Covid-19: Changes to provision and plans for 2020-21

Goldsmiths' buildings remain closed.
Student support services are open and operating remotely.

2019-20 Teaching and assessments

We have changed the way results are calculated, resits, progression, and how modules are assessed, to help students impacted by Covid-19.

Graduation ceremonies

Our summer 2020 graduation ceremonies have been postponed.

All graduating students from the class of 2020 are invited to attend a virtual end of year celebration with fellow students and academics on 4-6 August 2020. Please note that this is not a replacement for graduation ceremonies.

Start of 2020-21 academic year

Goldsmiths will be open for learning this autumn.

Autumn term will start on 5 October 2020, with online induction activities from 28 September 2020.

For non-standard programmes (such as PGCE and Social Work) programme enrolment may take place earlier. The date for this will be communicated by the Department directly.

We are working on new approaches to make the start of term as exciting, welcoming and inclusive as possible, as well as looking ahead at how we connect with our community throughout the academic year.

How learning will be delivered

We will deliver a mixture of in-person and online learning in the autumn term, and will confirm with you the exact details of these arrangements as soon as we can.

Due to the wide range of subjects offered at Goldsmiths there are likely to be differences in how courses are taught. We can assure you all learning will meet our high standards delivered by the expert academics at Goldsmiths.

Support

We are committed to offering you the best possible support while remaining flexible in order to respond to the ongoing situation around Covid-19.

Personal situations for our students may mean that they can’t attend classes, visit workshops or practice spaces.

We know the current situation presents many challenges, and our academic departments are developing alternative support, provision and ways of learning to ensure that you do not miss out whatever your circumstances.

Campus life

Our campus buildings are currently closed, except for student accommodation.

The safety of our community is paramount. We’re planning for our campus to be open for the 2020-21 academic year, including accommodation, with a focus on how we can keep everyone as safe as possible.

We’ll need everyone's help and support to make this possible and everyone will have a role to play in securing our community’s health and wellbeing.

Teams at Goldsmiths are working together developing tools, resources and operating arrangements so we can all stay safe, well and look after each other. This will mean working together using social distancing and other public health measures, deep cleaning, hand sanitisation and practical steps to navigate around campus with safety in mind.

We fully recognise the disproportionate impact Covid-19 continues to have on BME communities and our planning includes specific measures to support BME students, colleagues and visitors.

Tuition fees

Information about tuition fees for academic year 2020/21 can be found here. 

International students

We recognise international students may face specific challenges as a result of Covid-19 and we have a team able to support you with help in applying for visas and any other questions you may have.

Our approach for planning for next academic year

Goldsmiths will be open for learning this autumn. Our twin priorities are keeping students safe and delivering a great learning experience while they are with us.

Our decisions will be informed by both UK and global official guidelines and requirements as they are updated in response to the evolving situation with Covid-19.

We will make sure the student experience is the best it can be in the circumstances, is available to all our students, and we will ensure the quality of our teaching is maintained.

Maximum resilience

This means that they will be suitable for whatever phase of social distancing/lockdown we find ourselves in at the start of the academic year and as the year moves on.

This resilience will enable us to adapt to last-minute changes as quickly and effectively as possible. This will ensure we can support our students to the best of our abilities whatever changes occur next year.

Quality and standards

We will prioritise the quality and standards of the education that we provide, ensuring a focus on delivery of education that is of our usual high quality.

Any temporary adaptations to the curriculum we deliver and the way in which we deliver these will have been subject to careful scrutiny through our usual internal and external standards.

This will ensure that our students are receiving the same quality and standard of education even where it differs from how we would previously have provided learning and teaching.

Parity for students

This means that whatever social distancing/lockdown situation a student finds themselves in they should be able to access our education in some form, whether online, in person or a combination.

Health and safety

For everything we do we will ensure that the health and safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount.

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Last updated 29 June