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Dear students and colleagues,

I hope that the announcements on Monday brought you a sense of optimism, as we begin to see the route towards pleasures and experiences we’ve missed. While the Prime Minister was clear to stress the risks through the next phases, we can start to look forward in a way that’s not been possible for many months. Read the roadmap to cautiously ease lockdown restrictions.

There is no immediate change to the University's current working arrangements. Our teaching and research continue as at present, with any on-site activities conducted in Covid secure ways. The ‘Stay at Home’ order is in place until at least 29 March, meaning that we should only be outside our homes when necessary. Even when that order lifts, the government guidance states that work should continue to be done from home where possible.

The senior leadership team is giving careful thought to the phases ahead. Our immediate priority must be to follow the government guidance to reduce the risks of further significant increases in Covid transmission rates.

As we look beyond the time of Covid restrictions, there will be opportunities to use what we've learnt over the last year to improve the experiences of everyone at St George’s. We are grateful for the input students and staff have already given us through the recent Online Education Survey. We will provide an update on this when the analysis is completed.

The loosening of restrictions will enable us to enjoy more freedom at home and at St George’s, but I recognise that challenges will continue in the shorter term.

For students, you must continue with the new rhythms you’ve had to establish in your learning and I know you will miss the social interactions which are usually core to the university experience.

For staff, the pressures of the past year, as we have had to adapt our work in the face of everchanging circumstances, have been significant. Many of you have held clinical roles alongside, working at the frontline of the NHS where the challenges have been intense.

We have all had to dig deep to retain our focus through a time of global uncertainty. As I’ve said before, what we do at St George’s really matters to society and we should all be proud of the impact we make. Colleagues in our Vaccine Institute have been at the forefront of vaccine development, coordinating trials assessing the Novavax, Oxford/AstraZeneca and Imperial vaccine candidates. Staff and students have been giving care and support to members of the wider community, whether treating patients or showing kindness in other ways.

Below are some immediate updates to share. We will continue to keep you informed of developments.

With my continued gratitude for all the varied contributions you are making during these exceptional times.

My thanks to each of you,

Professor Jenny Higham

Principal

Further government guidance can be found below for information.

Covid-19 updates

July graduation ceremonies cancelled

The University’s Covid-19 Steering Group has recently been discussing plans for the summer graduation ceremonies, pending Monday's anticipated announcement.

The roadmap for cautiously easing lockdown restrictions states that in step 4, which would be no earlier than 21 June, restrictions on large events could lift. However, this is dependent on the outcomes of a scientific Events Research Programme, due to be piloted from April and a government review of social distancing measures. Staging graduation ceremonies requires a huge collective effort involving many months of coordination by staff across the University, as well as the significant personal planning undertaken by graduating students to make arrangements for their guests to attend. With the results of the government reviews not expected until early summer, it is not realistic for our graduation ceremonies to be organised by the dates in mid-July which we have held at the Barbican.

We recognise the disappointment this will cause, not only to those due to complete their courses this summer, but also to 2020 graduates who have yet to attend a ceremony. We will be contacting these cohorts soon to seek input to what they would like from a university-organised event to mark their graduation and how long they would be prepared to wait for such an occasion. Options we are exploring include hosting online course celebrations this summer, postponing in-person ceremonies to later this year or early next, holding additional ceremonies in 2022 or accommodating 2020 and 2021 graduates at ceremonies in future years.

Letter from Michelle Donelan, Universities Minister

The Universities Minister has again written to students. She shares plans for the return of students at other universities to practical and creative courses and offers reminders to students that they should stay where they are during the current period of national restrictions. She urges students to take part in their university’s testing programme and highlights the additional hardship funding being made available to students (see below). Read the letter.

Student hardship funding

The Office for Students has provided additional funding to universities to help alleviate student hardship, recognising the financial fallout from Covid-19 which remains a concern for many. As a result, the amount usually available to St George’s students thanks to donations from our alumni has increased. Further details will be shared with students later this week.

Student loan entitlements reminder

In the government guidance, it was confirmed that students’ loan entitlements for the current term will not be reassessed for students who are still incurring accommodation costs away from home. This means that students in receipt of the ‘living away from home’ loan rate will retain the maintenance loans paid at the start of term, which will be repaid in the usual way. Students who are no longer incurring accommodation costs away from home, or who no longer wish to receive the higher rate of loan, should continue to request reassessment.

House parties

The government has introduced a new £800 fine for those attending house parties, including in halls of residence, which will double for each repeat offence to a maximum level of £6,400. These fines will apply to those who attend illegal gatherings of more than 15 people from outside their household. For those students in halls of residence, please note your household is only those who live in your specific flat.

Halls of residence

To minimise the risk of transmission within halls of residence we ask that all students regularly clean the shared areas within their accommodation such as kitchens and bathrooms. You should also ensure that common areas are regularly ventilated, that you frequently wash your hands using soap and water and clean shared surfaces, and that you limit sharing surfaces or objects where feasible. If you require support, please email Student Services on coronavirusconcern@sgul.ac.uk.

Vaccinations

The phased roll-out of the vaccination programme is now reaching some staff and those students who are on clinical placements. Only NHS providers currently have access to the vaccine and, as a university, we have no independent control over supplies. We encourage anyone to book to have the vaccine when offered the opportunity.

 

 

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