Update on spring term from Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)

Dear students

I hope you had a pleasant holiday and are staying safe during the festive season. I am writing to update you urgently, in light of the most recent UK government announcement (31 December), on UAL’s plans for the start of the spring term and COVID testing.

As you may know, the UK government has imposed new restrictions on the mass movement of students. These restrictions require UAL to teach our courses online only until 25 January at the earliest.

If you are not already in London, this means you should delay your planned return to campus and UAL accommodation until 25 January 2021 at the earliest. By doing this, you will help protect our students and staff and reduce the risk of virus transmission to our wider community.

Student travel

Students who are not already in London should delay travelling to the city if at all possible. Please remain in your current location and continue your studies remotely. If you have compelling reasons to travel to London, then you must adhere to strict Tier 4 guidelines once you arrive. You should also comply with quarantine restrictions, depending on the country from which you have travelled.

Students already in London should strictly adhere to Tier 4 restrictions and only travel within the city when absolutely necessary.

Student support services will continue to be available remotely to all students, whether you are in London or elsewhere.

Move to online teaching

All learning will move online from the start of term and there will be no face-to-face teaching until week commencing 25 January 2021 at the earliest. This is to minimise the movement of students and staff in line with government requirements.

We will provide you with the teaching you need to continue your studies remotely but it is critical that you engage with all elements of your online learning.

Are college facilities open?

Under the latest government instructions, all UAL teaching must remain online until 25 January at the earliest. We have, therefore, taken the reluctant decision to close our academic buildings until at least that date, including libraries, workshops and studios. We aim to provide study space where possible for students who have no access to facilities where they live – further information will be provided shortly.

COVID-19 asymptomatic testing programme

We are currently reviewing the UAL COVID-19 asymptomatic testing provision in line with government guidance and will provide more information next week.

Student support services

If you have a serious emergency over the holidays, call emergency services (999 in the UK) immediately, or visit our out of hours support page to find someone to speak with. If you're an international student, you may also want to get in touch with your consulate for help.

Student Services including your Student Advice Service, the Counselling, Health Advice and Chaplaincy service and the Disability Service will re-open on 4 January 2021.

Reporting COVID-19 and self-isolating

Please remember if you have any symptoms which could be related to COVID-19, you should self-isolate at home and arrange a test as soon as possible.
Please let the university know that you are self-isolating or if you test positive for COVID-19, even where you have not been onto a UAL site. You will need to complete the relevant section of the simple Report COVID form.

Next steps

As we have seen throughout the past few months, the course of the pandemic means the situation can change very quickly. This includes new guidance from the UK government, with the next review expected in week beginning 18 January. We are keeping these arrangements under constant review and will continue to update you regularly.

As ever, I would reassure you that we continue to do everything possible to keep you safe and ensure your education is affected as little as possible by these challenging circumstances.

Thank you for helping to keep yourself and our community safe.

Professor Simon Ofield-Kerr
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)