On Wednesday 11th November, your Sabbatical Officer team met with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Education and Student Experience
He updated them on the University’s response to the UK Government’s travel window and their plans to implement University testing.
We know that a lot of you will have questions about what this means for you individually so your Officer team have provided an overview of their conversation to ensure you know what conversations are being had and how decisions are being made.
Here are some of the key concerns your Sabbatical Officers raised:
What will happen to students who are currently on academic placements such as Nursing and Teaching?
Current University response:
As far as they were aware these placements will continue as normal due to them being counted as essential work.
If students are staying in placements till the end of term will they be provided with testing and be allowed to travel outside of the designated travel window?
Current University response:
Currently the Government has not released guidance on this, however it is expected that those students would be tested and allowed to travel home with enough time to be with their families before Christmas.
Officer team response:
We discussed the fact that these students would need to be tested two weeks before returning home to allow for isolation if tested positive, which would mean these students being relieved of their placements before the 10th December. We are awaiting further updates regarding this matter.
What are the plans for January return?
Current University response:
Currently the Government have not released any guidance regarding the return to University, however it is assumed teaching will return as scheduled. We are awaiting further updates regarding this matter.
Although we understand the current plans are being made due to Government guidance, you previously mentioned that some students will begin celebrating Christmas early so you will try to have them home before then. It is important for the University to take into account our students who partake in other religious celebrations which may begin before Christmas.
Current University response:
When we refer to Christmas we mean the holiday period, however it is something they need to take into account for their planning. The current Christmas plans are all based on government requirements/guidance.
Your Sabbatical Officers are also involved in discussions with the University about how they will be supporting students over the holiday period.
To effectively represent you, we need to know how you’re feeling, what you’re experiencing and what you need us to do to help.
There are a number of ways that you can share your feedback and get support.