Current Status

The new national lockdown guidelines mean that we should all be staying at home with only a few exceptions. Please ensure you read and follow the Government guidance to ensure that we protect our communities and the NHS.

Read the Government lockdown information

To support students, last year we made changes to assessments, grading and degree classifications, which is referred to as our Safety Net Policy. In 2021, this policy still applies as before and continues to support our students through this challenging period - you can read the policy below.

Key points in our Safety Net Policy:

• If a module is failed and then passed when you take a referral, the grade for the referred assignment will not be capped* to the pass grade.
• If a module is failed, you will be offered the chance to defer the module to the next academic year, as an alternative to a referral. Again, the grade would not be capped, and your transcripts would show it to be a first attempt.

You can read the Policy here.

Who can come to campus

Students who have a scheduled in-person teaching session or practical, and students who do not have a suitable space to study at home can come to campus for individual study in our LRCs and temporary study spaces.

Many of our students are already in our on-campus accommodation.  If you live at university, you should not move back and forward between your halls and your non-term time address.

Our campus is currently closed to all visitors, including visitors to our on-campus student accommodation.

How to visit campus safely:

What you need to do to visit campus safely:

• Check your timetable to see if you have a scheduled in-person session
• Book a test. Our testing unit is open for those who do not have symptoms
• Bring your student ID (physical card or digital ID via Herts Mobile) to ensure you can access campus through our security checkpoints
• Hands, face, space: follow Government guidance to keep the campus safe

Travelling to campus

You can help control coronavirus (COVID-19) and travel safely by walking and cycling, if you can. If you need to use public transport, please ensure you follow the Government guidance to ensure you travel safely.

Uno bus will be running services as normal but please check the Uno website before travelling.

If you are driving to campus, our Park and Ride is currently closed. Alternative free parking is available in car park E, behind the Art and Design building, at College Lane.

Which facilities you can access:

LRCs and Study spaces

At present, both of our LRCs remain open for your use. Check what's available and the safety measures that you need to follow here.

Additional temporary individual study spaces are also available in the Chapman Lounge and Hutton Lounge at College Lane, and the Enterprise Hub (all floors), Mezzanine and de Havilland restaurant at de Havilland.

Food and drink

Subway on College Lane and Café Moot at de Havilland will be open running a take-away service only. Both of our campus shops remain open. You can check opening times for College Lane here and de Havilland here.

Parking

The Park and Ride service is closed. Alternative free parking is available in car park E, behind the Art and Design building, at College Lane.

Ask Herts Hubs

Ask Herts Hutton remain open with skeleton staff, with Ask Herts Innovation and Ask Herts de Havilland remaining closed.

Sports

Hertfordshire Sports Village and Oval gym are closed.

The Key Centre:

In order to provide you with the safest experience, we have taken the difficult decision to keep our Chaplaincy spaces closed temporarily until the situation is clearer. We will always try to keep disruption to a minimum, and restrictions will only be in place where it is necessary to maintain a safe environment. We will review this situation regularly.

We are sorry we cannot offer more facilities at this time. If you have any queries please feel free to contact chaplain@herts.ac.uk

University Day Nursery:

The nursery is open as normal for all children currently registered there.

The Government has asked all students who live on campus, need to come to the University to use our study spaces such as our LRCs, or to attend scheduled in-person teaching sessions, to take two tests. The tests should take place immediately on your return and then again 3 days later. While you await your result (typically one hour), you should not be in contact with other students, you should follow the hands, face, space rules to avoid virus transmission.

You must book your tests in advance, and you can only attend your appointment if you do not have symptoms. If you do have symptoms, please book a test through the NHS testing unit.

The test is free, quick, and easy and involves applying a swab to the throat and nose.

Students arriving on campus from 4^th January are expected to minimise social contact until a negative test result has been confirmed. Testing is also required of students who have stayed on campus over the winter break if they have had social contact with others within the previous 10 days.

If you are a placement student, due to attend an Occupational Health (OH) appointment for placement clearance, please make sure you book a COVID-19 test on campus (if you don’t have symptoms) before attending your OH appointment.

Remember, by taking a test you are helping to stop the spread of the virus, protect other people and save lives. We have a low number of COVID-19 cases at the University and we need your help to keep our Herts community safe. Book your test here

Read more about testing at Herts.

We all have a shared responsibility to protect ourselves and others. If you are coming on to campus for practical's, or if you live on campus, you must follow all our safety guidance. This includes

• getting an asymptomatic test
• regular hand washing
• social distancing
• wearing a face covering (if you are not exempt)
• using our track and trace system.

The University expects all its students and staff to act responsibly by following the safety measures that are in place at all times. Individuals who do not follow the measures pose a risk to other members of our community. This behaviour will not be tolerated and any individuals found to continually break the rules will be dealt with accordingly.

Read our safety guidance

We have a range of resources from teams all across the University. You can reach out to the Dean of Students team on email or by phone (01707 281010). You can also get advice and support from Hertfordshire Students’ Union or Student Space, and you can even speak to the University Chaplain. Don’t forget there are lots of things for you to get involved in as well on our Facebook page and on the Active Students website.

And if you are a health and social care student, remember that you are considered an ‘essential worker’ so you can access additional support, such as sending your children to school to support your studies and placements.