Cumbria’s university has been providing updated information to its students about how national coronavirus lockdown restrictions will impact on their courses in the coming weeks.

University of Cumbria is also reassuring students that a wide range of help is available to support not only their academic studies but also their health and wellbeing.

Senior University of Cumbria teams have carefully been working through the detail contained in the government’s information issued to all universities to understand how it impacts on each one of the university’s 100-plus programmes.

The university has informed students that semester two of their 2020/21 academic courses will begin on 1 February 2021.

University of Cumbria delivers several health programmes and related courses that have been identified as critical to helping in the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Students have been informed that these specific courses will be delivered through blended learning – a combination of online learning and a limited number of face-to-face sessions on campus that are an essential part of their programme at this time.

Permitted courses include nursing, midwifery and some allied health professional programmes such as occupational therapy and paramedic practice.

Student teachers on a number of identified courses delivered by the university’s Institute of Education will also receive carefully considered blended learning in February.

All other programmes across the university, including undergraduate, postgraduate, professional development courses and work-based programmes such as degree apprenticeships, will be online throughout February.

The Government is expected to review its lockdown rules in mid-February. The university will update its students and staff again after that.

The university has also given its students advice on asymptomatic testing that anyone returning to essential on-campus activities and who show no symptoms of Covid-19 must complete before going back. Information has also been given about updates to academic assessments and regulations, funding and digital help, enhancement week opportunities, and online learning and library services available to students.

In a message to students Dr Signy Henderson, Dean for Student Success at University of Cumbria, said: “We recognise this is a time of great uncertainty. Our priority is the safety of everyone across our university community while we continue to do all we can to allow you to continue with your studies.”

She added: “We expect to deliver teaching in February, either 100% online or in blended mode as detailed, without further changes to plans. The plans for March and the rest of Semester 2 cannot be finalised until the Government announces the result of its mid-February review for all Higher Education in England. If our plans for March and the rest of Semester 2 have to change again, we can make further changes to assessment regulations as necessary, to ensure that our students continue not to be academically disadvantaged as a result of the pandemic.”

As well as accessing the university’s own health and wellbeing teams, students have also been reminded that they can access support online at www.togetherall.com or alternatively www.studentspace.org.uk, which has been developed by Student Minds, the UK’s largest student peer support charity.

University of Cumbria has campuses in Carlisle, Ambleside, Lancaster and London as well as sites in Barrow and West Cumbria.