What the new UK national restrictions mean for your education

The UK Government has announced new national restrictions from Thursday 5 November, so we are writing to explain what this will mean for everyone at UCL.

First, we want to thank you for your commitment and engagement with your studies during these challenging times. We’d also like to thank those of you who are coming onto campus for the calm, purposeful way that you are using our libraries and study spaces and attending your face-to-face sessions.

In line with the Government’s announcement, UCL will remain open, continuing to operate in a COVID-secure way. Our libraries, study spaces, halls of residence and some limited takeaway catering facilities will remain open.

• Your core teaching is already online, and this will continue for the rest of term, so that you can access all you need to learn to complete your modules successfully, wherever you are in the world.
• Activity that must be delivered face-to-face for you to achieve your learning outcomes will continue;
• Face-to-face education activity will continue where feasible, but we expect that these government-imposed national restrictions will impact on the ability of teachers to deliver as much face-to-face activity as had been planned;
• Where face-to-face sessions are no longer feasible, the content will be transferred online so there is no adverse impact on the education you receive;
• Your Students’ Union will continue to run events and activities on and offline.

We will review these principles towards the end of November, in line with the Government timetable for review of the national picture.

Your department will be in touch to confirm what this will mean for your programme of study.

If you are thinking about travelling

As for everyone under the new UK national restrictions from 5 November, you should stay in your current home. This means you should not leave your term time address to return to your parents’ or carer’s home until at least 2 December - and you should continue to learn at university for the remainder of this term.

We urge you not to travel home before the new restrictions come into place on Thursday, to prevent any further spread of COVID-19. Movement around the country is being restricted to protect lives, especially the lives of those in vulnerable groups who may become seriously ill with the virus.

If you need support

The Student Support and Wellbeing (SSW) team are on hand to help if you’re experiencing any difficulties related to your mental health and wellbeing or a disability. You can also contact SSW if you are worried about another student. We know that it can be difficult to reach out if you’re having problems, so if you see someone who you think is struggling please let us know.

You can also get in touch with the Students’ Union’s Advice Service on a wide range of issues, academic, social, financial and personal.

Your UCL education in Terms Two and Three

We will write to you to confirm UCL's approach for Terms Two and Three next week.

We have been enormously impressed by the creativity, enthusiasm and resilience of our student community over the past few weeks. As we navigate these changes in the government position, we are truly grateful to you for the UCL spirit you are showing, and for the ways in which you are adapting to the impact of coronavirus on our community.

Best wishes,

Professor Michael Arthur
UCL President & Provost

Carol Paige
Democracy, Operations and Community Officer
Students’ Union UCL