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Tier 3 announcement for Kent and Medway

From Professor Richard Reece | Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience

I hope you are well, and looking forward to a well-deserved rest over the festive period once term finishes on 18 December 2020.

Some of you may have seen the Government’s latest announcement that places both Canterbury and Medway regions in the Tier 3 Covid restriction category. This means that when the national lockdown ends on 2 December, Tier 3 rules will come into force and will remain in place at least until the tier structure is reviewed on 11 December 2020.

A Covid-19 Tier 3 area is classed as very high risk. Please ensure you abide by the following regulations applying to our region:

No household mixing indoors or in private gardens – please do not socialise with those you do not live with. This means no visitors to your student accommodation.
The ‘rule of 6’ applies when meeting others outdoors in public areas such as parks. You can meet in a group of up to six people you do not live with, providing you abide by social distancing.
The Government is advising against travelling in and out of the area in which you live. Please be aware, however, that the Student Travel Window (3-9 December 2020) still applies. You can travel from your term-time to permanent address for the Winter vacation period. However, please do not make other non-essential journeys.

We are waiting for specific guidance from the Department for Education concerning how the new Tier structure will affect universities and will share this with you as soon as we can. For now, please continue to engage with all your teaching arrangements as you have been doing. We are committed to keeping as many campus services and provisions open as we can whilst we are in Tier 3.

I understand what a challenging term this has been for you all and appreciate the sacrifices you have had to make. With the end of term fast approaching, it is vital that we all work together to keep our community safe. Do please follow the Government guidelines set out above and ensure you follow Hands, Face, Space guidance.

Hands – wash your hands regularly and for 20 seconds
Face – wear a face covering
Space – stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with where possible.

I know many of you are planning to travel home during the Student Travel Window (3-9 December 2020). If you do not have Covid-19 symptoms, i.e., are asymptomatic, and would like to be tested before you leave, this provision is available at both Canterbury and Medway campuses.

When planning for your journey home, please ensure you review our Christmas vacation and travel advice and pre-book any tickets you need.

Lastly, I would like to remind you that although face-to-face teaching will stop by 4 December 2020, your teaching will continue online until term ends on 18 December 2020. You should continue to engage with all your teaching sessions to ensure you get the most from your studies this term.

Vice-Chancellor’s update – 26 November 2020

Good news is always welcome and, at the moment, more so than ever. It was simply wonderful therefore to hear of our success in the Guardian University Awards 2020 with the One Hour Degree declared the winner of the Digital Innovation award. Created by the Student Success Project, this is an online game designed to provide the complete university experience for potential students. Congratulations to Alison Webb for her work in developing the game.

Congratulations also go to those involved the Professional Economist Degree Apprenticeship Programme, runner-up in the Widening Access and Outreach category. Launched in 2018, the programme, co-led by Professor Alastair Bailey and Dr John Pearson at the time of nomination, aims to attract a diverse, new generation of economists into the profession.

I am also pleased to say that we have submitted our pledge to Stand Alone, the charity that supports people who are estranged from their families. I greatly value this opportunity to make this pledge which states our commitments to our estranged students and demonstrates our recognition of the challenges that they may face. I am particularly pleased that we have made this submission during Estranged Students Solidarity Week.

While we have a dedicated package of support in place, there is more we can do. We will continue to engage with our estranged students to better understand what additional support they may need from us, as a University, to enable them to achieve their goals. I would also like to thank Ben Dawkins, Chair of the Chair of the Mature & Part-Time Students Network, for the work he is doing in support of our estranged students.

We have now learned that Kent and Medway will be in Tier 3 and are considering what this means for the University. We will provide further information once the situation is clearer.

The last week has seen work continue at high speed to set up the asymptomatic testing site on the Canterbury campus. I am pleased to say that we are on track to open the doors on Monday 30 November. As you will be aware, these sites play a major role in the government’s plans to enable students to travel home for Christmas, as well as supporting their return in the New Year. A special scheme for the Medway campus has been agreed with the local public health team, which will see the use of the pre-existing Local Testing Site for asymptomatic testing.

We are still waiting for government guidance on what the detailed arrangements are for the start of next term. I continue to engage at a national level on this and other issues and we will update you as soon as we have confirmation of what is required from us and the rest of the sector.

Thank you once again for all your hard work at this challenging time.

My very best wishes to you and your families,

Karen

Professor Karen Cox | Vice-Chancellor and President

Join in with the Rock Choir for an online Festival Finale!

Calling all University staff for an online Christmas Rock Choir Singalong Special!

You’re invited to take part in a special online Rock Choir on Weds 2 December at 13.00, when the group will have its final singing session of the term with a festive flavour.

Open to all staff at the University, the director and alumnus, Jonathan Grosberg, will lead a special session teaching from scratch (and without music) a festive and easy arrangement of ‘The First Noel’ and ‘Silent Night.’

You can find out more in this minute-long introduction on YouTube, and if you’d like to join in, email jonathangrosberg@rockchoir.com and Jonathan will send the link for the day.

Covid-19 testing – student booking window open

From Professor Richard Reece, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education & Student Experience:

As promised, please find below an update on the booking process for asymptomatic testing, following my email on 24 November.

Canterbury

We have now opened a booking window for students only. Students based at Canterbury will receive an email confirming this.

We are initially taking bookings from just students to ensure any students that wish to take a test before the Student Travel Window (3-9 December 2020) can do so.

We are planning to open a booking window for staff early next week and will email you to let you know.

The Asymptomatic Testing Site (ATS) will run from Monday 30 November 2020 until Wednesday 9 December 2020.

Medway

Please note that any students studying at Medway should complete our Medway booking form so that we can arrange booking slots at the NHS Local Testing Site on the Medway campus.

We are planning to open a booking window for staff early next week and will email you to let you know.

What to do if you have symptoms

Please note that the ATS is only for those who are not displaying Covid-19 symptoms. If you do have symptoms, please follow our advice on what to do if you think you have Covid-19 and book a test via the NHS Coronavirus website.

Further information on asymptomatic testing, and what the test involves, is available on our Coronavirus webpages.

Best wishes

Richard

Professor Richard Reece | Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience

Canterbury booking now open for Asymptomatic Testing Site

From Professor Richard Reece | Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience

Following my email on 24 November regarding the new Asymptomatic Testing Site on the Canterbury campus, I can confirm that the booking window is now open.

Please remember that this test facility is only appropriate if you do not have Covid-19 symptoms (ie are asymptomatic) and you would like to be tested.

Government advice is that you should ideally have two tests, 3-5 days apart (3 days is preferable) and then return home within 24 hrs of your second negative test result. Should you not be able to wait for the second test, one test is preferable to not being tested at all.

The Asymptomatic Testing Site (ATS) opens on Monday 30 November 2020 at 13.00. It will close on Wednesday 9 December 2020.

Please ensure you only use the ATS if you are not displaying Covid-19 symptoms. If you do have symptoms, please follow our Self-Isolate, Test, Inform procedure and book a test via the NHS Coronavirus website.

If you intend to travel home after testing, please ensure you review Covid-19 travel advice for UK and international travel. For those of you travelling internationally, please be aware that some countries require a high level of Covid-19 certification as a condition of entry. This is not available through our testing programmes on campus and you will need to be tested privately to meet this requirement. Please refer to the Government’s foreign travel advice and contact the UK-based embassy of the country you’re travelling to for further information.

Further information about asymptomatic testing is available on our Coronavirus Student webpages.

New Strategic Lead for Medway

Dr William Collier has been appointed to the role of Strategic Lead – Medway. William, who is currently Deputy Dean (Education and Student Experience), will take up his new role in January 2021 for a 12-month period.

The University has been offering higher education in Medway for more than 20 years, and over time we have adapted our offer. However, there is more we should be doing to make the most of our presence in Medway, and the development of a new and comprehensive vision for the campus is a key strategic aim for the University.

As this year has shown, the new strategy for Medway needs to ensure we are better positioned to support the rebuilding of the region’s economy post-Covid, that we continue to support the bid of City of Culture through our Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries, and that we maintain and develop strong partnerships with local education providers, the Council and other external stakeholders

In his new role, William will be responsible for taking this work forward, consulting with both external and internal stakeholders. He brings a wide range of institutional experience to the role, with expertise in student recruitment, portfolio development, education and student experience. He is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE and an Associate of The Economics Network.

Disability History Month – workshop on Neurodiversity

Story by Natalia Crisanti, Student Engagement and Communications Officer | Student Support and Wellbeing, Student Services

Have you looked at any of the calendar of scheduled events for UKDHM? This year’s Disability History Month challenges us to consider ‘Access: How far have we to come? How far have we to go?’ If local television channel KMTV’s report is anything to go by, accessibility might still be an afterthought in Kent.

Take a look at more information of Disability History Month.

As a staff body there is certainly still a lot we can still learn to improve the experience of all of our students, whether they have physical disabilities we can see, chronic conditions we couldn’t guess at, or invisible conditions such as mental health concerns or autism, sometimes referred to as neurodiversity.

On 3rd December there will be a free workshop delivered via Teams on Neurodiversity to help everyone understand and accept neurodivergent ways of experiencing the world. Book your place on Eventbrite now, and be part of the community moving towards a more inclusive place to work and study. Let’s #MakeKentAccessible.

If you have any questions please contact me at n.crisanti@kent.ac.uk

Asymptomatic testing available at Medway

From Professor Richard Reece | Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience

I am emailing to let you know the process to follow should you wish to be tested for Covid-19 on our campus prior to travelling during the Student Travel Window (3-9 December 2020).

We have worked with the Public Health Team on a special scheme to provide asymptomatic testing at our Local Testing Site (LTS).

This scheme is specifically for asymptomatic students – those not displaying Covid-19 symptoms.

If you are not currently displaying symptoms of Covid-19 and would like to book a test, please complete our request form by 17:00 Thursday 26 November 2020. Please note if you do have Covid-19 symptoms you should refer to our Isolate, Test, Inform procedure and use the NHS Coronavirus website to book a test.

If you decide to be tested, you will be given a PCR test and your test result will normally be available within 3 days. You will receive a text or email from the NHS confirming whether your test is positive or negative.

If your test is positive, please self-isolate and follow our reporting procedure. There is lots of support available to help you during self-isolation.

If your test is negative, you should travel home as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours.

Any requests for testing received after Thursday 26 November will be accepted however your appointment is likely to be during the latter part of w/c 7 December 2020.

The Medway LTS is in front of the Jellicoe Building in the car park accessed by North Road. It is open 08:00 – 20:00, seven days a week.

The Government is asking all students to travel from their termtime to permanent address during the Student Travel Window (3-9 December 2020). Please do try to travel during this period if you are able and bear these dates in mind when booking a test appointment. We know that some of you have made alternative plans or may be intending on staying at University after the Student Travel Window has closed. We are here to support you whatever your plans and personal circumstances.

For those of you intending to travel internationally, please be aware that some countries require a high level of Covid-19 certification as a condition of entry. This is not available through the national testing programme and you will need to be tested privately to meet this requirement. Please refer to the Government’s foreign travel advice and contact the UK-based embassy of the country you’re travelling to for further information.

Additional information about Covid-19 testing can be found on our Coronavirus website.

Asymptomatic testing available on the Canterbury campus

From Professor Richard Reece | Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience

I want to let you know the process to follow should you wish to be tested for Covid-19 prior to travelling during the Student Travel Window (3-9 December 2020).

As part of the Government’s testing programme, we are opening an Asymptomatic Test Site (ATS) on our Canterbury campus on 30 November 2020. The ATS will be open for 8 working days.

The ATS will offer Lateral Flow Tests which are different to the tests offered by NHS Local Testing Sites. Lateral Flow Tests are specifically for those who are asymptomatic, i.e not currently displaying Covid-19 symptoms.

Please note that if you do have symptoms of Covid-19, you should follow our Isolate, Test and Inform procedure and book a PCR test via the NHS Coronavirus site.

If you aren’t displaying symptoms and would like to know more about the ATS and the Lateral Flow Test, you can do so on our dedicated Coronavirus website. Our booking form for appointment will be available from Thursday 26 November 2020 and we will email to let you know that bookings are open. The test is voluntary, and it is entirely your choice to be tested.

Please note you will need to be tested twice within 3 days for your result to be valid.

The Government is asking all students to travel from their term time to permanent address during the Student Travel Window (3-9 December 2020). Please do try to travel during this period if you are able and bear these dates in mind when booking a test. We know that some of you have made alternative plans or may be intending to stay at University after the Student Travel Window has closed. We are here to support you whatever your plans and personal circumstances.

Additional information about Covid-19 testing can be found on our Coronavirus website.

Asymptomatic testing for students and staff

I hope you are well and looking forward to the winter vacation. Thank you for all your hard work supporting our students and helping to provide the best possible student experience during what has been a very challenging year so far.

As part of the Government’s testing programme to support the Student Travel Window, we are opening an Asymptomatic Test Site (ATS) on our Canterbury campus on 30 November 2020. We would like to invite all students and staff to be tested should they wish.

The ATS will offer Lateral Flow Tests which are different to the PCR tests provided by our Local Testing Site (LTS). Lateral Flow Tests are specifically designed for asymptomatic people – those who are not displaying any symptoms. Please note that if you do have symptoms of Covid-19, you should book a test via the NHS Coronavirus site.

If you aren’t displaying symptoms and would like to book an appointment at the ATS, you can do so on our dedicated Coronavirus website. Please note the booking form will be available from 09.00 26 November 2020.

The test is voluntary, and it is entirely your choice to be tested.

We are inviting all students to be tested prior to travelling to their permanent homes during the Student Travel Window (3-9 December 2020).

For our Medway campus, we have worked with the Public Health Team on a special scheme to provide asymptomatic testing at the LTS. We are already accepting applications from students for tests and hope to be able to offer the same for Medway staff at a later date.

All students will be sent an email today (24 November 2020) about the testing available and how they can book an appointment.

We are currently working on plans for continuing our on-campus testing in the New Year and will update you on this shortly.

Additional information about Covid-19 testing can be found on our Coronavirus website.

Best wishes

Richard

Professor Richard Reece | Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience