New university attendance policy. Worried I am going to be kicked out.

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I'm a mature student who has been forced back on to campus/in person teaching despite being CV and having to shield for nearly eighteen months. It's my second year of an undergraduate degree with my first year being online. I got good grades and enjoyed my first year but second year so far has been a nightmare. The DC's are constantly needing to self isolate with coughs/colds and all of my lectures are grouped over two days, so I end up missing both days while I wait for postal PCR tests to arrive/ test results to come back.

To top the stress off the university have brought in a new attendance policy (during a pandemic) which says you will be threatened with removal from the course if you fail to attend 80% of time tabled sessions over a semester. Though as we only have three timetabled sessions in a week, grouped together over two days, this makes it really easy to get below the threshold.

I missed all three sessions last week and now DD1 is unwell and it looks like I may need to miss tomorrows sessions. Not only this but many students in the class have tested positive in the last two weeks, it's completely rife.

I'm just so stressed and have no idea what to do. I'm really worried I am going to get kicked off of the course. I've worked really hard and it feels like it's all going to be for nothing :(

Advice would be really appreciated

Uni staff here, you really won’t be kicked off the course for this! Talk to your personal tutor to explain your situation, they will be able to reassure you!

Are you able to use a test centre to speed things up? I got results in 16 hours yesterday. Definitely talk to your lecturer.

@Lougle

Are you able to use a test centre to speed things up? I got results in 16 hours yesterday. Definitely talk to your lecturer.

No, we live semi-rurally and don't drive with no walk in testing site close by. It's been a complete nightmare.

I'm an academic. The penalty will be for unauthorised absence, not for legitimate reasons like sickness, emergency caring responsibilities, etc. The university would be on very dodgy ground if they were to impose this for any kind of absence whatsoever, it would potentially be discrimination.

@GCAcademic

I'm an academic. The penalty will be for unauthorised absence, not for legitimate reasons like sickness, emergency caring responsibilities, etc. The university would be on very dodgy ground if they were to impose this for any kind of absence whatsoever, it would potentially be discrimination.

See discrimination is what this new 'engagement policy' feels like, especially to students with disabilities and children (or both, like myself), we're still in the middle of a pandemic ffs and student cases are rapidly accelerating now.

When our head of course did a talk with us at the beginning of the year he implied that if Covid made things too difficult for people to come to lecture then we should take a year out, but I am already a year in and the university left it until practically the beginning of September to tell us there would be no choice other than to attend in person, even though in the second part of last year everyone had a choice and it worked much better.

I don't want to have to drop out, I won't get another shot due to dropping out of uni a year in a decade ago, but at the moment this whole thing feels impossible. I got a first last year and felt so positive about my future, but this weekend I just feel like sacking the whole thing in .

It also doesn't stipulate between authorised or unauthorised on the policy, it just states you need 80% attendance or risk being removed from the course.

If it's a course where you need to prove that you have completed practical elements then they may feel they have to be strict about attendance. But don't just give up - talk to your personal tutor at least so they know what's going on. I know it's hard. Good luck.

Surely you do t need to isolate etc unless there is a positive case? Are you vaccinated?
Do you have a dh/dp?

I'm all for ppl not being able to attend lectures here and there but How do you propose being able to complete assignments etc if you can't go to the lectures?

Also is there an option to join over zoom?

Please don't sack it in OP. Do you have a personal tutor, or is there a senior tutor or programme lead in your department? Please speak to them. They will be able to make an exception. No way would they kick you out of the course for these absolutely legitimate concerns.

You need to speak to your personal tutor, both to ensure that your absence is being recorded correctly (clearly you shouldn't be penalised for absence due to illness or caring responsibilities) and for some reassurance.

If this helps: I used to work in a department that had a policy that allowed for students with more than three weeks' absence in a ten week term to be removed from a module. It was literally never enforced, it was essentially a way of ensuring that students on two or three absences actually engaged with their personal tutor to see what the problem was and if they needed any support. Once they engaged the absence was always written off.

Dropout and failure rates are a huge part of how universities are rated and measured - it is in no one's interest to kick out motivated students who are struggling.

@barleywoken

Surely you do t need to isolate etc unless there is a positive case? Are you vaccinated? Do you have a dh/dp?

I'm all for ppl not being able to attend lectures here and there but How do you propose being able to complete assignments etc if you can't go to the lectures?

Also is there an option to join over zoom?

Yes I am vaccinated, but am still very wary of Covid as I am disabled.

DH works from home full time so when one of the DC's is ill he has to take the day off, which we simply can't afford as often as we are having to do it.

I managed to complete all my assignments last year and literally all of the slides are put up online before a lecture anyway, as well as an online discussion so I am not overly worried about my assignments.

It's a humanities course with no practical elements or exams, so it really isn't as essential to be physically present as for other courses.

The children don’t need to isolate though, so they? Just get a PCR?

@Howshouldibehave

The children don’t need to isolate though, so they? Just get a PCR?

If they are ill with symptoms they do, and youngest DD is constantly getting coughs/colds and has had six days off already this term.

Speak to your personal tutor or equivalent, there will be an exceptional circumstances procedure for absence just as if you needed to miss an exam or assignment deadline due to illness.