The Government has now released its plans to bring students safely home for Christmas.

The plan allocates a ‘Student Travel Window ’between 3-9 December 2020 during which all students are being asked to return to their permanent home. This Travel Window immediately follows the national lockdown that’s currently in place until in place 2 December 2020.

During the lockdown, students have been encouraged to adhere to the national guidelines and limit their contact with others. The prevalence of Covid-19 infections therefore should be lower within the student population, meaning there is less chance of them spreading the virus to family members when they return to their permanent home.

Since the Government’s announcement, staff from across the University have been developing plans to support our students’ safe departure from Kent. Although teaching will continue until the end of term on 18 December, it is our intention to move all teaching online by earlier than this.

Students will be allocated a period during the Student Travel Window (3-9 December) within which they should aim to travel back to their permanent home. We are working with local providers and travel companies to support students to get home safely adhering to social distancing guidelines.

We are aware that some students will have alternative travel plans or it may not be possible for them to travel during the 3-9 December Travel Window. Some students will also wish to stay on campus after 9 December. We will support all students regardless of their personal circumstances and are currently working with Kent Union to develop plans to support those students who will be spending Christmas with us.

We have published a new set of Student FAQs outlining the Government’s Student Travel Window plans, how the staggered departure times will be managed and what students should do if they intend to stay at Kent past 9 December. We will be emailing students with further information on this tomorrow.

There will be a WebChat available to students on Friday 20 November to discuss any further questions they may have regarding the end of term and vacation period.