29 Jun 2020
University of Nottingham veterinary students will be among the first in the UK to return to campus when face-to-face teaching resumes on 27 July.
James Westgate
Job Title
A range of health and safety measures have been implemented at Sutton Bonington campus
Vet students at the University of Nottingham will be greeted by a one-way system and safety screens when they return to face-to-face studies next month.
The measures are part of a system that has been designed to protect students who will be among the first in the UK to return to campus following the coronavirus lockdown when they are welcomed back to resume face-to-face teaching in July.
A full package of health and safety measures has been implemented across the veterinary school building and accommodation blocks to meet Government guidelines, and allow for the controlled return of 150 first-year undergraduate students to the Sutton Bonington campus.
Staggered arrivals will enable adequate social distancing to be observed before teaching begins again in small groups on Monday 27 July.
The students returning are from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science’s first-ever April cohort, following the school’s move to become the first vet school in the UK to operate a dual intake system from the start of the academic year in September 2019.
Since they joined the university in April at the height of the UK lockdown, the school has been able to offer a programme of technology-assisted fresher’s week and teaching activities.
The early return of the April cohort will enable face-to-face teaching that cannot be delivered remotely – specifically essential animal handling, and health and safety skills required before students can embark on the work experience element of their course.
Practical sessions will form part of a blended approach to learning, with other lectures and tutorial support continuing to be delivered remotely to reduce the number of students in teaching buildings at any one time.
Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science Gary England said: “The health and safety of our students and staff has remained our top priority, and has been at the heart of our planning process.
“Colleagues from across the university have been working intensively on the intricate detail required to ensure adequate social distancing and hygiene measures are in place to allow this first step in a return to campus.”
