other teaching session.
Access to these key facilities and equipment further supports the benefits of continuing your studies at university.
If you choose to ignore the guidance and leave your term-time address in Leicester we will not be able to supply you with the equipment you would have been able to access on campus.
Further details will be communicated in due course if the situation changes.
Health and wellbeing
Michelle Donelan has praised the efforts of Higher Education institutions for the safety measures and guidance put in place to ensure teaching and learning is provided in Covid-secure environments. She confirmed that we have not seen evidence of increased transmission within these environments – and this is certainly the case at DMU.
I want to assure you we will continue to do all we can to protect the safety of our students and staff, meeting in full all Government guidelines.
In her letter, she recognises the importance of face-to-face teaching for students’ mental health and wellbeing, which is why the Government expects this to continue, alongside provisions for mental health and pastoral support.
Any student who has an ongoing or significant health or disability-related concern which may affect their attendance at university should contact the DAS or our Mental Health team, who will discuss the situation with you and consider what support or adjustments can be put in place.
Other student support
As ever, the HealthyDMU Hub is available to support your health and wellbeing at DMU. It will provide you with information about staying well, and how to book appointments with the Student Welfare Team.
All of DMU’s welfare services are also currently available online should you need to access them. This includes counselling, mindfulness, masterclasses and Single Point of Access (SPA) appointments. The Healthy DMU Hub also has lots of helpful resources to help support you, including information on how to stay active and how to connect with others.
Returning home at Christmas
I know many of your thoughts are already turning to Christmas, and arrangements for the end of term. The Government is due to publish further guidance on the end of term soon, and we will update you as soon as we know more.
Thank you
I want to thank all of you your tremendous efforts so far to adhere to our comprehensive safety advice to keep each other safe.
The vast majority of you have been following our shared commitment to keeping all in the DMU community safe. I would ask that you all keep that commitment firmly in mind this week and continue to respect current measures in the days leading up to the new national restrictions officially coming into force.
Please continue to look after yourselves, keep up to date with the latest government guidance and, above all, stay safe.
Professor Andy Collop Interim Vice-Chancellor
Posted on Tuesday 3 November 2020