Update in relation to the COVID-19 situation and University Centre Weston.

Since the 21st of February, the government guidance removed the requirement for staff and students in mainstream FE providers to continue taking part in regular asymptomatic testing. As a college we took the decision to continue with twice weekly testing for both students and staff.

As of the 1st of April 2022, the government will no longer provide free COVID-19 testing to the public within England. This decision will also apply to educational settings. We will therefore remove the requirement for asymptomatic COVID-19 testing for students and staff from the week commencing the 4th of April. The exception will be for staff and students within our SEND area who will be required to continue twice weekly testing. Our remaining stocks of COVID-19 tests will be prioritised for staff and learners within this provision.

There will be some exceptions where we may still require you to complete a Lateral Flow Test (LFT). These circumstances include:

In the event of a significant outbreak in the local area. In this situation we will be advised by the local health team or director of public health at the Local Authority.
Large events or gatherings organised by the College e.g., graduation, staff meetings, celebration events etc.
An outbreak in a particular area of the college

In the event of the above the college will provide tests to be used.

The above circumstances will be under ongoing review and dependent on available testing within stock held by the College.

If you are required to work within a different establishment e.g., Partner organisation you should check their testing requirements and adhere to these accordingly.

The expectation from Monday 4th April outside of the exceptions outlined will be as follows:

If you are feeling unwell with any significant COVID-19 symptoms you should not attend college. You should follow the NHS guidance as outlined through the following link: Get tested for coronavirus (COVID-19) - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Following the guidance should you test positive for COVID-19 you must inform the College through its COVID-19 reporting email and follow the expected period of isolation. Learners should inform their Personal tutor or Faculty Office who will then be required to report it via the COVID-19 email.

Information and support

Where can I find the latest information about coronavirus?

This continues to be an evolving situation and staff and students are asked to continue to visit and regularly check the following websites for the latest updates and guidance:

Public Health England advice
NHS 111 coronavirus service
NHS coronavirus information

What precautions should I be taking?

Wash your hands often with soap and water. If you are coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. Throw the used tissue away into a bin and wash your hands. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your flexed (bent) elbow.
Avoid close contact with anyone who you know has Covid-19 symptoms and follow the latest lock down rules.

Where can I go for welfare support?

It's understandable that many of our students are feeling anxious at the moment! The UCW HEART student services is team is still available online and in the Winter Gardens from Monday to Friday 8:30am to 50m (4:30pm on Fridays) and you can contact them if you need welfare support! Please get in touch in the first instance by calling 01934 411 403 or by emailing HEART@ucw.ac.uk.

Additionally, there is so much out-of-hours support available.

If you want to talk, the Samaritans are always ready to listen - you can contact them on 116 123 or you can email jo@samaritans.org. You can also use www.Togetherall.com to access a range of supportive advice and guidance.

Further information

Don't be!

The current situation will not jeopardise your place at UCW if you decide to study with us.

We always consider all applications on their own merits, and all interviews will now be online, and we are more than happy to accept a digital showreel or portfolio for our courses which require them.

You will receive further guidance once you've applied, but please get in touch if you have any concerns or would like to know more.

Yes, accommodation remains open.

If you need to self-isolate, please can you let us know via the HEART email so that we are aware and can offer you support.

If you decide to go home, please can you also let us know via the HEART email.

While in UCW accommodation, please continue to follow the government advice about protecting yourself and others against the virus. Hand washing, general hygiene and being aware of social contact are particularly important when you are living in shared accommodation.

Principal updates

Dear students,

I hope you’ve had a restful half term break.

You may have seen that the Government has made further changes to the COVID requirements for England, and we have opted to take a cautious approach to the introduction of these measures. We will review these measures regularly and update you with any changes.

Below are our COVID-19 control measures that you will be required to follow throughout all Weston College campuses:

The self-isolation period has been reduced to 5 days for those living in England, whilst not legally required, we will be asking anyone who tests positive to remain at home for 5 full days from the onset of their symptoms or their positive test results, please continue to report this to your tutor.
As previously we will ask you to start testing from day 5 onwards, 2 negative tests 24 hours apart means you are able to end your isolation from the second negative
Face masks are encouraged for all of our staff and learners, but are not mandatory. You will not be required to show any form of exemption.
All learners and staff are required to continue Lateral Flow Testing twice a week and to report evidence of the result through the NHS website. The evidence will need to be from the NHS in the form of a text/email/NHS App which you can get by registering your negative Lateral Flow Test result on www.GOV.uk/report-covid19-result and the website will trigger an email and/or text and it is one of these you will need to evidence.

We have updated our previous FAQs and our “What to do” website, in order to make this transition as simple as possible for you. If you need any further guidance, please contact your tutor/assessor who will be happy to assist further.

Dear students,

Firstly, I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year and thank you for your continued support in keeping everyone within our organisation safe.

Here’s what you need to know for your safe return:

Campuses will re-open for the start of the new term on Tuesday 4th January 2022.
On entry to the campus, you will need to supply evidence to a member of staff of a negative Lateral Flow Test taken within the last 24 hours.
The evidence will need to be in the form of a text/email/NHS App which you can get by registering your negative Lateral Flow Test result on GOV.uk/report-covid19-result
You will need to show this to allow you access to your campus on your first day back in January 2022.

As is current guidance, if you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms or have been advised to isolate you cannot enter the campus.

ACCOMMODATION

If you are staying in any of the UCW Accommodation we would ask you to continue testing twice a week throughout the Christmas break. If you are returning home, you need to take a Lateral Flow Test 24 hours before moving back into your accommodation. As with the guidance above if you have any symptoms or have been asked to isolate you should not return to your accommodation but instead access teaching remotely initially.

FACE COVERINGS

Government COVID-19 guidance has been updated during the New Year break. Please read the update below to ensure you are prepared to return to learning this week:

From 4 January 2022, in addition to face coverings being worn by staff and learners when moving around the premises, in corridors and communal areas you are also now required to wear a face covering in classrooms and/or workshops unless exemptions apply. Please note we are re-introducing exemption cards that learners can obtain from their campus Student Services Hub where required.

Face coverings do not need to be worn by staff or learners when outdoors on the premises. This does not apply in situations where wearing a face covering would impact on the ability to take part in exercise or strenuous activity, for example during sports lessons and physical activity.

The wearing of face coverings in classrooms and other teaching areas such as workshops will be introduced for a limited time and will be reviewed, and we will inform you of any updates to the guidance after that point.

Face coverings protect the wearer and others against the spread of infection because they cover the nose and mouth, which are the main confirmed sources of transmission of COVID-19.

LANYARDS

A further reminder that all students MUST wear their college lanyard at all times when on campus.

ASSESSMENTS

All assessments scheduled for January will proceed as currently planned, exams are already online and any changes to any assessments would be communicated to you.

Please continue to report any cases of COVID-19 infection through the normal channels heart@ucw.ac.uk and covid.reporting@weston.ac.uk

Dear students,

As we near the end of the autumn term I would like to thank you for your support in keeping everyone within our organisation safe and also to clarify current plans for your return in January 2022.

Here’s what you need to know for your safe return:

Campuses will re-open for the start of the new term on Tuesday 4th January 2022.
On entry to the campus, you will need to supply evidence to a member of staff of a negative Lateral Flow Test taken within the last 24 hours.
The evidence will need to be in the form of a text/email/NHS App which you can get by registering your negative Lateral Flow Test result on GOV.uk/report-covid19-result
You will need to show this to allow you access to your campus on your first day back in January 2022.

As is current guidance, if you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms or have been advised to isolate you cannot enter the campus.

ACCOMMODATION

If you are staying in any of the UCW Accommodation we would ask you to continue testing twice a week throughout the Christmas break. If you are returning home, you need to take a Lateral Flow Test 24 hours before moving back into your accommodation. As with the guidance above if you have any symptoms or have been asked to isolate you should not return to your accommodation but instead access teaching remotely initially.

MASKS

As a reminder, all learners and staff will continue to be required to wear a face covering within communal areas of our campus buildings and when travelling on educational or public transport unless medically exempt. In January, we will be re-introducing exemption cards that learners can obtain from HEART (Higher Education Academic Registry Team) in the Winter Gardens.

LANYARDS

A further reminder that all students MUST wear their college lanyard at all times when on campus.

ASSESSMENTS

All assessments scheduled for January will proceed as currently planned, exams are already online and any changes to any assessments would be communicated to you.

These current plans are subject to changes should the Government guidance be updated over the holiday period, please check here if this is the case as this will always have the most current plans available for you to view COVID-19 Guidance | University Centre Weston (ucw.ac.uk)

Please continue to keep safe over the Christmas and New Year break and continue to report any cases of COVID-19 infection through the normal channels heart@ucw.ac.uk and covid.reporting@weston.ac.uk

SUPPORT

We recognise that Christmas can be a difficult time for some and although all campuses close on Tuesday 22^nd December through until Monday 3^rd January 2022, there is still support available to you.

As you may be aware Government have announced that from Monday 17^th May 2021, students no longer have to wear a face covering in classrooms and communal areas, but the College has confirmed that students can continue to wear mask if they wish to. In line with the guidance, staff will continue to wear face coverings in communal areas, and where commercial training takes place, the relevant sector guidance will continue to be followed.

All Higher Education student could return to campus, however, as we are in assessment periods for many of our programmes, the majority of which will continue online, so there is no requirement for you to return to campus. All lectures and revision session will continue to be recorded and made available via Teams.

IT and Library facilities and communal study areas are available to all students. You will need to book a study space onsite by booking a computer in advance, via this link https://mypc.weston.ac.uk/cire/SignIn.aspx.

The Government guidance says all students who are returning on campus should continue to test twice a week (Wednesday and Sunday). Please can I also take this opportunity to remind you to continue to follow all the measures we previously put in place to protect everyone, including social distancing, following the one-way system and remembering to regularly wash your hands and use hand sanitiser.

Please remember if you are finding the lifting of lockdown and easing of restrictions difficult, or are concerned about meeting your deadlines please do not hesitate to contact HEART. The team are available to support you if you want to talk to someone confidentially and have a range of support available. You can contact HEART on 01934 411768 or email heart@ucw.ac.uk.

If you do have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

As you may be aware, the Government have announced that face to face delivery for Higher Education students studying on practical or practice-based subjects, including creative arts, can resume from 8th March. Therefore, UCW is working to resume teaching across a number of eligible programmes. All other programmes will continue online until the next Government review around Easter. In line with the guidance and in order to keep everybody safe, we will be taking a phased approach to students returning to University.

Your tutor will contact you if your programme is eligible to return and will confirm all the details. If your programme is not returning to in person delivery yet, but you are finding it difficult to work from home we can enable you to access campuses, IT facilities and wi-fi. The Winter Gardens and UCW library will be open as usual. Students can work in the library or the open areas. You will need to book a study space onsite by booking a computer in advance, via this link: https://mypc.weston.ac.uk/cire/SignIn.aspx.

As outlined in the guidance the Government and UCW's expectation is that all Higher Education students returning on campus should initially participate in two face to face lateral flow tests and then continue with regular testing. If you need to access facilities please contact HEART who can confirm testing arrangements.

Please can I also take this opportunity to remind you that if you are accessing our campuses you should continue to follow all the measures we previously put in place to protect everyone, including social distancing, following the one-way system and remembering to regularly wash your hands and use hand sanitiser. New guidelines also require increased use of face masks. In addition to wearing your mask in communal areas you will need to wear a mask in teaching sessions unless you are exempt.

Please remember if you are finding this lockdown difficult or are concerned about meeting your deadlines please do not hesitate to contact HEART. The team are available to support you if you want to talk to someone confidentially and have a range of support available. There is also financial help available if you have experienced additional costs or your income has been reduced. You can contact HEART on 01934 411768 or 411403 or email heart@ucw.ac.uk.

If you do have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Best wishes,

Dr Paul Phillips CBE
Principal and Chief Executive

Although the information published below in our previous update will continue to apply to many of our students, we are now in a position to provide limited access to campuses and facilities for identified students who are finding it difficult to work from home to enable them to access IT facilities and wi-fi.

Students in accommodation and those who do not have access to appropriate resources will be prioritised along with other identified students.

The Winter Gardens will be open every Thursday from 10am – 3pm. Students can work in the library or the open area downstairs to access PCs. Creative arts students can also access Macs and appropriate software upstairs in the Winter Gardens.

Access to facilities will be limited and in order to keep everybody safe we will require all staff and students to have taken two lateral flow tests three days apart initially and then be tested weekly before accessing any UCW/Weston College facilities. Students will need to forward their negative test to heart@ucw.ac.uk in advance and will be required to show proof of their negative test on arrival.

Students will also need to book a place onsite by booking a computer in advance. This will need to be done by 3pm on a Wednesday using the library booking system. Again students should also send a copy of their booking to heart@ucw.ac.uk when they forward their negative results to us.

If you but do not have the equipment you require at home but cannot come on site, or if you have a device but require specialist software, there may also be funds available to help you. If you would like more information regarding these options please email finance@ucw.ac.uk

Please remember that if you are struggling to complete your work or are finding this lockdown difficult emotionally, your HEART team are there for you! The team are available to support you if you want to talk to someone confidentially and have a range of support available. You can contact HEART on 01934 411768 or 411403 or email heart@ucw.ac.uk.

If you have any queries, or if you haven't received the email inviting you to to work at the Winter Gardens but feel you meet the criteria, please don’t hesitate to contact us at heart@ucw.ac.uk.

Dear Students,

In light of the Prime Minister’s announcement on Monday 4 January, UCW is now closed to visitors, and all teaching has been moved online.

I appreciate that you will have many questions, and I am hopeful that we will have more information in the coming days where I can provide you with further clarity. As more information is released to us we will update you via Teams, social media, and our website.

If you have any urgent queries, or do not have access to an appropriate device for online learning or the required equipment / resources at home should please contact HEART@ucw.ac.uk to explain the situation and we will consider what additional support can be put in place on an individual basis.

You can still access all support via HEART, or the specialist support team, online via teams or you can ring 01934 411768 or 411403 or email heart@ucw.ac.uk. Out of hours you can access a range of resources and support via Togetherall (www.togetherall.com ) If you want to talk to someone you can call Samaritan’s on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. As always if you are concerned about your safety or someone else’s, you can also contact the safeguarding emergency number 01934 411464.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE
Principal and Chief Executive

Dear Students,

You will probably be aware through the media that the government has issued revised guidance regarding the start of the new term following the Christmas break. This guidance includes the introduction of more regular testing of staff and students as part of measures to stem the spread of COVID-19 and further enhance the safety measures that were implemented in the Autumn term.

As a result, all teaching during the first week of term – week beginning 4th January 2021 will now be online, for HE Students via your normal platform. The only exception will be where there are essential summative assessments which must be undertaken in person onsite. Most assessment will go ahead but will now be done online, the deadlines may be adjusted to enable you to have more time to prepare if that wasn’t already the intention. Any changes will be communicated to you via your tutor.

If you do not have access to an appropriate device for online learning or the required equipment / resources at home please contact HEART@ucw.ac.uk to explain the situation and we will consider what additional support can be put in place on an individual basis.

In order to continue to do all we can to protect everyone, we are asking that all staff and students take a test before accessing any UCW/Weston College facilities. We are establishing protocols for students to be tested through lateral flow testing centres at a number of our campuses. Staff will be tested during the week of the 4th January.

The Lateral Flow Antigen Test aims to identify those most at risk of spreading Covid-19 (those who are infectious, but not aware of this). By taking this test you will help to stop the spread of Covid-19 and protect our community. If you have the virus, but do not have symptoms this test will let you know, enabling you to isolate and prevent the virus from spreading to others.

This new type of test is safe and gives a trusted result within a day, it comes at no cost to you, it is self-administered and minimally invasive (swab of nose and throat). You need to have two tests three days apart. Once completed, you will leave the test centre and await your result via a text message.

If you develop any symptoms of Covid-19 (a high temperature, a new and continuous cough or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste) the actions are the same as usual - book a Covid-19 test through the NHS: https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test. You should also continue to report your symptoms or absence to your tutor and HEART at the first opportunity.

You can still access all support via HEART, or the specialist support team, online via teams or you can ring 01934 411768 or 411403 or email heart@ucw.ac.uk. Out of hours you can access a range of resources and support via Togetherall. If you want to talk to someone you can call the Samaritan’s on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. As always if you are concerned about your safety or someone else’s, you can also contact the safeguarding emergency number 01934 411464.

We are committed to ensuring that learning can continue safely and appreciate the ways you are working with us to keep everyone safe. Please continue to follow all the measures we have put in place to protect everyone. Please wear your mask in all communal areas, remember to regularly wash your hands and use hand sanitiser, follow the one-way systems in place and maintain social distancing.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE
Principal and Chief Executive

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