Please find updates to our service delivery.
January 2021 update: University services are all operating remotely and advisers can be accessed as usual through email, telephone and virtual appointment. On campus, a Student Life adviser, as representative from the Infozone is available Monday - Friday 9-12pm and 1-4pm.
If you have any queries you can contact infozone@uos.ac.uk by email or 01473 338833.
In getting back to campus you may want to refamiliarise yourself with the campus and new layout. Our film Staying COVID Secure on Campus provides a useful summary of the main features of our campus. We are also asking all students to complete a Return to Campus course to assist with re-orientation and this can be found on Brightspace.
If you would like to book a re-orientation tour, please contact studentservices@uos.ac.uk to arrange this.
We recognise that due to current global events related to COVID-19, that there may be a need for some students to study or start their programme from overseas for a period of short time.
Our aim is that to ensure that services are available to you wherever you are currently living. However, if you are living outside of the United Kingdom (UK), there may be some limitations to how you can access the service remotely. These are outlined below. Please note that support will be offered during UK working hours (9am-5pm Monday to Friday) only. If time differences make it difficult to arrange direct contact, advice will be offered remotely via email and online delivery of information.
What we can offer:
- General wellbeing advice and guidance within office hours – appointments bookable here
- Advice on University policies and procedures such as academic regulations, extenuating circumstance and applying for extra time for assessment.
- Discussion of support arrangements and reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities – appointments bookable here
- The university counselling service can offer up to six sessions in an academic year.
- Remote help with time management, workload management and extenuating circumstances
- Access to online workshops and self-help resources eg. SilverCloud, MySuffolk and Brightspace
- Information about local and international healthcare services. Please note we are unable to liaise directly with local support services on your behalf if you are abroad, but we can explore support options with you.
What we cannot provide:
Mental Health crisis or urgent support – If you are in need of urgent medical or mental health care, please contact your local Doctor or healthcare provider. University staff will provide information where possible, however they may not hold up to date information or have knowledge of the relevant services for all countries and therefore we recommend speaking with your local Doctor or healthcare provider in the first instance.
Student Services successfully transitioned all services to remote delivery. For Semester 1, 2020-21 academic year, we will continue to delivery services remotely where we can. This is to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19. Please see our page about Appointments and Drop ins for more information about how to connect with the team.
The Specific Learning Difficulties Assessment and Standards Committee (SASC) regulate the way in which full diagnostic assessments must be conducted. At present SASC have advised that it is not possible to undertake full diagnostic assessments remotely. Further information is available on their website.
We are actively working to be able to conduct face-to-face assessments on campus from October 2020. We will be working closely with external suppliers to deliver this.
For Undergraduate and Postgraduate students, our in-house assessors will be prioritising the availability of 'assessment of needs'. Student Finance England have agreed to receive evidence of this brief assessment of need as a temporary measure until the end of December 2020. An assessment of need will not diagnose a specific learning difficulty (SpLD), such as Dyslexia or Dyspraxia, but may be used to identify reasonable adjustments and enable students to access Disabled Students' Allowances funding.
More information about the assessment process for Apprenticeship, Undergraduate and Postgraduate students can be found on MySuffolk Dyslexia and Specific Learning Difficulties Service.
Advice on the delivery of study support and assistance where identified as part of a reasonable adjustment agreement
Some students receive study support as part of a reasonable adjustment agreement. Sometimes this support is referred to ‘non-medical help’, which is a term that is particularly used in the Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) process.
Types of study support could include:
- Specialist study skills for specific learning difficulties or autism
- Specialist mentoring for mental health conditions or autism
- Practical campus assistance
- General study assistance
- Note-taking
University staff or a separate external supplier may be your provider of ‘non-medical help’. You can find out who delivers your study support by checking one of the following:
- Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) letter 2.
- Needs Assessment Report – completed as part of the DSA process.
- Reasonable Adjustment Agreement.
If in doubt speak to a Disability Adviser.
The University’s position on the delivery of study support (or non-medical help) on campus
The campus is open for specific designated contact, for example, seminars, tutorials and pre-arranged appointments. Procedures have been put in place to ensure that the site is COVID-19 secure and all staff and students are required to compete a return to campus training and visitors must read our health and safety notice.
Government advice says where possible staff should continue to work from home to minimise the spread of COVID-19. Both Library and Learning Services and Student Services have successfully transitioned all advice, counselling and delivery of non-medical help to online remote delivery in March 2020 and so to ensure everyone’s safety we will continue to deliver our services remotely for the first semester, wherever possible.
Below gives an indication of how the University will primarily work with you to deliver our services.
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Study skills sessions with an Academic Skills Adviser |
Microsoft Teams or Skype |
|
Specialist mentoring for Mental Health or Autism |
Microsoft Teams, Skype or telephone |
|
Non-specialist study assistance |
Microsoft Teams or Skype |
|
Manual notetaking |
Audio-recording of the virtual class and accompanying learning materials |
|
Reader or Scribe |
Microsoft Teams or Skype |
If there is a disability-related reason that support cannot be delivered remotely, please contact a disability adviser to discuss your needs and explore alternative arrangements, such as face-to-face on campus support. You can telephone 01473 338833 to make an appointment or email: studentservices@uos.ac.uk
The University may need to undertake a further risk assessment or identify adjustments with your course team.
What happens if I receive services from an external DSA supplier?
We have talked with a number of external suppliers and understand that suppliers also intend to continue to work remotely throughout the first semester.
Your external supplier will contact you to explain how they intend to deliver support over the academic year. The University does not have control over the decisions or processes of external suppliers. If you have a query or concern, please raise this directly with your supplier. If you feel unable to do this, you can also speak to a Disability Adviser for information and advice.
If through your discussions with your external supplier and a University Disability Adviser it is agreed that alternative arrangements are required, and your external supplier can provide ‘on campus’ support, we have developed a process whereby we can exceptionally make arrangements for you to meet your supplier on campus.
Please contact a Disability Adviser to discuss your need to access support on campus. Where appropriate a reasonable adjustment agreement will be created or updated and relevant departments (e.g. academic rooming and Reception), will be informed that it has been agreed that you can make visitor bookings to meet a supplier on campus. You will be advised of the process to book your supplier in to visit the campus.
Please note that appointments / meetings will be limited to the Waterfront Building and a room should also be booked.
We would like to remind you of our online support services and advice for keeping well and ways to connect with others:
Here are some top tips from the mental health foundation.
If you want to explore and learn more about strategies for wellbeing, check out our SilverCloud programmes or Student Minds Student Space. If you are in need of urgent medical or mental health support, please contact emergency services by dialling 999 or call NHS 111.
If you have urgent accommodation needs: Please follow this link for information about emergency accommodation and how to contact your local borough council.
You can also:
- Text SHOUT to 85258 for text support with a trained volunteer
- Call the Samaritans Freephone number on 116 123 for mental health support
- Call the NHS first response line 0808 196 3494 to access immediate advice, support and signposting for people experiencing mental health difficulties or to speak with a mental health professional.