If you still need to collect your possessions you can still book a time slot between Friday 10 July and Friday 31 July. If you are unable to make your time slot please re-book an alternative one. Information for students who are currently overseas or are shielding, but still need to collect possessions, can be found below.
 
We will have control measures in place to ensure that your visit to campus is as safe as possible. Please ensure that you arrive with enough time to allow you to pack and remove your possessions, sticking within your allocated time slot. We have included a set of guidelines below to ensure that your collection will be as safe and as smooth as possible.

Guidance and important advice regarding your collection

• Please remember to bring your College Card to gain access to your Hall, flat and room
• Please bring bags or containers to pack your belongings to carry them safely
• On arrival, please proceed to your Hall and park in a convenient and safe place. Please note, parking enforcement has been lifted during the collection period so you will not need to register your car registration beforehand
• Please ensure that you follow the current government guidelines and local signage to maintain appropriate social distancing when using the lifts, stairs and entering into your flat
• Please be aware that a number of students are still living in their Halls so social distancing and hand cleanliness will need to be carried out
• As per the government guidelines, you will not be able to socialise with your flatmates or use the facilities in the communal areas to make tea etc.
• To minimise the impact on the students still living in their Halls, we would request that you remove your possessions as quickly as possible within your allocated time slot
• Our Residential team will be coordinating the sanitisation of touch points at key times throughout the day and will be on hand to help with any access issues. Please ensure that you follow all distancing guidelines when you come into contact with members of the team
• Please remove all items from your room and your communal kitchen/pantry and leave the room totally free of all rubbish and personal possessions when you leave 
• If you have received a notification that you have a parcel to collect, please go to the George Eliot Post Room. Due to social distancing measures there may be a queue, so please wait patiently and adhere to displayed signage
• We would also advise that you maintain your own personal safety arrangements whilst on site by using appropriate protective gloves, sanitizer etc.

Please book your time slot using our online booking system. If you are unable to make your time slot please re-book an alternative one. The options for booking and collecting your possessions will be available until Friday 31 July 2020.

What to do if you are overseas or currently shielding

Further to our email on the 16 June - if you still require someone else to collect your possessions on your behalf through a third party we have extended the deadline for arranging a collection to the 31 July. 

In order to do this, you will need to arrange for a nominated person or book a third party company to carry out the packing and collection of your possessions and if necessary, the onward shipping. Once you have done this you will need to confirm to us the name of the individual or company who will act on your behalf along with the date of collection.
 
Please complete our form to enable us to provide access to your room and release your possessions.
 
Third party collections must be booked by 24 July and all collections must be carried out by 31 July at the latest. Collections can take place between 9am and 5pm daily Monday to Sunday.
 
If possessions are not collected by the 31 July we will need to arrange for a third party provider to pack and store your items and we will pass on all the associated costs for this requirement on to you. 

Please complete this form to enable collection by third party individuals or company.

Guidance and important advice for nominated collectors

• Collections need be registered in advance (we cannot give access or release items if this form is not completed in full) 
• Proof of identification will need to be shown by the nominated person company on the day of collection
• Contact points for collecting access card –
   - Main campus rooms go to Hub Reception. 
   - Rooms north of the A30 (George Eliot, Highfield and Penrose) go to George Eliot Reception.
   - Kingswood Rooms go to Kingswood Reception
• Parcels: if you have a parcel you must instruct your nominated collector to go to George Eliot Post Room to collect the item and remove it from site
• Persons attending on site must be kept to minimum
• Please comply with social distancing measures and keep apart from anyone who has not travelled with you
• Please follow on site safety instructions issued by our teams on site
• On arrival park in a designated parking space in a car park – enforcement has been suspended during the collection period
• Report to the relevant Hall Reception point to collect an access key
• Private individuals must bring photo ID and a copy of the instruction from our student
• Companies must bring their business ID and a copy of the instruction/booking from our student
• Bring sufficient containers/bags to pack the belongings
• No trollies are available on site – if you require one bring this with you
• Remember to remove the student’s items from the kitchen and to collect any post/parcels
• All waste must be removed from the rooms and placed in the external waste bins according to our waste streams
• Before you leave site return the access key or card to the Reception area for the Hall
• Commercial companies undertaking multiple collections must contact us for advice on amalgamating collections and to enable access cards to be prepared in advance. Contact: customerservices@royalholloway.ac.uk

 
Please contact us at customerservices@royalholloway.ac.uk if need help with identifying a packing company. 

You can read the update on collecting your belongings from halls here.

You can read the last coronavirus newsletter here.

We’re writing to you today to remind you that if you would like to terminate your Halls contract and you haven’t already, the deadline to terminate your accommodation contract for term three, and for those of you on 50-week contracts (e.g. postgraduates), term four, is Monday 27 April. If you have already contacted us to terminate your contract, you do not need to email us again.
 
Below is information on making your decision, a reminder of how you can terminate your accommodation contract along with information about accommodation fees and belongings left in rooms. 
 
Last week, the UK government extended the lockdown to at least Thursday 7 May so this means, wherever you are, on campus or at home, you must stay there.
 
We do not have any information about when the lockdown will end or what restrictions will remain in place once lifted. However, we do want to reassure you that in terms of the new academic year 2020/21, we are making plans for it to start on campus on the published date.
 
We would also like to take this opportunity to ask those of you who remain on campus in Halls to complete this short form, so that we can offer you the best support.
 
Best wishes,
 
Residential Services

Your decision to terminate your contract

Although we have put in place online assessments and there are no plans for any face-to-face activities on campus, we do understand that, if you have left campus, you might hope to return and stay on campus for the summer term. However, any return to campus will only be possible if government guidance allows it. In the event that the government lifts lockdown measures, it is likely that some restrictions and social distancing rules will remain in place. This means that life on campus will be different, and some services may be limited. If there are any changes to government guidance which means it may be possible for you to consider a return to campus, we will update you. As stated previously however, for now, you must stay where you are.
 
If returning to campus does become a possibility and you later decide that you would benefit from staying in student accommodation to complete your assessments, you will not be able to return to stay in your original room if you have terminated your contract. You can contact customerservices@royalholloway.ac.uk and they may be able to organise alternative accommodation for the nights required.

Early termination of accommodation contracts

On Tuesday 24 March we wrote to you about your option to terminate your accommodation contract early if you do not plan to come back to campus. If you would like to terminate your accommodation contract for term three, and for those of you on 50-week contracts (e.g. postgraduates), term four also, please email customerservices@royalholloway.ac.uk including your name, hall and room number, stating you would like to terminate your contract. Please note that if you have already completed this action to terminate your contract, you do not need to email again. You are able to terminate your contract even if you still have possessions in your room. Please see the section below for more information.
 
The deadline to terminate your contract for term three is midnight Monday 27 April. Following this date you are still able to terminate your accommodation contract, however you must give us one month’s notice.

Accommodation fees

If you terminate your accommodation contract for term three, and for those of you on 50-week contracts (e.g. postgraduates), term four also, by Monday 27 April the corresponding accommodation invoices will be cancelled and you will receive a refund to the original payee for any overpaid accommodation fees. If you terminate your contract after this date, giving the minimum one month notice, you must continue to pay termly accommodation fees by the payment due dates. On termination of your contract, you will receive a refund for any overpaid accommodation fees.
 
If you are due a refund, we will begin processing this after 27 April (see below information for instances where this could be delayed further). You will receive a refund to the original payee. It would usually take two weeks to process the refund however due to the current situation regarding coronavirus, this process may take longer so please allow up to four weeks, following the deadline of 27 April, for the refund to be processed. The process may also take longer if the original payment method was an international bank transfer.
 
If you are not terminating your accommodation contract with us, the accommodation fees for term three are due by Friday 1 May. If you would like to discuss options to pay in instalments, you can contact the Student Fees team at Student-Fees@royalholloway.ac.uk.

Belongings in rooms 

If you have terminated your accommodation contract with us, the contract for your room will end on Sunday 26 April. Travelling back to campus to collect belongings is not permitted under the current government restrictions (please see our update from Friday 27 March). Please be assured that this does not affect you being able to terminate your contract for term three and for those of you on 50-week contracts (e.g. postgraduates), term four.
 
We know that many of you will have questions, and there is still a lot of uncertainty, so we have outlined what we know at this point below:
 
The current situation:

• The current lock down period is in place until at least Thursday 7 May and you currently cannot travel to campus to collect your belongings
• Even if the current measures are lifted after the government’s review on Thursday 7 May, it is highly likely that some restrictions and social distancing rules will remain. It may be that access to our accommodation has to be staggered to enable social distancing.

 Accessing accommodation to collect belongings:

• Once your contract is cancelled, you will not be able to access your accommodation without further instructions from the Residences team.
• Once we can be sure that collecting belongings is allowed under official guidance we will issue further instructions on how to collect your belongings and if needed, extend the final collection deadline.
• At this time, we have set a final collection deadline of 1 June for you to arrange collection of your belongings on campus. This deadline is subject to change based on government guidelines.

 Packing and storing belongings  

• Please note that once the government restrictions change and travelling to campus is allowed, we will be in touch to clarify the deadline to collect your belongings. If you are able to collect your belongings before the deadline, but choose not to, there will be a charge for packing to cover our costs.  
• We are aware that depending on individual circumstances collecting your belongings may not be possible, for example if you or a member of your household is shielding, and we will take this into consideration when we are applying charges.
• If you are an international student unable to travel back to the UK, you will need to arrange for a courier service to collect your belongings. We will support the collection of your items from your room, but we must have at least seven days’ notice of collection.

To help us prepare for the possibility of packing up your belongings and make this process as quick and efficient as possible, please fill out this consent form, which will enable us to pack and store your non-perishable belongings. Please note that if you have already completed this form, you do not need to submit it again.

Returning to your Halls

The advice from the government is that students remaining at university in England should stay where they are and not attempt to travel. If you have returned to your home address this means you should stay where you are and not attempt to travel back to campus. If you are still living in Halls, you should remain there while current restrictions are in place. Please see our update to all students from Friday 27 March.

Contacting Customer Services

The Customer Services team are dealing with a high volume of accommodation queries and are working hard to respond to everyone as quickly as possible. We appreciate that this is a worrying and confusing time and that you all have questions. If you have already contacted the Customer Services team and received a customer services reference number, please be assured that your email has been logged and the team will respond to you as quickly as they can. If you have emailed us and need to again, please respond to the automated receipt email you received from Customer Services. It is important to remember that we can only communicate with the student who holds the accommodation contract with us. Please also ensure that you email Customer Services using your student email address.  

Supporting you

We are living through events that are unprecedented in our lifetime and the situation is constantly changing. Please continue to monitor the student intranet for updates and FAQs. If you are worried about coronavirus and your wellbeing, a list of the services that our Student Advisory and Wellbeing team are now delivering online and digitally, can be found on the student intranet. If you are anxious or concerned and would like to talk to someone, please email supportingyou@royalholloway.ac.uk. 
 
If you have any questions or issues relating to College accommodation, please email customerservices@royalholloway.ac.uk.

You can read the latest coronavirus newsletter here.

You can read the latest coronavirus newsletter here.

Postgraduate taught assessment plans for 2020: Response and mitigation for coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic

In last week’s message, we explained that we will be replacing face-to-face, invigilated examinations with alternative assessments as the best way to support you so that you can graduate this year, or if you are a part-time student progress to your final year. In some cases this will mean adjusting our normal progression requirements, so please check with your school for this.
 
The approach to assessment that we are explaining to you today acknowledges the disruption that has occurred and provides a practical solution that will allow you to move forward. Our goal is that despite the events of this year, you will be able to complete your degree and graduate.
 
There will be three types of alternative assessments: written pieces for text-based subjects, problem-solving exercises for numerical subjects and quizzes. You will not be asked to attempt any alternative assessment in a format you have not encountered on the course already. To help you there will be opportunities to practice matters such as uploading the assessment next term. Alternative assessments will usually be completed within a 23 hour timeframe, apart from some numerical tasks which will have alternative guidelines. We have done this so that people can complete the tasks no matter what time zone they are in and if they have access to slower broadband, etc.
 
Our PGT programme portfolio is very broad and assessment deadlines are very varied. Each school will provide details of the submission dates of current assessments so please consult those pages. Final dissertation/project deadlines are not being changed from those already announced to you because we are aware that many of you need your qualifications to take up employment or further study and we do not want to jeopardise that. However, some of you will need to reshape your proposed projects and we advise that you discuss this with your supervisor as soon as possible so that they can support you through this.

Information on assessments for schools

The links to your school pages for assessment details can be found here.

No detriment stance - Safety Net and Best Credits policy

Our commitment to you is that you will not be academically disadvantaged as a direct result of the pandemic. We will do this in two ways; a ‘Safety Net’ (sometimes called a 'no detriment' policy) and a Best Credits policy.

Both the Safety Net and Best Credits policy seek to ensure that, as far as possible, we minimise the impact on you of the disruption you have experienced. The Safety Net means that where possible we will use your academic performance to date to create a baseline for your degree calculation. It guarantees that your final degree classification will not drop below that baseline. As with our undergraduate students we will be basing the safety net on cases where you have completed at least a third of your current modules (60 credits). This will include any work submitted before Monday 2 March. For part-time students who are in their first year, the Safety Net policy will mean that you will not receive an overall average for Year 1 that is lower than your Year 2 marks, for second year students your first year work and other previous work will count as your Safety Net against this year’s marks.

Where you have missing component marks for modules that you cannot finish, due to their teaching method, then we will scale the components that you have scores for in order to reach your module score. Where entire modules, such as field work, have not been able to be completed then we will discount that module from your overall average.

The Best Credits policy means that we will calculate a mark that will be based on the best results you have received from at least 150 credits out of the 180 credits that you are taking. This means that you will be able to discount modules up to a credit value of 30; our programmes have different credit weightings so for some students this will mean discounting a module worth 20 credits, and for others a module worth 30 credits. You will not be able to split module scores to make up exactly 30 credits. The Best Credits policy means that your lowest marks will not be used to calculate your final year mark. However, we will still expect you to pass each module (pass mark 50%) and units that are mandatory for the programme or for professional body accreditation you will not be able to make available for discount.

To determine your degree result, we will compare your Safety Net mark (if applicable) with the figure we calculate under the Best Credits policy. If your classification outcome calculated under the Best Credits policy is higher than your Safety Net baseline, then you will be awarded the higher classification. If your classification outcome calculated under the Best Credits policy  is lower than your Safety Net baseline, you will be awarded the classification based on that baseline i.e. your degree classification can only go up from the Safety Net baseline, not down.

If you do not pass the alternative assessment held in May/June then you will be given an uncapped attempt at a resit to compensate for the change of assessment format. For those students sitting assessments with a capped restriction that would be maintained in the event of any further resit.

Examinations and assessments 2020 information hub

The changes to examined assessments on your course, further information including additional support will be hosted on the Examinations and Assessments 2020 information hub.
 
The hub will continue to be updated to include helpful information about how to understand your assessment and how to undertake assessment online.

Arrangements for students with exam access arrangements

Some students registered with the Disability & Dyslexia Service (D&DS) will have been eligible for exam access arrangements for assessments conducted under ‘normal’ exam conditions. 
The window of time to submit online assessments has been constructed to allow sufficient time for all students to complete their assessments. It includes any additional time previously awarded as a reasonable adjustment for D&DS students. 
 
Disability specific guidance for the new assessment methods is being prepared by D&DS and will be distributed to registered students when individual timetables are published. 
D&DS registered students who have questions about their ability to work to the new assessment formats or about arrangements other than extra time should contact disability-dyslexia@royalholloway.ac.uk

Extenuating circumstances

We have outlined the measures we are taking to mitigate against the effects of coronavirus (Covid-19) on examinations and general disruption. If you are particularly affected due to illness or support for those who are vulnerable, you can still submit extenuating circumstances.

Interruption/deferrals

If you would prefer not to be assessed through an alternative form to face-to-face exams you can defer this assessment to next year. You would still be liable for full fees this year but would not be charged for next year. For further details contact your School Director of PGT Education.

Exit award

If you no longer feel that you want to study for your dissertation or project and wish to be awarded a qualification for your taught components of the course you are able to take a postgraduate diploma for completing all coursework (120 credits). Your classification will be calculated using the Safety Net and Best Credit policies outlined above. With regard to Best Credit you will be able to discount up to 30 credits. You are able to return to study to complete a Masters degree at a point within three years, please contact your School Director of PGT Education to discuss the feasibility of this.

Where to ask for more help

If you have a question about an individual module, please contact your module tutor or lead. If you have a broader question, please check the link to our school pages or the information hub. If you have general questions on a topic that’s not answered on the hub, please email studentservices@royalholloway.ac.uk and we will provide additional information via the hub if required. Please note that the College is closed from Thursday 9 April until Wednesday 15 April and we wish you a restful Easter break - and please do stick to the rules for social distancing over the holiday period.

We are committed to supporting you through this difficult time; we hope you are safe and well and we look forward to working with you virtually to complete your studies.

Professor James Knowles, Senior Vice-Principal (Education)
Professor David Gilbert, Vice-Principal (Quality and Standards)

Please note; the below communication does not apply to undergraduate first year and foundation year students. First year and foundation year students will be sent communications next week, as per last week's email.

On Friday we sent you a message on the form of this year’s assessments and the details of the systems we have put in place to ensure that you are not academically disadvantaged as a result of the current unprecedented circumstances. Today we are pleased to be able to share with you further details and your alternative assessment timetable.

Timetable

For all assessments between Monday 4 May and Friday 12 June

Click here to discover:

• Your timetable
• Assessment timings
• Word lengths and other details

Alternative assessments

Click here to discover your school’s advice and support for you; including how to prepare for and access alternative assessments and the support available for students who are DDS registered or who are without IT equipment or internet access. More details of revision sessions and technical practice will be added after Easter. 

Submission details and policies

Find out more about submitting your assessments, what to do if there’s a problem and our policies on extensions and late submissions here.

No detriment stance

In last week’s messages we gave details of the approaches we will take to ensure that no student is academically disadvantaged as a result of the pandemic. You can find out more about what that means for you here. 

More information will be posted on the Assessments and results hub and we would encourage you to read the information carefully. Please note that the College is closed from Thursday 9 April until Wednesday 15 April and we wish you a restful Easter break - and please do stick to the rules for social distancing over the holiday period. When we are back, we will be here to support you in taking your alternative assessments and completing this academic year successfully.

Professor James Knowles, Senior Vice-Principal (Education)
Professor David Gilbert, Vice-Principal (Quality and Standards)

Assessment plans for 2020: Response and mitigation for coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic

As we all know, the circumstances in which we live and work have changed. What hasn’t changed is our commitment to support you in your studies, to make sure that the degree you’re working hard for reflects your achievements and that you are prepared to progress to the next stage in your life once the restrictions are lifted.
 
Of course there is huge uncertainty around the course of the pandemic so, along with most other universities, we have decided that the best way forward is to support you so that you can progress to your final year. Last week, we explained that we will not be holding face-to-face, invigilated examinations in this academic year for any of our students. Instead, these will be replaced by alternative assessments.
 
We are currently finalising the arrangements for your assessments and we will write to you with those details on or before Wednesday 8 April.
 
As I’m sure you can imagine, re-organising all exams across the College is a hugely complex undertaking and I’m sorry that we are not able to confirm details until next week. We want to make sure that our approach to assessments acknowledges the disruption that has occurred, includes a Safety Net (sometimes called a 'no detriment' policy) and provides a practical solution that will allow you to move forward. Our goal is that despite the events of this year, you will be able to progress to your final year and graduate.
 
We are committed to supporting you through this difficult time; we hope you are safe and well and we look forward to working with you virtually to complete your studies this year.
Please watch out for further details from us next week.

Professor James Knowles, Senior Vice-Principal (Education)
Professor David Gilbert, Vice-Principal (Quality and Standards)

Assessment plans for final year MSci students 2020: Response and mitigation for coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic

As we all know, the circumstances in which we live and work have changed. What hasn’t changed is our commitment to support you in your studies, to make sure that the degree you’re working hard for reflects your achievements and that you are prepared to progress to the next stage in your life once the restrictions are lifted.
 
Of course there is huge uncertainty around the course of the pandemic so, along with most other universities, we have decided that the best way forward is to support you so that you can graduate this year. Last week, we explained that we will not be holding face-to-face, invigilated examinations in this academic year for any of our students. Instead, these will be replaced by alternative assessments.
 
For all of our final year MSci students, we are currently finalising the arrangements for your assessments and we will write to you with those details on or before Wednesday 8 April.
 
As I’m sure you can imagine, re-organising all exams across the College is a hugely complex undertaking and I’m sorry that we are not able to confirm details until next week. We want to make sure that our approach to assessments acknowledges the disruption that has occurred, includes a Safety Net (sometimes called a 'no detriment' policy) and a Best 90 policy and provides a practical solution that will allow you to move forward. Our goal is that despite the events of this year, you will be able to graduate.
 
We are committed to supporting you through this difficult time; we hope you are safe and well and we look forward to working with you virtually to complete your studies.
Please watch out for further details from us next week.

Professor James Knowles, Senior Vice-Principal (Education)
Professor David Gilbert, Vice-Principal (Quality and Standards)

Postgraduate taught assessment plans for 2020: Response and mitigation for coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic
 
As we all know, the circumstances in which we live and work have changed. What hasn’t changed is our commitment to support you in your studies, to make sure that the postgraduate degree you’ve worked hard for reflects your achievements and that you are prepared to progress to the next stage in your life once the restrictions are lifted.
 
Of course there is huge uncertainty around the course of the pandemic so, along with most other universities, we have decided that the best way forward is to support you so that you can graduate this year. Last week, we explained that we will not be holding face-to-face, invigilated examinations in this academic year for any of our students. Instead, these will be replaced by alternative assessments.
 
For all of our postgraduate taught students, we are currently finalising the arrangements for your assessments and we will write to you with those details on Wednesday 8 April.
 
As I’m sure you can imagine, re-organising all exams across the College is a hugely complex undertaking and I’m sorry that we are not able to confirm details until next week. We want to make sure that our approach to assessments acknowledges the disruption that has occurred, includes a Safety Net (sometimes called a 'no detriment' policy) and provides a practical solution that will allow you to move forward. Our goal is that despite the events of this year, you will be able to complete your postgraduate degree and graduate.
 
We are committed to supporting you through this difficult time; we hope you are safe and well and we look forward to working with you virtually to complete your studies.
Please watch out for further details from us next week.

Professor James Knowles, Senior Vice-Principal (Education)
Professor David Gilbert, Vice-Principal (Quality and Standards) 

Final year assessment plans for 2020: Response and mitigation for coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic

Our commitment to you
As we all know, the circumstances in which we live and work have changed. What hasn’t changed is our commitment to support you in your studies, to make sure that the degree you’ve worked hard for reflects your achievements and that you are prepared to progress to the next stage in your life once the restrictions are lifted.
 
We have a way forward
Of course there is huge uncertainty around the course of the pandemic so, along with most other universities, we have decided that the best way forward is to support you so that you can graduate this year.
 
Last week, we explained that we will not be holding face-to-face, invigilated examinations in this academic year. Instead, these will be replaced by alternative assessments. We also explained that there would be three types of alternative assessments: short, written pieces for text-based subjects, problem-solving exercises for numerical subjects and quizzes. You will not be asked to attempt any alternative assessment in a format with which you are not familiar already. To help you there will be opportunities to practice the alternative assessments next term. 
 
The approach to assessment that we are explaining to you today acknowledges the disruption that has occurred and provides a practical solution that will allow you to move forward. Our goal is that despite the events of this year, you will be able to complete your degree and graduate.
 
Examinations and assessments 2020 information hub
The changes to assessments on your course, further information including additional support will be hosted on the examinations and assessments 2020 information hub.  
 
The links to your school pages for assessment details can be found here
 
The hub will continue to be updated to include helpful information about how to understand your assessment and how to undertake assessment online.
 
No detriment stance - Safety Net and ‘Best 90’ policy
Our commitment to you is that you will not be academically disadvantaged as a direct result of the pandemic. We will do this in two ways; a ‘Safety Net’ (sometimes called a 'no detriment' policy) and a ‘Best 90’ policy.
 
Both the Safety Net and Best 90 policy seek to ensure that, as far as possible, we minimise the impact on you of the disruption you have experienced. The Safety Net means that we will use your academic performance before the disruption to create a baseline for your degree calculation. It guarantees that your final degree classification will not drop below that baseline.
 
The Best 90 policy means that we will calculate a mark for your final year that will be based on the best results you have received from 90 credits out of the 120 credits that you are taking. This means that your lowest marks will not be used to calculate your final year mark and the Best 90 final year percentage will be used, together with your results in previous years, in the standard way.

To determine your degree result, we will compare your Safety Net mark with the figure we calculate under the Best 90 policy.  If your classification outcome calculated under the Best 90 policy is higher than your Safety Net baseline, then you will be awarded the higher classification. If your classification outcome calculated under the Best 90 policy is lower than your Safety Net baseline, you will be awarded the classification based on that baseline  i.e. your degree classification can only go up from the Safety Net baseline, not down.

Our regulations require that you must pass 90 credits in your final year to be able to graduate. This rule stands. Plus, some degrees that are accredited by external bodies require that you pass certain papers and subjects. Because these standards are set externally, we cannot change these, although we do have some special arrangements in place to give additional help to students taking those qualifications. There will be further notes for specific issues relating to externally accredited degrees available on the information hub.

Please remember that it is a hugely complex operation to change assessments and it will take us time to work out all of the details. Here’s the timeline for what you should expect to see and when.
 
Timeline

• Alternative assessment timetable – to be published on Wednesday 8 April
• Alternative assessments begin – Monday 4 May
• Alternative assessments end – Friday 12 June
• Results available – Tuesday 14 July

We have some information but not everything is finalised
Please read this email and the links to more information on the student intranet and Moodle carefully, as they will give you a lot of detail, but we won’t be able to answer all your questions at the moment. We know this is frustrating, but I can assure you everyone is working as quickly as we can to provide you with the answers and the detail that we know you want. 
 
Arrangements for students with exam access arrangements
Some students registered with the Disability & Dyslexia Service (D&DS) will have been eligible for exam access arrangements for assessments conducted under ‘normal’ exam conditions. 
The window of time to submit these alternative assessments has been constructed to allow sufficient time for all students to complete their assessments.  It includes any additional time previously awarded as a reasonable adjustment for D&DS students. 
 
Disability specific guidance for the new assessment methods is being prepared by D&DS and will be distributed to registered students when individual timetables are published. 
D&DS registered students who have questions about their ability to work to the new assessment formats or about arrangements other than extra time should contact disability-dyslexia@royalholloway.ac.uk
 
Where to ask for more help
If you have a question about an individual module, please contact your module tutor or lead. If you have a broader question, please check the information hub. If you have general questions on a topic that’s not answered on the hub, please email studentservices@royalholloway.ac.uk and we will provide additional information via the hub if required.
 
We are committed to supporting you through this difficult time; we hope you are safe and well and we look forward to working with you virtually.

Professor James Knowles, Senior Vice-Principal (Education)
Professor David Gilbert, Vice-Principal (Quality and Standards) 

Second year assessment plans for 2020: Response and mitigation for coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic

Our commitment to you
As we all know, the circumstances in which we live and work have changed. What hasn’t changed is our commitment to support you in your studies, to make sure that the degree you’ve worked hard for reflects your achievements and that you are prepared to progress to the next stage in your life once the restrictions are lifted.
 
We have a way forward
Of course there is huge uncertainty around the course of the pandemic so, along with most other universities, we have decided that the best way forward is to support you so that you can progress this year.
 
Last week, we explained that we will not be holding face-to-face, invigilated examinations in this academic year. Instead, these will be replaced by alternative assessments. We also explained that there would be three types of alternative assessments: short, written pieces for text-based subjects, problem-solving exercises for numerical subjects and quizzes. You will not be asked to attempt any alternative assessment in a format with which you are not familiar already. To help you there will be opportunities to practice the alternative assessments next term. 
 
The approach to assessment that we are explaining to you today acknowledges the disruption that has occurred and provides a practical solution that will allow you to move forward. Our goal is that despite the events of this year, you will be able move on to complete your degree and graduate.
 
Examinations and assessments 2020 information hub
The changes to assessments on your course, further information including additional support will be hosted on the Examinations and assessments 2020 information hub.
 
The links to your school pages for assessment details can be found here
 
The hub will continue to be updated to include helpful information about how to understand your assessment and how to undertake assessment online.
 
No detriment stance - Safety Net and ‘Best 90’ policy 
Our commitment to you is that you will not be academically disadvantaged as a direct result of the pandemic.
 
We will do this in two ways; a ‘Safety Net’ (sometimes called a 'no detriment' policy) and a ‘Best 90’ policy. Both the Safety Net and Best 90 policy seek to ensure that, as far as possible, we minimise the impact on you of the disruption you have experienced.
 
The Safety Net is a pledge that, when your final degree percentage is calculated, your mark for the second year cannot lower your final classification. We will calculate your final degree mark using our standard algorithm, which double weights your final year, and we will also calculate an average for your final year alone. Whichever is the highest will be used to award your degree classification. 
 
The Best 90 policy means that we will also calculate the overall percentage for your second year based on the best 90 credits out of 120 credits that you are taking. This means that the lowest marks (for example for one 30 credit course, or two 15 credit courses) will not be used to calculate your second year percentage. Only your best work will count and any lower marks will be taken out of the calculation.
 
We have also simplified progression rules, meaning that you must pass 90 credits to progress to the next year. More detail can be found on the information hub.
 
Please remember that it is a hugely complex operation to move assessments and it will take us time to work out all of the details.
 
Here’s the timeline for what you should expect to see and when.

• Alternative assessment timetable – to be published on Wednesday 8 April
• Alternative assessments begin – Monday 4 May
• Alternative assessments end – Friday 12 June
• Results available – Tuesday 14 July

We have some information but not everything is finalised
Please read this email and the links to more information on the student intranet and Moodle carefully, as they will give you a lot of detail, but we won’t be able to answer all your questions at the moment. We know this is frustrating, but I can assure you everyone is working as quickly as we can to provide you with the answers and the detail that we know you want. 
 
Arrangements for students with exam access arrangements
Some students registered with the Disability & Dyslexia Service (D&DS) will have been eligible for exam access arrangements for assessments conducted under ‘normal’ exam conditions. 
The window of time to submit alternative assessments has been constructed to allow sufficient time for all students to complete their assessments.  It includes any additional time previously awarded as a reasonable adjustment for D&DS students. 
 
Disability specific guidance for the new assessment methods is being prepared by D&DS and will be distributed to registered students when individual timetables are published. 
D&DS registered students who have questions about their ability to work to the new assessment formats or about arrangements other than extra time should contact disability-dyslexia@royalholloway.ac.uk
 
Where to ask for more help
If you have a question about an individual module, please contact your module tutor or lead. If you have a broader question, please check the information hub. If you have general questions on a topic that’s not answered on the hub, please email studentservices@royalholloway.ac.uk and we will provide additional information via the hub if required.
 
We are committed to supporting you through this difficult time; we hope you are safe and well and we look forward to working with you virtually for the time being and welcoming you back to campus for your final year.   

Professor James Knowles, Senior Vice-Principal (Education)
Professor David Gilbert, Vice-Principal (Quality and Standards) 

First year assessment plans for 2020: Response and mitigation for coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic
 
Our commitment to you
As we all know, the circumstances in which we live and work have changed. What hasn’t changed is our commitment to support you in your studies, to make sure that the degree you’re working hard for will reflect your achievements and that you are prepared to progress to the next year of study.
 
We have a way forward
Of course there is huge uncertainty around the course of the pandemic so, along with most other universities, we have decided that the best way forward is to support you so that you can progress to the next year of study. The approach to assessment that we are explaining to you today acknowledges the disruption that has occurred and provides a practical solution that will allow you to move forward. Our goal is that despite the events of this year, you will be able to continue your studies.
 
Students in their first year will have their on-campus examinations replaced by a set of alternative assessments (such as short essay-based questions, problem-solving exercises, or quizzes via Moodle, depending on your programme), or coursework, or a mixture of both. The kind of assessment will depend on your subject area, and the assessment formats will be familiar from earlier in your modules.
 
Your department will be in touch with you to indicate what kinds of assessments will be included in this ‘portfolio’ once we have finalised details, on or before 17 April.
 
Don’t worry, you will not be asked to attempt any alternative assessment in a format with which you are not familiar already. Our aim is to streamline your assessment at this point. To help you, your department will give full details with teaching, guidance and support for the completion of the portfolios and there will be opportunities to practice the alternative assessments next term.  
 
First year marks do not count towards your final degree classification, but we require that you pass this ‘portfolio’, and that you complete any outstanding assignments that have already been set. Decisions about successful completion of Year One and progression will be made by Exam Boards on the basis of all of your marks and the successful completion of this ‘portfolio’. You will receive feedback and resit opportunities will be available.
 
Examinations and assessments 2020 information hub
The changes to assessments on your course, further information including additional support will be hosted on the Examinations and assessments 2020 information hub. The hub will continue to be updated to include helpful information about how to understand your assessment and how to undertake assessment online.
 
We expect to make these assessments available over the exam period, 4 May to 12 June, and all the work will need to be completed by 12 June. 
 
Here’s the timeline for what you should expect to see and when.

• Further detail on the assessments will be published on or before 17 April
• Alternative assessments begin – Monday 4 May
• Alternative assessments end – Friday 12 June
• Results and feedback available by 14 July as a target date

We have some information but not everything is finalised
Please read this email and the links to more information on the student intranet and Moodle carefully, as they will give you a lot of detail, but we won’t be able to answer all your questions at the moment. We know this is frustrating, but I can assure you everyone is working as quickly as we can to provide you with the answers and the detail that we know you want. 
 
Arrangements for students with exam access arrangements
Some students registered with the Disability & Dyslexia Service (D&DS) will have been eligible for exam access arrangements for assessments conducted under ‘normal’ exam conditions. 
These new arrangements for first year assessments have been constructed to allow sufficient time for all students to complete their assessments. They include any additional time previously awarded as a reasonable adjustment for D&DS students. 
Disability specific guidance for the new assessment methods is being prepared by D&DS and will be distributed to registered students when individual timetables are published. 
D&DS registered students who have questions about their ability to work to the new assessment formats or about arrangements other than extra time should contact disability-dyslexia@royalholloway.ac.uk
 
Where to ask for more help
There is additional support for D&DS registered students which can be found on the information hub.
If you have a question about an individual module, please contact your module tutor or lead. If you have a broader question, please check the information hub. If you have general questions on a topic that’s not answered on the hub, please email studentservices@royalholloway.ac.uk and we will provide additional information via the hub if required.
 
We are committed to supporting you through this difficult time; we hope you are safe and well and we look forward to working with you virtually for the time being and welcoming you back to campus for your second year.   

Professor James Knowles, Senior Vice-Principal (Education)
Professor David Gilbert, Vice-Principal (Quality and Standards) 

You can read the latest coronavirus newsletter here.

It has been a very challenging, even turbulent, few weeks for the whole College, students and academic and professional staff alike. Even as the national scene has changed, we have been working hard with your schools and departments to reschedule assessments and also to think about how we can deliver exams in our new circumstances.
 
We’d like to update you on the progress of these discussions, and some key aspects of our planning, ahead of our further update on Friday 3 April.
 
Examinations
We will not be holding face-to-face, invigilated examinations in this academic year. Instead, staff have been working on alternative assessments, suitable to each subject, bearing in mind the learning outcomes you need to achieve to progress to the next academic year or to graduate.
 
We have identified three ways of doing this:

• Alternative assignments for text-based subjects (short, written pieces)
• Problem-solving exercises for numerical subjects
• Quizzes

There are some specialist areas, such as performing and creative arts, where other alternative assessment formats will be needed.

• You will not be asked to attempt any alternative assessment in a format with which you are not familiar already. To help you there will be opportunities to practice the alternative assessments next term.
• You will not be asked to sit an examination online in real time. All aspects of the alternative assessments will be calculated to take into account the problems with access to learning resources, IT connectivity, and the different geographical and practical constraints.

In creating the alternative assessments, we have three guiding principles: simplicity, practicality, and fairness.
 
We want the alternative assessments to be simple to understand and complete; we want the assessments to recognise the practical constraints under which you may be working; and we want them to be fair for all students from our diverse community.
 
I would also like to reassure you that we will maintain the quality and value of our degrees for your future life. We have been working with colleagues in other universities to identify best practice and to share approaches to learning and assessment in this crisis. Importantly, we are in touch with the regulator for universities, the Office for Students, and in some cases, accrediting bodies to ensure we meet the requirements of employers. 
 
Staff across the College are now working very hard to ensure that we are in a position to offer as much clarity as we can on our replacement for examinations in our email to you on 3 April.
 
Coursework
For coursework, many of you are completing assessments for term 2, and we have moved the deadlines to reflect the disruptions you have experienced. There is already an extension in place for assessments up to the end of term; and your schools should have contacted you with updates about extensions for assessments due over the Easter period. Updates on extensions will be added to the student intranet by Monday 30 March at the latest.
 
Finally, we understand that many of you are concerned with coping under these extraordinary conditions and the impact this has on planning for next term. We appreciate that this is a worrying and confusing time and that you will have a lot of questions that we currently don’t have the answer to. I would like to reassure you that we are working on answering these questions, and more information will be available on 3 April, when we will email all students with a further update.
 
Our commitment to you is that we will be able to share details for the vast majority of our students. It is possible that there may be some details that will still need confirmation as, I’m sure you will understand, this is an incredibly complex undertaking. If you still have questions once that information is made available, there will be contact details for you to find out more, if necessary.
 
We appreciate that these are difficult times for you, your families, for our colleagues who support you and for nations globally. All of our lives have been changed, and for how long none of us can say.
 
My colleagues and I who work to provide and support your education – in all its aspects – are determined that our students will emerge from this crisis with the degrees they deserve and enabled to study, to work, to contribute, and to thrive as individuals and as part of the wider societal effort to rebuild.
 
Stay safe and well; please follow the guidelines on staying at home and social distancing, and we will welcome you back to the new online Royal Holloway after Easter and we hope to have you back in person on campus as soon as the situation improves.

Professor James Knowles
Senior Vice-Principal (Education)

Due to the measures put in place by the UK government on Monday 23 March, as a College we have decided to permanently close the back gate whilst these measures are in place to support staying at home and social distancing. The piggery gate on the A30 remains open, as does the Union Shop on campus.  

Please note this email only applies to students living in Halls on campus and in private rented accommodation.

Last night we received updated information from the UK government, who have written to all UK universities. The advice from the government is that students remaining at university in England should now stay where they are and not attempt to travel. The government advice is that if you are still living in student Halls, or private rented accommodation, you should remain there and stay indoors while current restrictions are in force.

We must all play our part in following the latest government advice. As the Prime Minister said, staying put and remaining indoors is now crucial to slow the rate of transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19), to protect the NHS from being overwhelmed, and to save lives.

If you are living on campus please be assured that we will continue to support you. You will be able to continue living in your room and, if you live in catered Halls, your meals will continue to be provided for you.

The Union Shop remains open, and it is recommend that you use the shop to buy essential items to reduce any travelling. It is important that you follow the government’s guidance when using the shop and you minimise the number of trips that you make in a day. Find out more.

In accordance with the government advice, if you have now returned home, this means you should also not return to your Hall or private accommodation whilst these measures are in place. 

If you have any questions or issues relating to College accommodation, please email customerservices@royalholloway.ac.uk.

You can stay connected with the Royal Holloway community by joining the Royal Hideaway Facebook group, run by the Students’ Union.

We are living through events that are unprecedented in our lifetime and each day the situation changes. Please continue to monitor the student intranet for updates and FAQs.

If you are anxious or concerned and would like to talk to someone, please email supportingyou@royalholloway.ac.uk. 

On Thursday 26 March, all students and staff were sent a coronavirus newsletter which can be viewed here. 

It is clear to us all that we are living through events that are unprecedented in our lifetime and each day the situation changes. Many of you who have been living in College accommodation have returned home but I’m aware that many others among you remain living on campus.

In light of the government announcement on Monday 23 March, we have now closed the library and the Café on the Square however, the Union Shop remains open and will do so unless we are directed to close it.  If you are living on campus please be assured that we will continue to support you despite these necessary changes.

This is a worrying and confusing time however, the restrictions on movement and gathering of more than two people who are not from the same household, which the government announced are vital to help slow and hopefully stop the spread of coronavirus.  We all must play our part, both by adhering to the restrictions announced by the government, and continuing to follow guidance on hand washing.

Below are some important updates about campus accommodation including the fact that we are offering students the option to terminate their term three Halls accommodation contracts.

I would like to wish you, your family and friends, the very best of health. Please continue to check your emails and the student intranet regularly for further updates from the College.

Professor Paul Layzell

Principal

Early termination of accommodation contracts

End of year assessments will now be online and some students have indicated that, as a result, they do not intend to come back to campus this academic year.

If you do not plan to come back to campus either to study or to use your room as a quiet place where you can complete your end of year assessments online, you have the option of an early termination of your accommodation contracts. If you have paid for your accommodation in advance for the full year, we will reimburse you for term three and, for postgraduate students, term four also. If you pay for your accommodation per term, you will not be charged for your term three rent if you terminate your contract.

If you would like to take this option, please clear your room and any items from your kitchen or pantry and confirm you have left and are requesting the termination of your contract by emailing customerservices@royalholloway.ac.uk. If you are not able to clear your room by the deadline of 27 April please inform Customer Services for options of alternative collection or storage.

Students on a 30 week contract

If you are in a position where you have to leave possessions behind in your room, please let Residential Customer Services know you are doing so when you check out. You do not need to visit your Hall Reception to check out, please just email customerservices@royalholloway.ac.uk  Please add the following information to the email title; Checking out followed by your hall and room number. This will confirm your departure but as requested above, inform us if you have left belongings in the room. You will be contacted by customer services to complete a form and confirm your details.

If you have any questions or issues regarding leaving your accommodation or extending your stay over Easter, please email customerservices@royalholloway.ac.uk.

Union Shop

The Union Shop remains open, although it's important that if you use the shop, in accordance with the government’s guidance, you minimise the number of trips that you make in a day.  We are committed to continuing this service, but we are making a number of changes to how the shop operates which we need your help with. Find out more.

Catered students

With the exception of The Hub and Kingswood, all catering outlets on campus are now closed until further notice. The Hub remains open for breakfast (8.30-10am), lunch (12-1.30pm) and dinner (6-7.30pm) every week day and for lunch (12-2pm) and dinner (5-7pm) at weekends. The Hub is now cashless – you can pay for goods with your College card or credit card, but cash is not accepted. If you are a catered student living in Halls, you will be required to sit apart from others.

Essential travel

We have received confirmation that it is reasonable for students to return home to their permanent address, including parents collecting their children, and that this would be classed as essential travel under the new measures.

In response to the government's announcement last night (Monday 23 March), the Davison Building is now closed, effective immediately. The Union Shop will remain open, with tighter social distancing rules in place, but all other services based within the building, such as Student Services Centre and careers and employability, can still be accessed online.

Please hold onto any books you have out on loan. Do not return them to the Library. You can find out more about our library support systems, and how to renew your books here.

Find out more about the Union Shop.

On Friday 20 March, all students and staff were sent a coronavirus newsletter which can be viewed here. 

Over the last ten days we have moved teaching and learning support online. We have confirmed that end of year exams and assessments will not be conducted face-to-face, but delivered using alternative assessments which will be suitable for electronic submission.

These are extraordinary times and we’ve had to move very quickly, which I appreciate has been disruptive and distressing. You have lots of questions and we don’t yet have all of the answers, I understand how frustrating and distressing this is for you and we are working as quickly as we can to identify ways to support all of our students at this difficult time.

In these circumstances, many of you have requested extensions to deadlines through our online system and had problems.

Our goal is that no student will be academically disadvantaged as a direct result of coronavirus (Covid-19) and so we are making changes to some deadlines as set out below.

Deadlines up to and including Friday 27 March

• The new deadline for all work that is due to be submitted up to and including Friday 27 March is now Wednesday 15 April
• This new deadline means you do not need to apply for an extension
• If for any reason you are not able to meet the new deadline of Wednesday 15 April, you should apply for an extension using the normal process.

I appreciate that some of you may have already submitted work according to the original deadline and that you might be frustrated about this extension to deadlines. However, I also hope that you will appreciate that for other students, perhaps who have had to travel internationally, this extension will make a big difference at a difficult time.

Deadlines after Saturday 28 March and up to the beginning of term, Monday 27 April

• If you have a deadline later than Friday 27 March and, for any reason, you are not able submit your work on time, you should apply for an extension using the normal process
• The limit on the number of extension requests which may be submitted in an academic year has been lifted
• The requirements for medical evidence have been lifted as it is unlikely that these can be obtained in current circumstances
• We will treat all cases sympathetically but we would encourage you to do what you can to complete the work within the set deadline
• If you have a deadline after Saturday 28 March but before Monday 27 April, please note, we will be reviewing these deadlines early next week and will contact you directly.

Exams and assessments

We are working through the detail of alternatives to face-to-face exams and will provide more information about this by Friday 3 April.

In developing our approach, we will take into consideration that many students will be completing assessments across several international time zones and in a wide variety of environments. We are looking at a range of alternate assessments to ensure everyone is able to complete them.

Professor Paul Layzell
Principal

Yesterday I emailed to explain that we had made the difficult decision to cancel the formal Summer Graduation Ceremonies that would normally be held on campus in July.
 
I should have been more specific as I recognise the announcement has caused concern and added to what is already a very stressful period. It would have been more helpful if I had said ‘postpone’ rather than ‘cancel’.
 
The current situation makes it impossible for us to plan with any certainty graduation ceremonies in July, as no-one can predict how the pandemic will affect the UK or indeed the world. 
 
Our goal is instead to offer an alternative graduation ceremony, on campus, later in the next academic year for students who will complete their studies in July. We will keep you informed of our plans as and when the situation in relation to the pandemic becomes more stable.
 
Professor Paul Layzell
Principal 

Over the last few days we have been moving our teaching and learning support online, seeking to move quickly in response to rapidly changing government and expert advice.
 
Information about our move to online teaching and learning support was provided on 17 March.
 
Our next priority has been to review the potential to move end of year exams and assessment online. 
 
The decision has now been made that end of year exams and assessment will be conducted online. More detail about how online end of year exams and assessment will operate, will be shared by Friday 3 April. In making the decision to move to online exams and assessment, our goal is to seek to ensure that no student is academically disadvantaged as a direct result of coronavirus (Covid-19). 
 
We understand that the decision to move to online exams and assessment means that some students may not want to return to campus for the summer term. For students living on campus, you will be able to continue living in your room and if you are a student living in catered Halls you will still have your meals provided for you. 
 
For all students, the library is currently open and working to provide as much of the nearly 1,000 reading lists we have available in digital forms, or is finding alternatives. Unless we are directed by an expert body to close them, facilities such as cafes and the shop will remain open as far as possible. 
 
While final year exams and assessments will be conducted online, students can be assured that assessment will be rigorous and valid as well as fair and reasonable. The College currently has academic standards for extenuating circumstances and extensions. These will be adapted so that they are appropriate for end of year online assessment.
 
Graduation
If you are a final year undergraduate or postgraduate student and you successfully complete your final year assessments to the required standard you will be awarded your degree in July, as would normally be the case.
 
We have taken the difficult decision to cancel the formal Summer Graduation Ceremonies that would normally be held on campus in July. We are investigating alternative ways for graduating students to celebrate their achievements. We will provide more information at a later date.
 
We are currently planning for the Winter Graduation Ceremonies, which would normally be held in December and which are primarily for postgraduate taught and postgraduate research students, to go ahead as planned, but we will keep this under review.
 
In order for us to contact you, and send your results documentation, please make sure you update your personal email and forwarding (home) addresses on Campus Connect.
 
Term two assignments and assessments.
If you have been working on an assignment this term you will be expected to complete it within the deadline set. However, we recognise that these are exceptional times, and the College will treat applications for extensions from individual students sympathetically. These extensions are to help you manage your work schedule around travelling home, self-isolation and other disruptions caused by the current circumstances. Students who need an extension for a specific assignment should submit an extensions request by logging into Campus Connect and selecting ‘Extensions’ under the ‘My studies’ tab
 
A limited number of assessments will be cancelled because they involve on-campus activities such as laboratory work, and some presentations. Your department or school will contact you directly to let you know this. These contribute small parts of the overall mark for a module, and your mark will be scaled-up from other assessments.
 
Please do not currently submit applications for extenuating circumstances as we are unable to judge the impact that the current situation has and will have on our students at this time. There will be the opportunity to do so at a future date, if appropriate.
 
Leaving campus
If you are leaving campus ahead of the end of the spring term (27 March) you must inform Student-Administration@royalholloway.ac.uk of your plan to leave.  
 
Support for you
We are living through events that are unprecedented in our lifetime and each day the situation changes. I appreciate this is worrying and confusing and that you have many questions that we do not have answers for. Where we do have answers we have included these in a section on the intranet about coronavirus (Covid-19).
 
If you are anxious or concerned and would like to talk to someone, please email supportingyou@royalholloway.ac.uk.
 
We will work hard to keep you up to date with developments that affect your studies and so please continue to check your email, the intranet and remain in contact with your lecturers, your department and school. Each week we will send a coronavirus (Covid-19) newsletter and provide updates on Twitter and Instagram @RHCampusLife. 

Professor Paul Layzell
Principal

Last night the government urged the UK population to seek to avoid unnecessary social contact. This is a significant escalation in a rapidly changing situation. In light of this announcement, the College has taken the decision to suspend face-to-face teaching with immediate effect, meaning that all classes and lectures will be conducted online. 
 
Teaching will be scheduled according to the timetable. From today, you should not attend your class in the lecture theatre or room as usual. Instead you should go to Moodle where you will find out how to access your class online. While lectures will be available via Moodle, smaller group teaching and even individual appointments will use MS Teams.

Using MS Teams
We wanted to take this opportunity to clarify how to join classes online, using Microsoft Teams.

• Your lecturer will share a link to the MS Teams live video conference session. The link will be shared through Moodle. Some lecturers may also use calendar invites for ad-hoc MS Teams sessions.
• You should click on the link that says ‘Join Microsoft teams meeting’ which will open in a web browser. You should join the meeting as a guest when you are presented with the options.
• You may be placed in a ‘lobby’ until the lecturer starts the session. Please activate your camera and mute your microphone.
• You do not need to download the MS Teams app to attend online classes. Note: you will not be able to log in to MS Teams with your College username and password and you should join all sessions as a guest.

While we can provide teaching and learning support online, running practical work, such as labs and performance related activity is more of a challenge. Therefore, at this time, it is necessary to suspend these activities. We are looking at how we can support the learning outcomes of this work, and ask you to please be patient while we work through the options. We will provide more information when it is available.
 
This closure has come a few days earlier than we would have wished but it was not un-anticipated, and so staff in many departments and in professional services have worked hard to move as much material online and to provide training and support to accelerate this process. The library is working to provide as much of the nearly 1,000 reading lists we have available in digital forms or find alternatives. Some departments and some formats will take a few days to be fully online, but please contact your tutors or your School Office for further information and keep an eye on your course Moodle page and the intranet for updates.
 
Exams and assessments
The situation is developing and may require alternative arrangements for examinations and assessments. You should continue to prepare for these on the assumption that they will go ahead. If there is a need to make alternative arrangements we will contact you with the necessary information.
 
Our priority is to seek to ensure that students are not disadvantaged and we are exploring ways to make sure everyone can access assessments with ease and in a fair manner. Our decision-making will be guided by government and expert advice. We will provide an update on examinations and assessments by Friday 3 April 2020.
 
Living on campus
I would like to reassure students living on campus that despite the suspension of face-to-face teaching and even if the government moves to announce the closure of schools, colleges and universities, you will be able to continue living in your room and, if you live in catered Halls, your meals will continue to be provided for you. 
 
Leaving campus
If you are an overseas student and you decide to go home you must inform student-administration@royalholloway.ac.uk so that we are aware you have left the country which will help to reduce any possible visa issues on your return to the UK.
 
If you are UK student and you wish to go home before the end of term (27 March) you must inform student-administration@royalholloway.ac.uk.
 
If you are a student living in Halls, as well as checking out at your Hall Reception, please also email student-administration@royalholloway.ac.uk to let them know that you have left your room.
 
All students should be prepared to return to campus for the start of summer term which is 27 April. Whether you remain on campus or choose to go home you must continue to engage with your studies as far as you are able until the end of term
 
Support for you
We are living through events that are unprecedented in our lifetime and each day the situation changes. I appreciate this is worrying and confusing and that you have many questions that we do not have answers for. Where we do have answers we have included these in a section on the intranet about coronavirus (Covid-19).
 
If you are anxious or concerned and would like to talk to someone, please email supportingyou@royalholloway.ac.uk.
 
We will work hard to keep you up to date with developments that affect your studies and so please continue to check your email, the intranet and remain in contact with your lecturers, your department and school. Each week we will send a Coronavirus (Covid-19) newsletter and provide updates on Twitter and Instagram @RHCampusLife. 

Professor Paul Layzell
Principal

Last week (Thursday 12 March), I emailed to advise you of our plan to move lectures and other teaching and learning support online as far as possible. This reflects the government’s move from the ‘contain’ phase of its coronavirus planning to the ‘delay’ phase. Across the UK, universities are making a similar move. 
 
Taking your lectures and other teaching and learning support online is a large and complex operation and so we have adopted a phased approach.
 
Monday 16 to Friday 20 March

• This week we are preparing to move lectures, teaching and learning support online.
• You should continue to attend your classes in person unless you are specifically told you can access particular classes remotely. 

During this week, we are upgrading our capacity to use Panopto (lecture capture software) and we will be rolling out software (MS Teams) that will enable academic staff to produce and deliver classes remotely. These two software packages mean that once the teaching for your module goes online, neither you nor your lecturer will need to be on campus. MS Teams also allows stable video-conferencing which will support smaller classes and even one-to-one consultations.
 
Your module lecturer will advise you when your classes will move online. Until you are advised by each module lecturer that their classes are moving online, you should continue to attend your classes in person.
 
What you need to do to attend classes online

• Download the MS Teams app which is available here. MS Teams is web-based and compatible with all commonly used browsers.
• When your lecturer is set up and enabled to deliver teaching and learning support online, they will share a link to a live video conference session. This live video conference session should be at the same time as your scheduled lecture.
• The link will be shared via Moodle. Some lecturers may also use email invitations for ad hoc meetings.

Our goal is that most classes will be fully online from Monday 23 March.
 
Workshops, labs, performances, etc.
You will appreciate that MS Teams may not work for practical workshops, labs, performances, etc.
We are working on ways to deliver these so that your learning is supported but that minimise the need for large groups to come together. More information will be provided as soon as it is available. If you are unclear about what will be transferring online, please talk to your module lecturer.
 
Monday 23 to Friday 27 March
Our goal is that most classes will be fully online from Monday 23 March. Your module lecturer will email you to confirm which classes will be online.
 
Timetabling and access

• For this week and next we are following the current timetable, although there may be some additional sessions scheduled to catch up, or to support online learning, if required.
• Your module lecturer will email you to confirm which classes will be online however, you should also check your timetable. Usually online lectures will be held at the same time as they are shown in the timetable.
• The links to the online lecture will be available on Moodle; web links to live MS Teams seminars/ workshops will also be available on Moodle.

Exams and assessments
If you have an assessment due, please continue to submit as expected. If any assessment has requirements other than online submission you will be contacted about alternate submission routes.
 
Please continue to prepare for examinations and assessments as you would usually. It is very important you continue to engage with your studies, attend virtually just as you would on campus, and start to make greater use of the online resources available through the Library. We will be providing support to help you find more online material over the next two weeks.
 
Across the College, academics and professional support staff are working hard to continue to deliver a high quality education to you in the best way we can in these unprecedented circumstances. I would ask you to be patient while we make this move. It is inevitable that some things will not go to plan, and some glitches will occur. Please use your class representatives to alert us to any systematic problems and we will attend to them as quickly as we can.
 
We will keep you updated, so please continue to monitor your email for updates and social media channels @RHCampusLife. 

Professor Paul Layzell
Principal

On Friday 13 March, all students and staff were sent a coronavirus newsletter which can be viewed here. 

Today the UK government has formally confirmed that it is moving into the ‘delay’ stage of its coronavirus (Covid-19) plan. A pandemic is unprecedented in our lifetimes and now, more than ever, we need to work together to protect the health and wellbeing of our whole community.
 
We have been preparing for this ‘delay’ phase and our plans have included the delivery of lectures and other teaching and learning support online as far as possible. Next week we expect to give you more details on those plans.
 
In the meantime, we would encourage you to continue to attend in order that you have the maximum benefit from your classes, the library and other academic services.
 
I would like to take this opportunity to reassure students living on campus that even if the government moves to announce the closure of schools, colleges and universities, you will be able to continue living in your room and, if you live in catered halls, your meals will continue to be provided for you. 
 
If you are an overseas student and you decide to go home you must inform student-administration@royalholloway.ac.uk so that we are aware you have left the country which will help to reduce any possible visa issues on your return to the UK. You should be prepared to return to the UK for the start of summer term which starts on 27 April. Whether you remain on campus or choose to go home you must continue to engage with your studies even if we move to online teaching.
 
If you are UK student and you wish to go home before the end of term (27 March), you should consider the impact this may have on your studies. If you decide to go home, you must inform student-administration@royalholloway.ac.uk.
 
The situation is developing and may require alternative arrangements for examinations and assessments. You should continue to prepare for these on the assumption that they will go ahead. If there is a need to make alternative arrangements we will contact you with the necessary information.
 
I appreciate this is an unsettling time and that events are moving quickly. We would ask for your patience as there will inevitably be some disruption over the coming days and weeks. Please continue to look at the intranet for updates and follow @RHCampusLife on Twitter and Instagram and if you have specific questions related to coronavirus, please email supportingyou@royalholloway.ac.uk.

Professor Paul Layzell
Principal

We understand that coronavirus (covid-19) may be creating concern and that you may have questions, many of which we do not yet have answers to. This message is specifically for students at higher risk from the virus due to their medical history or personal circumstances.

As of today, Thursday 12 March, we do not have a suspected or confirmed case of coronavirus on campus. In most circumstances, if a case were to be confirmed, we would work with Public Health England to identify those who could have come into direct contact (2 metres for more than 15 minutes) with the person who is confirmed as having coronavirus, who may then be required to self-isolate. In the case of students who are at high risk from the virus due to their medical history or personal circumstances, we would want to take a different approach and we would like to be able to contact you so that we can discuss with you how we might best support you, if we have a confirmed case. 

The NHS has defined a group who are most at risk from flu and we have used this information to inform our guidance for students and staff in relation to coronavirus.

Among the group the NHS identify as being most at risk in relation to flu are those;

• Who are over 65
• Are pregnant
• Who receive a carer’s allowance, or are the main carer for an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if you fall ill.
• Have certain medical conditions

Among the medical conditions identified are;

• chronic (long-term) respiratory diseases, such as asthma (that requires an inhaled or tablet steroid treatment, or has led to hospital admission in the past), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema or bronchitis 
• chronic heart disease, such as heart failure 
• chronic kidney disease 
• chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis 
• chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), a learning disability or cerebral palsy
• diabetes
• problems with your spleen – for example, sickle cell disease or if you have had your spleen removed 
• a weakened immune system as the result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS, or medicines such as steroid tablets or chemotherapy
• being seriously overweight (a BMI of 40 or above)[1].

If you meet any of the above criteria, and you would like us to contact you if we have a confirmed case of coronavirus on campus, please email supportingyou@royalholloway.ac.uk using the subject header ‘Higher Risk Coronavirus’ and in the email provide:

• Your full name
• Student number
• Confirmation that you meet the criteria set out above. Please note, you should not disclose  the details of your condition

This information will be kept only for as long as required to meet the response to this outbreak of coronavirus.

In addition to the criteria set out above, if a close member of you family is undergoing palliative care and so their immune system is compromised, even if you are not the primary carer, please let us know so that we can support you too if there is a confirmed case of coronavirus on campus.

Please note, the following are not being considered as being at a higher risk at this time:

• living with children (unless the child / children meet the criteria above).
• living with the elderly (unless the individual  meets the criteria above).

Please continue to monitor the student intranet for updates.

[1] Public Health England define those at the greatest risk from influenza in the Green Book, Chapter 19, Table 19.4. A summary provided by the NHS can be found here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/who-should-have-flu-vaccine/#flu-vaccine-for-people-with-medical-conditions

We are continuing to closely monitor the outbreak of coronavirus and are following advice from Public Health England and the National Health Service (NHS). At this time, all activity at the College continues as normal.

The health and wellbeing of our students, staff and our community is of utmost importance to us so please check the  government’s advice about coronavirus.

Colds and flu are common at this time of year and we are reminding everyone on campus about simple steps we can all take to try to minimise the spread of viruses generally. These are:

• Always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze.
• Bin the tissue, and to kill the germs, wash your hands with soap and water or use sanitiser gel.

Here is the government guidance on returning travellers, all students and staff are asked to follow  specific advice provided by the government.

Returning travellers

Stay indoors and avoid contact with other people if you’ve travelled to the UK from the following places in the last 14 days, even if you do not have symptoms:

• Iran
• Hubei province in China
• Special care zones in South Korea (Daegu, Cheongdo, Gyeongsan)

Stay indoors and avoid contact with other people if you’ve travelled to the UK from the following places, even if you do not have symptoms:

• Italy (since Tuesday 9 March)

Stay indoors and avoid contact with other people if you’ve travelled to the UK from the following places in the last 14 days and have a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath, even if your symptoms are mild:

• mainland China outside of Hubei province
• South Korea outside of the special care zones
• Cambodia
• Hong Kong
• Japan
• Laos
• Macau
• Malaysia
• Myanmar
• Singapore
• Taiwan
• Thailand
• Vietnam

Use the  111 online coronavirus service to find out what to do next.

Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.

We have suspended all College-related travel to China and to Italy.

This is a particularly difficult time for our students and staff with family, friends and colleagues living and working in China and other areas currently affected by the outbreak of coronavirus. We hope that our whole community will be sensitive and supportive at this time. 

In some cultures it is common practice for people to wear face masks to protect themselves from illness, even indoors, and it should not be assumed that anyone wearing one is unwell.

If you or a colleague are victim of or witness to racial harassment, abuse or violence we encourage you to contact your line manager, Security or Surrey Police. More information about hate crime and how the Police and Crown Prosecution Service will act on such behaviour is available  here. If any of our students are victim of or witness to racial harassment, abuse or violence we are encouraging them to contact our Student Advisory and Wellbeing team, Security, Students’ Union Advice Centre or Surrey Police. 

We are continuing to closely monitor the outbreak of coronavirus and are following advice from Public Health England and the National Health Service (NHS). At this time, all activity at the College continues as normal.

The health and wellbeing of our students, staff and our community is of utmost importance to us so please check the  government’s advice about coronavirus.

Colds and flu are common at this time of year and we are reminding everyone on campus about simple steps we can all take to try to minimise the spread of viruses generally. These are:

• Always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze.
• Bin the tissue, and to kill the germs, wash your hands with soap and water or use sanitiser gel.

Here is the government guidance on returning travellers, all students and staff are asked to follow  specific advice provided by the government.

Returning travellers

Stay indoors and avoid contact with other people if you’ve travelled to the UK from the following places in the last 14 days, even if you do not have symptoms:

• Iran
• Hubei province in China
• lockdown areas in northern Italy
• special care zones in South Korea

Stay indoors and avoid contact with other people if you’ve travelled to the UK from the following places in the last 14 days and have a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath, even if your symptoms are mild:

• mainland China outside of Hubei province
• Italy outside of the  lockdown areas
• South Korea outside of the  special care zones
• Cambodia
• Hong Kong
• Japan
• Laos
• Macau
• Malaysia
• Myanmar
• Singapore
• Taiwan
• Thailand
• Vietnam

Use the  111 online coronavirus service to find out what to do next.

Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.

We have suspended all College-related travel to China and to the Lombardy and Veneto regions of Italy.

This is a particularly difficult time for our students and staff with family, friends and colleagues living and working in China and other areas currently affected by the outbreak of coronavirus. We hope that our whole community will be sensitive and supportive at this time. 

In some cultures it is common practice for people to wear face masks to protect themselves from illness, even indoors, and it should not be assumed that anyone wearing one is unwell.

If you or a colleague are victim of or witness to racial harassment, abuse or violence we encourage you to contact your line manager, Security or Surrey Police. More information about hate crime and how the Police and Crown Prosecution Service will act on such behaviour is available  here. If any of our students are victim of or witness to racial harassment, abuse or violence we are encouraging them to contact our Student Advisory and Wellbeing team, Security, Students’ Union Advice Centre or Surrey Police. 

An email has been sent from the Principal, Professor Paul Layzell, to all students. You can view the email  here. 

We are continuing to closely monitor the outbreak of coronavirus and are following advice from Public Health England and the National Health Service (NHS). At this time, all activity at the College continues as normal.

The health and wellbeing of our students, staff and our community is of utmost importance to us so please check the  government’s advice about coronavirus.

Colds and flu are common at this time of year and we are reminding everyone on campus about simple steps we can all take to try to minimise the spread of viruses generally. These are:

• Always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze.
• Bin the tissue, and to kill the germs, wash your hands with soap and water or use sanitiser gel.

As per government guidance, we have told all students and staff who have arrived back from Hubei Province, including Wuhan city, in the last 14 days to contact us and follow  specific advice provided by the government. In addition, travellers from mainland China, Thailand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia or Macau who have arrived in the UK in the last 14 days who develop symptoms of cough, fever or shortness of breath, even if symptoms are mild, should follow the same  specific advice provided by the government. We have suspended all College-related travel to China and to the Lombardy and Veneto regions of Italy.

The  latest advice from the government states that if you have also travelled from Iran, specific lockdown areas in Northern Italy as designated by the Government of Italy, special care zones in South Korea as designated by the Government of the Republic of South Korea, since Wednesday 19 February, you should immediately self isolate and stay indoors for 14 days, avoiding contact with other people as you would with the flu and call NHS 111 to inform them of your recent travel to the area.

In addition they are advising self-isolation and calling NHS 111 for anyone with symptoms who has returned from the following places since Wednesday 19 February from, Northern Italy (defined by the paragraph above, and not including, Pisa, Florence and Rimini), Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar.

This is a particularly difficult time for our students and staff with family, friends and colleagues living and working in China and other areas currently affected by the outbreak of coronavirus. We hope that our whole community will be sensitive and supportive at this time. 

In some cultures it is common practice for people to wear face masks to protect themselves from illness, even indoors, and it should not be assumed that anyone wearing one is unwell.

If you or a colleague are victim of or witness to racial harassment, abuse or violence we encourage you to contact your line manager, Security or Surrey Police. More information about hate crime and how the Police and Crown Prosecution Service will act on such behaviour is available  here. If any of our students are victim of or witness to racial harassment, abuse or violence we are encouraging them to contact our Student Advisory and Wellbeing team, Security, Students’ Union Advice Centre or Surrey Police. 

We are continuing to closely monitor the outbreak of coronavirus and are following advice from Public Health England and the National Health Service (NHS). At this time, all activity at the College continues as normal.

The health and wellbeing of our students, staff and our community is of utmost importance to us so please check the  government’s advice about coronavirus.

Colds and flu are common at this time of year and we are reminding everyone on campus about simple steps we can all take to try to minimise the spread of viruses generally. These are:

• Always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze.
• Bin the tissue, and to kill the germs, wash your hands with soap and water or use sanitiser gel.

As per government guidance, we have told all students and staff who have arrived back from Hubei Province, including Wuhan city, in the last 14 days to contact us and follow  specific advice provided by the government. In addition, travellers from mainland China, Thailand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia or Macau who have arrived in the UK in the last 14 days who develop symptoms of cough, fever or shortness of breath, even if symptoms are mild, should follow the same  specific advice provided by the government. We are also advising staff not to travel to China and to consider postponing any trips to affected areas of Asia. 

The latest advice from the government states that if you have also travelled from Iran, specific lockdown areas in Northern Italy as designated by the Government of Italy, special care zones in South Korea as designated by the Government of the Republic of South Korea, since Wednesday 19 February, you should immediately self isolate and stay indoors for 14 days, avoiding contact with other people as you would with the flu and call NHS 111 to inform them of your recent travel to the area.

In addition they are advising self-isolation and calling NHS 111 for anyone with symptoms who has returned from the following places since Wednesday 19 February from, Northern Italy (defined by the paragraph above, and not including, Pisa, Florence and Rimini), Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar.

This is a particularly difficult time for our students and staff with family, friends and colleagues living and working in China and other areas currently affected by the outbreak of coronavirus. We hope that our whole community will be sensitive and supportive at this time. 

In some cultures it is common practice for people to wear face masks to protect themselves from illness, even indoors, and it should not be assumed that anyone wearing one is unwell.

If you or a colleague are victim of or witness to racial harassment, abuse or violence we encourage you to contact your line manager, Security or Surrey Police. More information about hate crime and how the Police and Crown Prosecution Service will act on such behaviour is available  here. If any of our students are victim of or witness to racial harassment, abuse or violence we are encouraging them to contact our Student Advisory and Wellbeing team, Security, Students’ Union Advice Centre or Surrey Police. 

We are continuing to closely monitor the outbreak of coronavirus and are following advice from Public Health England and the National Health Service (NHS). At this time, all activity at the College continues as normal.

The health and wellbeing of our students, staff and our community is of utmost importance to us so please check the  government’s advice about coronavirus.

Colds and flu are common at this time of year and we are reminding everyone on campus about simple steps we can all take to try to minimise the spread of viruses generally. These are:

• Always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze.
• Bin the tissue, and to kill the germs, wash your hands with soap and water or use sanitiser gel.

As per government guidance, we have told all students and staff who have arrived back from Hubei Province, including Wuhan city, in the last 14 days to contact us and follow  specific advice provided by the government. In addition, we have had updated advice from Public Health England that travellers ffrom mainland China, Thailand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia or Macau who have arrived in the UK in the last 14 days who develop symptoms of cough, fever or shortness of breath, even if symptoms are mild, should follow the same  specific advice provided by the government. We are also advising staff not to travel to China and to consider postponing any trips to affected areas of Asia. 

This is a particularly difficult time for our students and staff with family, friends and colleagues living and working in China and other areas currently affected by the outbreak of coronavirus. We hope that our whole community will be sensitive and supportive at this time. 

In some cultures it is common practice for people to wear face masks to protect themselves from illness, even indoors, and it should not be assumed that anyone wearing one is unwell.

If you are victim of or witness to racial harassment, abuse or violence we encourage you to contact our Student Advisory and Wellbeing team, Security, Students’ Union Advice Centre or Surrey Police. More information about hate crime and how the Police and Crown Prosecution Service will act on such behaviour is available  here.

Discover all previous coronavirus updates on  this webpage. 

We are continuing to closely monitor the outbreak of coronavirus and are following advice from Public Health England and the National Health Service (NHS). At this time, all activity at the College continues as normal.

The health and wellbeing of our students, staff and our community is of utmost importance to us so please check the  government’s advice about coronavirus.

Colds and flu are common at this time of year and we are reminding everyone on campus about simple steps we can all take to try to minimise the spread of viruses generally. These are:

• Always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze.
• Bin the tissue, and to kill the germs, wash your hands with soap and water or use sanitiser gel.

As per government guidance, we have told all students and staff who have arrived back from Hubei Province, including Wuhan city, in the last 14 days to contact us and follow  specific advice provided by the government. In addition, we have had updated advice from Public Health England that travellers from elsewhere in China (including Macao or Hong Kong), or specified countries in Asia including Thailand, Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia, who have arrived in the UK in the last 14 days who develop symptoms of cough, fever or shortness of breath should follow the same  specific advice provided by the government. We are also advising staff not to travel to China and to consider postponing any trips to affected areas of Asia. 

This is a particularly difficult time for our students and staff with family, friends and colleagues living and working in China and other areas currently affected by the outbreak of coronavirus. We hope that our whole community will be sensitive and supportive at this time. 

In some cultures it is common practice for people to wear face masks to protect themselves from illness, even indoors, and it should not be assumed that anyone wearing one is unwell.

If you are victim of or witness to racial harassment, abuse or violence we encourage you to contact our Student Advisory and Wellbeing team, Security, Students’ Union Advice Centre or Surrey Police. More information about hate crime and how the Police and Crown Prosecution Service will act on such behaviour is available  here.

We are continuing to closely monitor the outbreak of coronavirus and are following advice from Public Health England and the National Health Service (NHS). At this time, all activity at the College continues as normal.

The health and wellbeing of our students, staff and our community is of utmost importance to us so please check the  government’s advice about coronavirus.

Colds and flu are common at this time of year and we are reminding everyone on campus about simple steps we can all take to try to minimise the spread of viruses generally. These are:

• Always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze.
• Bin the tissue, and to kill the germs, wash your hands with soap and water or use sanitiser gel.

As per government guidance, we have told all students and staff who have arrived back from Hubei Province, including Wuhan city, in the last 14 days to contact us and follow  specific advice provided by the government. In addition, we have had updated advice from Public Health England that travellers from elsewhere in China (but not Macao or Hong Kong) to the UK in the last 14 days who develop symptoms of cough, fever or shortness of breath should follow the same specific advice provided by the government. We are also advising staff not to travel to China and to consider postponing any trips to affected areas of Asia. 

This is a particularly difficult time for our students and staff with family, friends and colleagues living and working in China and other areas currently affected by the outbreak of coronavirus. We hope that our whole community will be sensitive and supportive at this time. 

In some cultures it is common practice for people to wear face masks to protect themselves from illness, even indoors, and it should not be assumed that anyone wearing one is unwell.

If you are victim of or witness to racial harassment, abuse or violence we encourage you to contact our Student Advisory and Wellbeing team, Security, Students’ Union Advice Centre or Surrey Police. More information about hate crime and how the Police and Crown Prosecution Service will act on such behaviour is available  here.

We are continuing to closely monitor the outbreak of coronavirus and are following advice from Public Health England and the National Health Service (NHS). At this time, Public Health England has confirmed that there are two cases of coronavirus in England. There are no other confirmed cases in the UK and as such all activity at the College continues as normal.

The health and wellbeing of our students, staff and our community is of utmost importance to us so please check the government’s advice about coronavirus.

Colds and flu are common at this time of year and we are reminding everyone on campus about simple steps we can all take to try to minimise the spread of viruses generally. These are:

• Always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze.
• Bin the tissue, and to kill the germs, wash your hands with soap and water or use sanitiser gel.

As per government guidance, we have told all students and staff who have arrived back from Hubei Province, including Wuhan city, in the last 14 days to contact us and follow specific advice provided by the government. We are also advising staff not to travel to China and to consider postponing any trips to affected areas of Asia. 

This is a particularly difficult time for our students and staff with family, friends and colleagues living and working in China and other areas currently affected by the outbreak of coronavirus. We hope that our whole community will be sensitive and supportive at this time. 

In some cultures it is common practice for people to wear face masks to protect themselves from illness, even indoors, and it should not be assumed that anyone wearing one is unwell.

If you are victim of or witness to racial harassment, abuse or violence we encourage you to contact our Student Advisory and Wellbeing team, Security, Students’ Union Advice Centre or Surrey Police. More information about hate crime and how the Police and Crown Prosecution Service will act on such behaviour is available here.

The novel strain of coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, has continued to spread, although slowly, and two cases have now been confirmed in the UK – at York University. While PHE has raised the risk to the UK as a whole to Moderate they state that the risk to individuals remain low. This respiratory illness has flu-like symptoms and spreads in a similar fashion to cold and flu viruses.

While there have been a number of developments in terms of the coronavirus, including the World Health Organisation declaring this a global emergency, the advice from the NHS and Public Health England remains:

• Those who have returned from the Hubei province, including Wuhan city in the last 14 days or been in contact with someone who has been confirmed as having the coronavirus should call NHS 111 to inform them and stay at home, avoiding public places and transport for 14 days.
• If they then develop any cold or flu-like symptoms they should contact NHS 111 again. They will be collected by ambulance should they require hospital treatment.

 In both cases please also inform the College through your School Administration team or Head of Department by phone or email.

The risk to the UK population from coronavirus is assessed by the NHS and Public Health England as low. Cold and flu-like symptoms are common in the UK at this time of year, especially when it is cold and wet, so there is no need to be concerned just because someone is ill. Unless people meet specific criteria they are not a risk in terms of coronavirus. We should all apply basic hygiene procedures to prevent spreading disease such as using tissues to trap germs and binning them promptly, washing your hands with warm water and soap.

Please see the following links for further information: 

Further information from Public Health England can be found on  gov.uk.

Further information from the NHS, including advice, can be found on the  NHS website.

Further information and advice about travelling to China can be found on  gov.uk.

While there have been a number of developments in terms of the coronavirus, including the World Health Organisation declaring this a global emergency, the advice from the NHS and Public Health England remains:

• Those who have returned from Wuhan in the last 14 days or been in contact with someone who has been confirmed as having the coronavirus should call NHS 111 to inform them and stay at home, avoiding public places and transport for 14 days.
• If they then develop any cold or flu-like symptoms they should contact NHS 111 again. They will be collected by ambulance should they require hospital treatment.

 In both cases please also inform the College through your School Administration Team or Head of Department by phone or email.

The risk to the UK population from coronavirus is assessed by the NHS and Public Health England as low. Cold and flu-like symptoms are common in the UK at this time of year, especially when it is cold and wet, so there is no need to be concerned just because someone is ill. Unless people meet specific criteria they are not a risk in terms of coronavirus. We should all apply basic hygiene procedures to prevent spreading disease such as using tissues to trap germs and binning them promptly, washing your hands with warm water and soap.

Please see the following links for further information: 

Further information from Public Health England can be found on  gov.uk.

Further information from the NHS, including advice, can be found on the  NHS website.

Further information and advice on travelling to China can be found on  gov.uk.

It has been confirmed that there has been an outbreak of a new strain of coronavirus in the Wuhan and Hubei provinces of China. This respiratory illness has flu-like symptoms and spreads in a similar fashion to cold and flu viruses. Symptoms usually start between two and seven days after infection although it can be as long as 10 days. If you have recently travelled to China, or have had contact with someone who has, and you experience these symptoms please see a Doctor and inform your School Administration team by phone or email. There is no cure for coronavirus but the spread of the virus can be prevented through normal good hygiene practices.

 If you are travelling to China please follow any local advice and avoid "unprotected" contact with live animals, ensure that meat and eggs are thoroughly cooked and avoid close contact with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms.

Further information can be found at:  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/wuhan-novel-coronavirus/

The health, welfare and safety of students and staff is the top priority for university leaders following the Coronavirus outbreak. UK universities have been supporting all students and staff who might be concerned about their health with up-to-date advice from health services. Our universities have a strong history of welcoming Chinese students and staff to the UK and they are very much part of our international community. UK universities will not tolerate racism in any form, and we encourage students and staff to report any incident of racial harassment and seek support from their university.

We understand that students and staff may be worried about friends and family members in China and our thoughts go to all those affected by this situation. At this difficult time, we ask that students and staff support their fellow friends and colleagues in solidarity with the whole of the international higher education community.

For more general support, students should contact their institution’s wellbeing support services, or phone  UKCISA’s Student Advice Line on +442077889214 (1–4pm UK time, Monday–Friday).

联合声明：英国大学联盟（Universities UK)和英国国际学生事务委员会(UK Council for International Student Affairs)针对新型冠状病毒疫情对中国学生影响的声明。

在新型冠状病毒的疫情爆发后，保证学生和教职员工的健康、福利和安全是大学高层的当务之急。英国众高校已经并不断向所有关心担忧自己健康的学生，提供来自健康服务权威机构的最新建议。

英国大学一直秉承延续对中国留学生友好亲善的历史，中国学生是我们国际教育共同体的重要组成部分。英国大学不会接受容忍任何形式上的种族主义的歧视和偏见；我们支持并鼓励学生和教职员工，如遇到种族歧视和骚扰的相关事件，请及时向所在大学有关部门寻求帮助。

我们深知有些学生在此刻非常牵挂在中国的朋友和家人，我们会在精神上支持所有受到疫情影响的人。在这个困难的时刻，我们呼吁英国所有学生和教职员工共克时艰，声援和帮助受影响的朋友和同事。

如果学生需要更多支持和帮助，请联系所在大学的相关部门，或致电英国国际学生事务委员会的学生咨询热线（英国时间星期一至星期五下午1-4点之间。