Further update on plans for Spring Term

I am really sorry to have to email again about our arrangements for the Spring Term. Further guidance from the DfE and the Prime Minister’s announcement last night (4 January 2021) has required us to review again our plans and our approach to the Spring Term.

The Chair of University Council and I have taken the decision that the University will now move to our protection level, ‘Advanced Protection’. We have set out what this means on the University web site, in our University of Essex Business Continuity Plan which has just been updated, in response to further Government guidance. As part of our move to ‘Advanced Protection’, please could I ask that all staff who are able to work from home, continue to do so.

As we said on 1 January, we will continue to restrict the number of students allowed to start face-to-face teaching to a very limited number of subjects where a face-to-face component is absolutely essential, with most students not being permitted to return to on-campus university teaching for the foreseeable future.

Having reviewed the latest guidance and information that we have available, we will continue with scheduled face-to-face teaching for the following courses:

Within the School of Health and Social Care from 4 January:

• Nursing
• Allied health professions (excluding SRES)
• Oral health
• Social work

Within the School of Sports, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences, from 18 January:

• Physiotherapy

We will continue to keep the provision of essential face-to-face teaching under review, to ensure that these activities can be delivered in ways that safeguard the health and wellbeing of staff and students.

We anticipate that it is possible that, depending on the rate of infections in the coming weeks, further Government guidance may advise that face-to-face teaching will not be allowed for the whole of the Spring Term. We will keep you updated as we receive further guidance and continue to review our plans in light of the changing context of the pandemic. Our dual-delivery plans are based on supporting student learning through a blend of on-line and face-to-face activities, whenever it is safe to do so. We will keep under review the possibility of a return to face-to-face teaching for more courses, but recognise that this will depend on when we are permitted to do so by the Government, and our assessments of what is safe for students and staff.

COVID secure campus arrangements

We have updated all of our risk assessments in the light of the revised Government framework and taking account of our latest review of the local context. For staff for whom on-campus work is essential, I want to reassure you that we have worked hard to put in place a range of measures to ensure your health and well-being and that of our community. We have very well-established systems to risk assess all staff, premises and work activities and to ensure that staff who are vulnerable are able to continue to work from home, as well as providing additional individual and team support. The University will continue to offer testing across our three campuses. We will also continue to offer staff tests which may be booked here.

Staff who remain anxious about campus working may seek assistance from Occupational Health at covid19@essex.ac.uk after discussion with their line manager. Susie Morgan, our Director of People and Culture, remains ready to assist individuals in discussions with their line managers and she is happy to be contacted directly at smorgan@essex.ac.uk. I want to reiterate that we want to remain as flexible as possible in responding to any concerns that staff might have.

Facilities

Our facilities such as libraries, study spaces and, on our Colchester Campus, a limited range of essential amenities will remain open in a COVID-secure way. The Government has confirmed that staff required to operate these essential campus services are considered essential workers, vital to the continuation of education, and will be able to travel to work.

Trade Union and Health and Safety Representatives

Our campus trade union and health and safety representatives have been informed of these changes and we will continue to work closely with staff representatives as we respond to the shifting pattern of the pandemic.

Support

This is the third national lock down that we have had to cope with and I do not underestimate the difficulties this creates: for those of us home working, sharing work in the same space and juggling competing family and work-related commitments and internet/equipment issues; and for those of us coming onto our campuses, the anxiety of doing so during yet another lock down. I also appreciate that schools and other support that you rely on to allow you to work will be unavailable. There is detailed guidance available for you and for all managers on how to approach these circumstances. I have asked Susie Morgan to look for practical ways in which we can thank our staff and support you and we will be in contact about this later this month.

We are committed to redoubling our efforts to relieve the burden on staff by ‘clearing the decks’ and Executive Deans/the Registrar and Secretary will be consulting with Heads of Department/Heads of Section about what more we can do. I also want to provide assurance that staff will not be disadvantaged in promotions, pathway to permanency and in relation to research as a result of the pandemic and the impact it has had on you.

Finally, I want to thank everyone for your tremendous resilience and adaptability in adjusting to a very rapidly evolving situation. I want to encourage everyone to continue to be kind to each other and kind to ourselves, and to seek help if you need it.

Anthony Forster
Vice-Chancellor