Important update for all students: education restrictions remain until 8 March

An update from the University, following the latest Government announcement

As you may be aware, the Government announced last night that due to the national public health data and pressure on NHS capacity, education restrictions will remain in place until at least 8 March 2021. Whilst understanding the public health situation, we’re also very disappointed to confirm that (as far as we are currently aware) this means on-campus teaching for many students won’t recommence until 8 March at the earliest. 

Despite the resulting limitations on on-campus in-person teaching, we would like to reassure you that as part of our resilience framework, all teaching activities have been designed for bimodal delivery. This means that teaching will be scheduled online – as it was last semester. In addition, next semester’s timetable has just been released via the MyUoB app, including some room allocations. It is important to note that the room allocations are only there to ensure we are ready to offer on-campus teaching as soon as government guidance changes for some - or all - students. In the meantime, students should only come to campus for teaching if they are on one of the government’s exempt programmes and they have been contacted specifically by their programme.   

We are currently working through the implications of this latest announcement and will be back in touch with you as soon as possible with more information. For those of you who are permitted to be on campus at the moment, please do remember to follow the recently updated testing process.

We understand that this news will present continued challenges for many of you so would like to highlight once again the Enhanced Student Support Fund, which provides financial assistance for students during the pandemic. We have also increased the value and revised the criteria, making it easier for students to receive support. You can apply for the fund here.

Support for your wellbeing is available and we are continuing to provide a range of resources and expert contacts that are accessible wherever you are. Our Wellbeing Services are open in your Schools and Colleges and support is available from our Mental Health and Wellbeing Team.

As we work through plans resulting from the latest Government announcement we will continue to keep you updated, and look forward to all being back on campus together again soon. Until then please stay safe

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