Hello Jemima
As we take the opportunity to wish you all a Happy New Year we are also very aware that the start of 2021 is not as any of us would have wished.
Following the announcement of a new national lockdown on 4 January and as a follow on to the email we sent you on 31 December we are now able to provide you with clearer guidance on how this impacts our students, and the wider community. Thank you for your patience and for keeping yourself informed.
Revised dates for the start of face to face teaching
First off, the University remains open and term 2 will start on Monday 11 January as planned. However, our plans for teaching, learning, and the wider student experience have to be aligned with government guidelines; more than ever this needs to be the case.
Teaching will be delivered remotely (on-line only) from the beginning of term (11 January 2021) until mid-February for all subjects, with the exception of MBChB, ITT and Social Work students.
As you know, we have offered face to face teaching through our blended learning model for as long as possible because of the positive feedback we have had from you, but moving teaching online has become necessary. We must all take the required actions to help prevent the spread of this virus in what is now a national emergency.
Travel and movement - updated guidance
The new government guidance is that students should remain where they currently are wherever possible and start the term online, until at least mid-February. This means that if you aren't currently back at Warwick, you need to remain where you are and engage remotely.
Students who have already returned to or remained at Warwick
For students who have already travelled to University, the new guidance states you must not move back and forth between your student address and your home address during term time; this means you will need to remain at Warwick. We will be providing support measures for you during this period and facilities on campus remain open for you to access.
For PGR students, government advice remains unchanged; where you are able to work from home, you should do so, but those who require access to specialist facilities on campus are able to do so. It is however strongly recommended that you take a COVID-19 test.
Asymptomatic Testing
In order to ensure your safety and the safety of our wider community, the government has stressed the importance of asymptomatic testing in the fight against the virus. We will continue to provide this service from 5 January via the government testing centre at The Slate on campus, details on how to book can be found on our site.
If you are coming onto campus, or are in the local area we strongly advise that you have a test; please consider the benefits that these tests will bring in identifying and isolating any positive cases early and, hopefully, reducing onward transmission of the virus to your fellow students, staff and the wider community.
Accommodation
In light of the restrictions on movement which have been imposed as a result of the lockdown, we are reviewing our position on campus accommodation fees for this term. We expect to be able to give you the details on the outcome of that review in the coming days via email, and by updating our website.
Campus Facilities
Campus facilities such as the library, study spaces and retail outlets with take-away services will be open for term 2; more information can be found on our website.
Support
No doubt these continue to be challenging times. Please see details of the support available to you all and please don’t be afraid to seek help if you need it.
Achieving your best
We are very aware that many of you will be working in circumstances that are very different to those you are used to, or how you imagined your time at university may be. We'd like to reassure you that our main focus is enabling you all to achieve your best and that we are fully equipped to move to online teaching. Responses from the term 1 survey have shown high satisfaction with the quality of the online teaching you have received so far, with 73% of you rating the quality of online teaching good/very good. Our academic staff will continue to use a variety of tools and methods to ensure online learning is effective and will explore how to provide more opportunity for interaction.
Next steps
For all students, your department will be in touch with you to confirm arrangements for online teaching and keep you informed of when your face to face teaching will start.
At this stage, we expect additional restrictions to remain in place until mid-February, as indicated by government but we will of course review any plans we have in place in light of any changes to this guidance.
We will also continue to update our FAQs and you directly as and when we receive information; please check the website and your University email account on a regular basis.
Kind regards,
The Student Communications Team
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