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Teaching and campus arrangements for Semester 2

12 January 2022

Dear student

I hope you had an enjoyable break over the Christmas and New Year period.

This email contains information on a number of things that you need to know about or that we’re asking you to do:

  • Teaching arrangements for Semester 2
  • Wellbeing support
  • Vaccinations
  • Covid rule changes to be aware of
  • Ventilation on campus.

Semester 2 teaching

The Department for Education has confirmed that teaching sessions in universities should go ahead as planned in Semester 2, and that in-person, on-campus sessions should take place, where timetabled. Your timetable was added to your Google Calendar on 4 January.

We are continuing the same approach to teaching and assessment that we have been following for the previous semester. This means that most class teaching, seminars and tutorials will usually be delivered face-to-face. Most of our bigger teaching sessions, such as lectures, will either take place online or in a suitable risk-assessed space. We will keep this under review and let students know if things change, but as of now, teaching will continue to be delivered in person (except for the large teaching sessions which are taking place online), and any 'event' assessments such as exams will take place as currently planned.

During the semester, if you encounter unforeseen personal circumstances, which significantly impact your ability to take your assessments, you can apply for an allowance under the Exceptional Circumstances procedure. Depending on the nature of the assessments and your situation, you may need to provide evidence to demonstrate why you cannot attend.

Please remember to take a lateral flow test either the evening before or the morning you return to campus. If you are unable to get hold of lateral flow tests, you will be able to collect them from all campuses and you should test as soon as you arrive.

When attending teaching sessions or coming onto campus, please remember the following:

  • Everyone, unless exempt, must wear face coverings on campus to limit the spread of the virus
  • Soap and water or hand sanitiser kills the virus, so please wash or sanitise your hands regularly
  • After a teaching session, please use the wipes provided to clean your desk
  • If you’re unwell, don’t come onto campus
  • If you have Covid-19 symptoms, book a PCR test
  • Keep testing twice-weekly with lateral flow tests to pick up any asymptomatic infection.

By following these steps, we will all be doing everything we can to limit the spread of Covid-19, protect each other and your face-to-face teaching sessions.

Wellbeing support

If you find that you need extra help to cope while you’re at University, the Wellbeing team is here to help you. In addition to the Wellbeing service, Togetherall is available and offers free, confidential 24/7 support online for all Brookes students. Register with your Brookes login details for free access.

Vaccinations

We strongly encourage that you are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to protect yourself and those around you. Being fully vaccinated will also exempt you from self-isolation after close contact with a positive case.

Covid rule changes - what you need to know

  • From 11 January if you are asymptomatic and have a positive lateral flow test result you will not need a PCR test as well, but you must still self-isolate for up to 10 days
  • The rules on self-isolation for people with Covid-19 have changed. It is now possible to end self-isolation after 7 days, following 2 negative lateral flow tests taken 24 hours apart. The first lateral flow test should not be taken before day six
  • Face coverings are required by law in most indoor public places and on public transport
  • Fully vaccinated close contacts of someone who has tested positive should follow the latest government guidance on daily testing and self-isolation. If you test positive or develop symptoms, you need to self-isolate for up to 10 days
  • If you are travelling internationally please check the latest government guidance on what you need to do when leaving or entering the UK.

Ventilation on campus

Ensuring good airflow indoors is an important measure in slowing the spread of the virus. We have installed over 140 CO2 monitors in classrooms and teaching/study spaces to help ensure that air circulation is at a safe level.

Campus teams are working hard to maintain the balance between CO2 levels, air circulation and temperature in classrooms and study spaces, but room temperatures may be colder so please come to campus warmly dressed.

When working on campus in shared spaces, you can help by putting some distance between you and others to ensure CO2 levels don’t build up in those areas. More space between people means that windows need to be open less.

Finally, as a reminder, if you have symptoms of Covid-19:

If you have further questions about the University’s Covid response, please don’t hesitate to email covid-19@brookes.ac.uk and continue to check our Covid webpages for further updates.

Thank you for your attention and I wish you every success for Semester 2.

Brendan Casey

Registrar and Chief Operating Officer