Teaching at the start of the spring term

Frequently Asked Questions: Teaching at the start of the spring term:

When will teaching on my programme start in the spring term?

For most subjects, term starts on 11 January as planned, however, teaching will be online only until at least Monday 22 February, subject to confirmation from government that face-to-face teaching can resume then. The only exceptions are for Education (Initial Teacher Training), Physician Associates, Speech & Language Therapy and Pharmacy programmes where face-to-face teaching continues to be allowed.

Your academic timetable is being updated to reflect the changes from face-to-face teaching to online and will be finalised by Saturday 9 January. Please note that timetables are subject to further change, sometimes at short notice. You should check your timetable at least once a week and refer to alerts in your Outlook calendar.

Can I return to Reading before face-to-face teaching on my programme starts?

The government has asked students who travelled away for Christmas to stay in their vacation residence until face-to face teaching resumes for their programme. Students who have already returned to Reading are asked by the government to remain in their term-time accommodation.

The legal regulations and the DfE guidance make clear that students can travel back to campus from your holiday accommodation, but you can only do this once and then cannot move back and forth between addresses during the lockdown. We would, however, encourage you to stay at your current address if you can, and only return if it is absolutely necessary, for example:

international students who cannot amend their travel plans;
if you do not have facilities to re-commence your studies online at your vacation address;
for health and safety reasons;
to continue to access specialist medical or mental health services.

When should I plan to return if I am travelling from overseas and need to self-isolate?

Before you arrive in the UK you will be asked to complete an online public health passenger locator form 48 hours before you are due to arrive in the UK. This will be provided by your travel company. If you do not complete the form before you arrive in the UK, it might take you longer to enter the UK. This is a free UK Government service and you do not need to pay another website or business to provide your contact details for you.

When you arrive at the UK border, you will need to show either:

• a printed copy of the document attached to your confirmation email;
or
• the document attached to the confirmation email on your phone.

Border Force officers will use the QR code at the top of the document to check you have completed the form successfully. The government will use the information you give to contact you if someone you have travelled with develops coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms.

From 18 January, all travellers must also provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test result taken up to 3 days before departure. For further information, please see the FCDO website.

If you need further advice or support about the impact of this updated advice on you, our International Student Advisory Team are available at immigration@reading.ac.uk for immigration or Home Office inquiries and Int.Adv@reading.ac.uk for general questions.

If you are an EU student and have any queries about the impact of Brexit on your plans to travel to the UK, please see our guidance on Essentials and contact immigration@reading.ac.uk with any further queries.