*This is a message from the Vice-Chancellor*
Dear Colleagues,
I know the news from the Prime Minister last night about a new national lockdown was not exactly the start to the New Year that we all wanted. However, it won’t deter me from still wishing you all a very Happy New Year.
The immediate impact on our University is clear, indeed many elements had started to become clear last week when the Government revised its student return guidelines. All our teaching will be online only until at least mid-February, with the exception of future critical worker courses including medicine, health sciences and PGCE students who will be able to continue with some critical face-to-face teaching. We are exploring exactly what that will entail. In line with the strong Government steer, other students who have not returned to Southampton and Winchester will be required to study from where they are.
With full support from Government, our COVID-secure laboratories will remain open so we can continue with our important research. As with the first lockdown, some essential staff and those who for various reasons cannot work from home are permitted to travel to work. The Government is rightly setting the bar high on these exemptions, and so must we. We will be able to provide greater clarity at School and Directorate level over the coming days.
I know there will be a lot of questions – please do bear with us. The complexities for an organisation of 6,000 staff and more than 20,000 students are immense, many of the issues are inter-related, and the Government guidance still leaves some issues unanswered.
One major consequence of last night’s announcement is of course the immediate closure of schools, until at least the February half-term. I know the need to provide unexpected childcare and home-schooling will be a significant challenge to some colleagues. Equally, I know that a further period of sustained lockdown may be very isolating for some, others may be facing increased carer responsibilities for more vulnerable family members and friends.
As I said during the first national lockdown, we understand and are very sympathetic to the challenges of juggling working from home with caring responsibilities. I again encourage line managers, where possible, to allow staff to manage their working life flexibly around their care obligations during this period of lockdown. Where staff are unable to work their usual hours, other options are available including paid and unpaid leave, and our normal additional Compassionate and Domestic Leave. We will be reviewing what additional support we can provide over the coming days.
We clearly face a difficult few months before the impact of the vaccination roll-out starts making a demonstrable difference to the pandemic, but my overall optimism for 2021 at some point remains undimmed. We have already shown how we can work together effectively as a community under previous lockdowns, and I know too that we will all endeavour to give our students as much support as we can, both for those studying remotely online and also in supporting those who are already here in Southampton.
Thank you for your continuing support and professionalism in these most challenging of times.
With best wishes,
Mark
Professor Mark E. Smith
Vice-Chancellor
