Stay smart, supportive
and safe

Term will start as planned on Monday 28 September. Our aim is to deliver as much face-to-face teaching as possible and to deliver online teaching where we need to. You can now see your Autumn term timetable - if you have any queries, please contact your department.

The health and wellbeing of students, staff and visitors to campus is our first priority at all times, and especially so during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

Lots of work has gone into making our campus and facilities covid-secure, but every one of us has a role to play in keeping ourselves - and those around us - as safe as possible.

We're asking all staff and students to:

  • Stay smart by taking responsibility to understand and keep up-to-date with the safety guidance

  • Stay supportive by looking after ourselves and each other, to collectively help support a safe community for us all

  • Stay safe by taking the steps detailed on this page including self-isolating and filling in our form if you have symptoms

Stay smart

Follow the guidelines

Make sure you have read and understood the guidance on this page, and that you keep up-to-date on local and national public health guidelines:

The police and other enforcement officers are able to issue penalties to those that don’t comply with government restrictions. This includes fines for those who breach legal limits on social gatherings (see restrictions on social contact and how the rules on gatherings be enforced).

Read the COVID-19 Community Charter and take the online training module

The COVID-19 Community Charter and student COVID-19 Community Safety Module outline how we can work together to keep each other safe. They set out what our community can expect from the University and what the University expects from its staff and students.

Stay supportive

Be respectful and sensitive to others

Consider the feelings and safety of people who may:

  • not be able to wear a face covering (see exemptions)

  • feel more vulnerable because they or their family members have underlying health conditions

  • come from different parts of the world and need to get used to the guidance we have in place here.

Help other people to understand and follow the guidance

Remember that it might take some people a while to get used to the guidance, or they may just forget from time-to-time - particularly if they're excited to be making new friends or trying new things.

If you see someone behaving inappropriately, remind them to follow the government and University guidelines.

If necessary, you can voice your concerns using the University’s Report and Support tool.

Stay safe

Wash your hands and surfaces regularly

  • Use soap and water to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds each time.

  • Make use of the hand sanitising stations provided on campus.

  • Always wash or sanitise your hands before and after travelling to campus and/or being in communal spaces.

  • If you use shared equipment, for example in a laboratory, make use of the cleaning instructions and materials provided.

Wear face coverings in enclosed spaces

Face coverings reduce the spread of coronavirus droplets - when you wear a face covering, you protect the people around you, just as they protect you by wearing theirs.

All staff and students will be provided with two washable face masks to wear in communal enclosed spaces, where social distancing is not possible. These should be worn until you have left the enclosed space.

If you are exempt from wearing a face covering, you may wish to indicate this by wearing a sunflower lanyard or carrying an exemption card.

Keep two metres away from people not in your household

Follow the signage on campus and in the city centre, and take extra care when meeting groups for social events, sports, clubs and societies.

If two metres is not possible, stay at least one metre away and take other steps to reduce risk such as opening windows, wearing a face covering or avoiding face-to-face contact.

If you feel that someone is too close to you, it’s okay to politely remind them of the guidance.

Your household

You and the people that you live with are classed as a 'household'. If you're in University accommodation, that's the students you share a flat, house or allocated kitchen and bathrooms with. You don't need to wear a mask or keep your distance when you're in your bedroom, bathroom or your household's shared spaces.

Register with a GP and stay up-to-date with vaccinations

Make sure you understand the symptoms of other infectious illnesses, as well as COVID-19, so you can take action if needed.

Self-isolate and fill in the self-isolation form if you have any of these symptoms

  • a new continuous cough

  • a high temperature

  • a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

You need to inform the University that you are self-isolating by filling in the appropriate form. Students may fill out the form themselves:

Staff should contact their line manager and they will fill out the form for you. If you are unable to contact to your manager then you may complete this form yourself:

You must self-isolate for at least ten days after the symptoms appear. By filling in the form, we will help guide you to access a test and support you with any next steps. You can check symptoms, testing arrangements, and other advice on the NHS website.

Follow test, track and trace procedures

Download the NHS COVID-19 app

We encourage you to download the NHS COVID-19 app and scan the QR code when you visit a venue on or off campus. The app will alert you to self-isolate and get tested if you have recently visited a venue where you may have come into contact with coronavirus.

More information on the features available in the app, privacy information and answers to frequently asked questions can be found on the NHS website:

If you can't use the NHS COVID-19 app

If you are not able to use the NHS COVID-19 app (eg if you do not have a compatible smartphone) then you can manually check-in to a venue using the following Google Form:

If you test positive for COVID-19

If you have a positive test result for COVID-19, we will work with you and with health authorities to identify and contact other people who may also need to self-isolate.

Updates

Our Vice-Chancellor and other senior colleagues are sending regular updates to our staff and students as the situation evolves.

See recent updates

Additional information:

Showing respect to each other

The University is a global community, with one in every four people on our campus (both staff and students), coming from outside the UK. We value, celebrate and are proud of our inclusive and diverse community.

We would like to remind all staff and students that the University is a community of respect. All members of our community are expected to act in accordance with our shared values of respect, fairness and compassion, and to ensure that all aspects of our individual and collective behaviour adhere to, and reflect, these principles. We encourage anyone experiencing or witnessing abuse or inappropriate behaviour to report it to the University. If you feel you need support, please contact the Student Hub or staff support services.

Please also take a look at our COVID-19 Community Charter, which outlines how we can work together to keep each other safe, what our community can expect from the University, and what the University expects from its staff and students.

Additional contacts

For most queries, please contact your department in the first instance, or use the following email addresses: