St Andrews University sets out plans to welcome students back in September

In a message to students and staff this week, the principal, Professor Sally Mapstone, set out the university’s plans for the new academic year.

With Scotland now in the second phase in the plan to ease the country out of lockdown, the university has started to prepare for a “phased physical re-opening”, and move ahead with restarting its research portfolio.

“I am speaking to you as one community, because it is vital that we all continue to work together to ensure our university remains safe, and successful, and that we recognise our collective responsibility to ensure a safe exit from the Covid crisis,” Prof Mapstone wrote.

Orientation week is due to begin on September 7, with the academic year starting the week after.

The Halls of Residence will be open to students from August 24.

Speaking about teaching, Prof Mapstone wrote: “Teaching at St Andrews next semester will be a blend of traditional, in-person classes, pre-recorded content and live, interactive online provision.

“Wherever possible, we will default to traditional in-person teaching with remote delivery as back-up support for those students who require it.

“Larger classes, typically those in lecture format, will be delivered only online while public health restrictions remain in place.

“All our in-person classes will take place under physical distancing regimens. All our online classes will be recorded so that students can access them later if desired.”

This approach will be used “as long as necessary”.

Students who can travel safely to the town are urged to do so. The university will be working to make living, studying and working in the town safe.

The university will also be managing the number of folk in the community at any one time, particularly after the new semester starts.

“Our planning is founded on a vision of St Andrews as safe, supportive and Scottish, where people come first,” Prof Mapstone concluded in her message.

“Scotland has taken a particularly cautious approach to managing the Covid crisis, and the aim of the Scottish Government is to get as close as possible to eradicating the virus over the summer, to support a comprehensive re-opening of society as soon as public health guidance allows.”