Planning your safe return to campus

We have adapted our campus facilities to do everything possible to create a safe environment for you to study, live and socialise in. This includes our Halls, Library, catering outlets, SportsPark, Support Centres and other services. For further information about opening hours and when you need to book in advance, please see our ‘Facilities and Socialising’ page.   

Appropriate social distancing measures have been applied to our facilities and services highlighted to protect your health and safety. We will constantly review our services and facilities as the year progresses, informed by government advice, to ensure you receive the best education and university experience possible.

Reading University Students’ Union (RUSU) are also working to offer as full a range of events and activities this term, in line with social distancing requirements, and they will share more details closer to the start of term. They will continue to provide as many support services as possible on campus and online, deliver a range of virtual events, and work with student activity groups to enhance your student experience.

In addition to the information below, please read our checklist of important steps you must complete before arriving at the University of Reading.

Enrolment 2020/21

Students need to formally enrol with the University before they can be fully registered. You need to enrol to access your University of Reading email, teaching timetable, Blackboard, MS Teams, Me@Reading and RISIS Portal.  When you are enrolling you will need to tell us whether you will be starting ‘on campus’ or ‘at a distance’.

This year, we have two enrolment statuses:

1. ‘On-campus’ – for students attending face-to-face sessions on campus (or completing a period of self-isolation on arrival but will be attending on-campus sessions after these 14 days)

2. ‘At a distance’ – for students studying remotely in the autumn term

You can change your status if, for example, you select ‘at a distance’ at the start of term but are able to attend ‘on campus’ later in the autumn.

 

‘On-campus’ status enrolment

Before you enrol on campus, you need to enrol online as soon as possible.

1. Log in to RISIS to start enrolment - you will need to provide some personal details about yourself. Use your University of Reading ID number as the username and your date of birth in the format DDMMYYYY as the password.

2. Pay 50% of your tuition fees or indicate how your fees will be paid (i.e. Student Loans Company, sponsor).

Please ensure that you have completed your online enrolment before arriving at the University.

Students ‘on-campus’ not required to complete a period of self-isolation
1. Complete online stage of enrolment (described above) on RISIS
2. Complete enrolment on campus and collect your Campus Card

Please note you must not visit campus to collect your Campus Card if you have symptoms of COVID-19, or you are required to self-isolate for another reason (for example, if you have arrived in the UK from overseas and you need to complete 14 days of ‘quarantine’). Please see ‘At a distance’ enrolment below if you are in this category.

Students ‘on-campus’ completing a period of self-isolation (quarantine) on arrival from overseas

1. Complete online stage of enrolment on RISIS
2. Let us know on RISIS that you will be completing a period of self-isolation
3. Complete 14 days of self-isolation
4. Collect your Campus Card and BRP card (some international students)

If you will be attending on-campus teaching sessions in the autumn term, you must complete the online stage of enrolment before you arrive on campus. You will be able to let us know on RISIS that you will be completing a period of self-isolation on arrival. After the 14 days of self-isolation you will need to collect your campus card and BRP card (for some international students).

Even if you have uploaded your ID online you must bring appropriate photo ID (Passport, Driving Licence, Military ID) with you, or if no photo ID, you should bring two forms of letters such as birth certificate, bank or utility service letter with your name and address on. 

‘At a distance’ status enrolment

You need to complete the first step of enrolment online as soon as possible.

1. Log in to RISIS to start enrolment - you will need to provide some personal details about yourself. Use your University of Reading ID number as the username and your date of birth in the format DDMMYYYY as the password.

2. Pay 50% of your tuition fees or indicate how your fees will be paid (i.e. Student Loans Company, sponsor).

If you tell us you will be ‘at a distance’ you will need to tell us when you expect to arrive and the cause of your delay. You can change your status if, for example, you select ‘at a distance’ at the start of term but are able to attend ‘on campus’ later in the autumn.

Your enrolment will be fully completed once we have checked your uploaded documents and completed the next stage of the process on your behalf. This means you will be able to access your email, timetable and other University systems to start your studies remotely.

When you arrive on campus later in the term you must collect your Campus Card (and BRP card for some international students). Campus Card collection is available Monday to Friday from 09:30 – 16:30 until 16 October. If you arrive after 16 October, you can collect from your Support Centre, Student Services reception at the Carrington building or Henley Helpdesk. Please remember to also update your status to ‘on campus’.

Please note you must not visit campus to collect your Campus Card if you have symptoms of COVID-19, or you are required to self-isolate for another reason (for example, if you have arrived in the UK from overseas and you need to complete 14 days of ‘quarantine’).

All returning students will need to re-enrol for the 2020/21 academic year on RISIS, like normal. This year, we have two enrolment statuses:

1. ‘On-campus’ – for students attending face-to-face sessions on campus (even if you know you will need to quarantine (self-isolate) for the first 14 days)

2. ‘At a distance’ – for students studying remotely in the autumn term

You can change your status if, for example, you select ‘at a distance’ at the start of term but are able to attend ‘on campus’ later in the autumn.

In both cases you will need to complete re-enrolment online as soon as possible.

1. Log in to RISIS to start enrolment - you will need to have some personal details about yourself. Use your Reading ID number as the username and your date of birth in the format DDMMYYYY as the password.

2. Pay 50% of your tuition fees or indicate how your fees will be paid (i.e. Student Loans Company, sponsor).

Please ensure that you have completed your online enrolment before arriving at the University.

We recommend that you keep a supply of soap and cleaning materials in your room so you can keep your space safe and clean. 

Whenever you leave your accommodation, you should make sure you have everything you need, including:

• A face covering
• Hand sanitiser
• Tissues
• Any medication
• Your own pens, notebook and/or other stationery you may require
• A full water bottle (water fountains on campus have been switched off as they present a greater risk as ‘touch points’)
• Your campus card
• A credit/debit card which can be used for contactless payments

You should stay at home and not travel to Reading if you have symptoms of coronavirus, if you have received a positive test result, or if you need to self-isolate for other reasons (for example, because you have been advised to by NHS Test & Trace or because someone else you live with has symptoms). 

If you find yourself in this situation, you should report your absence to your School in the normal way. If you’re not sure who to contact, please speak to your Support Centre or Henley Helpdesk for advice in the first instance.

If you receive a positive test result for COVID-19 you must:

• Follow all government advice to self-isolate (stay at home)
• Follow all instructions from the NHS and engage with the Test & Trace system (including advising Test & Trace that you are connected to the University)
• Notify the University using our online form
• Report your absence to your School in the usual way (contact your Support Centre or Henley Helpdesk if you’re not sure how to do this)
• If you live in University halls, use the Home at Halls app to notify the team so they can support you
• Let all members of your household know, as they will need to self-isolate in line with government advice

If you have downloaded the NHS COVID-19 app, in addition to the steps you must take above, you can also register your positive test result so Public Health England can notify anyone you have been in close contact with (they will not reveal your identity).

Yes. As part of the enrolment/re-enrolment process in September, we will ask you to let us know if you are unable to return to campus and for how long that is likely to be.  
 
Please note there are a small number of programmes for which it will be very difficult for students to meet their learning outcomes without being on campus at, or close to, the start of the autumn term. Further information is provided below. 

You must read our information about how we’re working to keep our community safe, and the expectations we have of our students to take collective responsibility for this.

We have also published further information about practical steps you should take to prepare for self-isolation (in case you need to do this during the autumn term), as well as things you should bring with you (such as face coverings and hand santiser).

We have been working hard to adapt our campus facilities to provide a safe, supportive and vibrant experience to support your learning from the start of the autumn term. Our fantastic campus community is something we are very proud of, and one of the reasons so many of our students and colleagues choose to study and work at Reading. As such, being on campus to engage in face-to-face teaching and other activities will offer you the best opportunity to develop, academically and personally, and make the most of your university experience.  

When we first developed our ‘blended learning’ approach for the autumn term, we had hoped that the wider situation relating to the pandemic in the UK would have improved sufficiently by January to enable us to return to a normal level of on-campus teaching in January.

Given the national situation and ongoing social distancing measures, it is now looking less likely that we will be able to do this. However, we are very aware that you value face-to-face teaching and this will continue to inform our plans for the rest of the academic year, in close consultation with RUSU, to continue to offer you the best possible learning experience. We will share more information with you in the coming weeks.

There are a small number of programmes for which it will be very difficult for students to meet their learning outcomes without being on campus at, or close to, the start of the autumn term. We have contacted all students affected directly with further information.

We strongly recommend that you register with a local doctor (GP) to ensure you can easily access medical care if you need it. The University Medical Practice are both located close to our Whiteknights campus and you can find out more about registering online. For information on other local doctor surgeries, please see the NHS choices website. 

If you become unwell with symptoms of COVID-19, you must book a test and let those in your household know immediately.

You should also let other friends and family know so they can support you. If you have any concerns about managing your symptoms please contact NHS 111. If you have any concerns about your own wellbeing, or that of someone else you know, please contact our dedicated team at covid-support@reading.ac.uk for advice. If you or a member of your household tests positive for COVID-19, please let us know using our online form so we can help advise and support you.