Student Update: Support, new Covid-19 guidelines, NSS and School Rep opportunity

Please be aware that this information was shared with students by email and correct at the time of sending. For the latest Covid-19 guidance, please visit our coronavirus webpages: www.wlv.ac.uk/coronavirus. If you are a student who has a query or needs support, please log a helpcall with ASK@WLV in e:Vision (www.wlv.ac.uk/evision).

As reported yesterday, we are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic death of one of our students at the weekend in Wolverhampton.  My thoughts and that of the whole University community are with the student's family and friends at this very sad time.  And I know that many of you will have been greatly affected. 

I want to remind you that the University is here if you need support or advice. You may want to join the online support webinar for dealing with sudden grief, taking place on Wednesday 28 July at 10 am. This session is a conversation with staff at the University; Gwen Morris (Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioner), Clare Dickens (Academic Lead for Mental Health) and Sarah Schofield (Lead Chaplain) exploring helping people, including ourselves, through the experience of sudden bereavement.

• Support for students
• New Covid-19 guidance
• Results from the National Student Survey
• Course Rep opportunities

Support for students

The health and wellbeing of our students has always been important to us, but especially during times of difficulty and uncertainty. The pandemic has created and exacerbated many challenges for us all, and we have a range of services to support your wellbeing during this time.

If you are concerned that you might harm yourself, you need to contact the emergency services by calling 999 or contact a crisis support service. Please visit the I NEED SUPPORT NOW webpage for a list of crisis support services, which are mostly open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Everyone at the University can access online mental health and wellbeing support 24/7 through Togetherall – an online community monitored by trained professionals. In addition to this, our own dedicated Mental Health and Wellbeing Service can signpost you to additional support services. If you feel that you need advice or extra support, please check our self-help resources webpage or complete the Mental health and wellbeing support registration form.

If you would like someone to stay in touch with you during this difficult time, you can complete our online Welfare check form, and a member of staff will contact you.

Find out more about the student support services available to you here: www.wlv.ac.uk/support.

New Covid-19 guidance

Yesterday marked the move to step 4 in the Government's roadmap out of lockdown. This means we are entering a new phase in the pandemic, where greater emphasis is placed on personal and corporate responsibilities in place of legal restrictions. Across the region, cases are rising, so caution is still needed.

While the legal requirements around face coverings and social distancing have been removed, we still need to be careful and look after each other. Our campuses are and will continue to be Covid-informed environments, and we are advising everyone to take care.

We all have a role to play to keep ourselves and our communities safe, and if we all continue to play our part, we will be that bit closer to a more familiar future. 

Face coverings on campus

The Government has decided face coverings are no longer mandatory. However, we request that students, staff and visitors continue to use them in communal areas and while moving around campus, particularly in busy indoor areas, while we review our policy. Please keep in mind that some people may not be able to wear a face covering due to a medical reason or disability.

Coronavirus vaccination

Anyone over 18 years old can book an appointment to receive their coronavirus vaccine, including international students living in the UK. We strongly urge everyone that can to be vaccinated. Our coronavirus vaccination webpage shares the latest information for booking an appointment and walk-in vaccination opportunities close to our campuses.

Regular Covid-19 testing

Students are strongly encouraged to get two tests a week while attending or living on campus. Details of where to get a test are available on our Stay Safe, Study Safe, Work Safe webpage.

Reporting and isolating

If you begin to experience coronavirus symptoms or test positive, you must self-isolate immediately and not come to campus.  Please follow our Covid-19 reporting procedures.

One-way systems on campus

The one-way systems will remain in place on campus, at least until September, when they will be reviewed. These enable people to social distance while moving around campus.

Social distancing on campus

While the Government has said social distancing is no longer mandatory, we recommend that you continue to give other people space when on campus. Please be respectful of the personal space of other people.

Hand sanitiser stations on campus

The hand sanitiser stations will remain on campus, and we would encourage you to use these alongside regular hand-washing and other good hygiene measures.

Campus signage

The current Covid-19 pandemic signage will remain in place. This will enable us to re-activate measures quickly if required to do so due to local or national restrictions being introduced.

Enhanced cleaning on campus

We will maintain our enhanced cleaning measures, focusing on touchpoints – such as door handles to building entrances and WC facilities, handrails and lift buttons in high footfall areas at busy times of the day. Toilets and washrooms will also continue to be cleaned more frequently. We are also asking that students continue to clean their workspaces before and after use, using the cleaning products made available.

Venue check-in

Designated venues are no longer legally required to ask customers, visitors and staff to "check-in" (attendees can scan the NHS QR code poster via the NHS COVID-19 app or provide their contact details). Although it isn't a requirement, venues are strongly encouraged to retain their NHS QR code poster and maintain your "logbook" containing attendees' contact details. Therefore, the University is maintaining the NHS Test and Trace in our venues and continuing to ask individuals to check-in.

We continue to work closely with our local public health teams and monitor Government guidance. We will also continue to review our own position and keep you updated.

By following safety guidelines and taking part in regular testing, we put ourselves in the best possible position to avoid any future restrictions.

Results from the National Student Survey (NSS)

The results of the National Student Survey (NSS 2021) were released last week. This annual survey gathers the views of final year undergraduate students about their learning experience at university, and I want to thank everyone who completed the questionnaire.

Nationally we can see that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on student satisfaction. In line with the sector, our overall satisfaction has declined and is now 71%. Nevertheless, our satisfaction scores for teaching on my course remain relatively high at 79%, while learning opportunities are also at 80%.

The last 18 months have been incredibly challenging for students and staff. We have followed Government guidance about on-campus teaching throughout the pandemic, but we recognise that students who completed the survey have not had the final year they wanted, and it is not the year we had planned or hoped for them.

We are currently looking at all the NSS data in detail to understand our performance and your feedback in more depth. Every student who filled in the survey wanted to tell us something, positive or negative, and we are committed to learning from their comments to improve teaching and the student experience.

School Rep opportunities

The Students' Union is looking to recruit 10 new School Representatives (School/Institute Reps) to represent students' views at Faculty and University level, supporting the continuous improvement of the student learning experience.

This is a paid position, and School Reps are offered additional self-development and training opportunities relating to student engagement, quality assurance and enhancement and partnership work with the University.

The SU is looking for School Reps for the following:

• School of Humanities
• School of Engineering
• School of Architecture and Built Environment
• Institute of Health- Paramedic Science, Midwifery and Allied Health
• Institute of Human Sciences- Sports

You can find more information, including the job description, on the Students' Union website, using the button below.

Find out more

Stay up to date with the latest information    

Please keep checking your University WLV emails and reading these updates. We are committed to keeping students up to date. We do this by email, on our social media channels (Instagram, Twitter and Facebook) and the University student news webpage.    

Visit our dedicated Covid-19 webpages for information on how you can stay safe and help protect our University community during the pandemic.   

If you are in the final year of your studies, please remember that you can access help and support with planning your next steps through the Class of 2021 programme.

Thank you, stay safe and be kind to yourself and others.

Professor Julia Clarke

Deputy Vice-Chancellor