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Higher education

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Original poster

Is there any thought yet as to how students are going to get home for Christmas?

362 replies

TawnyPippit · 26/10/2020 13:53

I haven’t seen anything, but I’m assuming some thought must be being given to this, whether by the universities or the govt?. DS is in catered accommodation and I can’t believe that that that would keep on going all over the Christmas period. I’m not a Christmas obsessive - DS is just coming to the end of his first lockdown period, and also can’t come home for reading week as originally planned as we are Tier 2. But I have told him (rashly?) that it will all be ok for Christmas.

I guess the way it would currently work would be to do another period of isolation - which hopefully will be just 7 days by then - and then come and re-join our household. He is in Tier 1, so coming home is not a problem for him, its us that cannot mix households ATM.

I suspect its all too far away to strategise about at the moment as we will likely have several different iterations of lockdown restrictions before then, just idle musings.

OP posts:
JamminDoughnuts · 11/11/2020 13:48

@Parker231

DS has said he and his friends are planning on going home on the dates they had already planned. Lots of very angry students.
are they angry because they wanted to come home later?
JamminDoughnuts · 11/11/2020 13:50

@Witchend

DD had already booked her train ticket. She was planning on isolating for the fortnight before and then coming home on a hopefully not-filled-with-students train. Unless they refund her train ticket that will be when she's coming home.
do you think there will be plenty of people not wanting to travel on the trains with students?
mumsneedwine · 11/11/2020 13:53

Will they get refunds on accommodation if have to leave early ? Can't make them pay for the weeks they are not allowed to be there ! And what if home doesn't have wifi?

Parker231 · 11/11/2020 13:54

@JamminDoughnuts - angry because they are being told when they can travel. They are adults (DS is 21, Masters student) and subject to lockdown can travel the same as anyone else. DS doesn’t know anyone who has or has had Covid.
I’ve left it up to him to decide when he’s coming home. He has his car so doesn’t need collecting or to use public transport.

Nettleskeins · 11/11/2020 15:44

I suspect that the bulk of students will leave during the travel window as hoped by govt (cos no one wants to be left out of mass exodus) and those who leave later dont present a problem for increasing infection rates, cosand statistically there are much less of them

MyVisionsComeFromSoup · 11/11/2020 15:49

@mumsneedwine

Will they get refunds on accommodation if have to leave early ? Can't make them pay for the weeks they are not allowed to be there ! And what if home doesn't have wifi?
one of DDs flatmates has already taken that up with their uni authorities, no response as yet.
ifonly4 · 11/11/2020 16:05

It's irrelevant now (as DD came home for personal reasons) but her original plan had been to come home end November as she had work lined up and wanted to isolate before starting. There must be others who have work lined up and were hoping to do the same thing.

MarchingFrogs · 11/11/2020 17:43

do you think there will be plenty of people not wanting to travel on the trains with students?

Well, if students testing negative but knowing that they are close contacts of someone testing positive really are going to be allowed to ignore that and travel anyway, I can see Joe Public being pretty keen not to find himself sharing transport with anything vaguely resembling a student, yes. As well as being pretty pissed off about the concept of them getting the special dispensation in the first place.

Bwlch · 12/11/2020 08:13

I did a poll of my personal tutees yesterday. Surprisingly, the majority are staying put.

Needmoresleep · 12/11/2020 08:21

Universities and regions vary a lot. DD is in London and says they have only had 85 positive tests out of 3000, with more staff than students. In this context restrictions seem tough. That said plenty is on line, and many have stayed overseas. People we knew who were there last year seem to have caught it at the start of the outbreak, when things were spreading rapidly.

MarchingFrogs · 12/11/2020 23:08

Shared by a friend:

wonkhe.com/blogs/a-christmas-miracle-dfe-guidance-on-student-travel/

I'm glad I'm not alone in having considered the possible legal complexities of pretending that 'students' are somehow not also 'people'...

AtiaoftheJulii · 12/11/2020 23:31

@Malbecfan

This is causing hassle. Ages ago I agreed to collect DD1 on 5th December. Her term ends the day before. She is 4 hours away. She can't get a train - there isn't anything remotely near us and the coach would take a full day with all the changes. DH & I are both key workers who are working all week.

DD2 is 1 hr 40 minutes from DD1, just over 3 hours from home. Originally I was collecting her on 19th but she wants to come back the same weekend & that is what is being suggested now. Option 1: Collect DD1 on 5th and DD2 on 6th. 2 days behind the wheel for me then a full week at work afterwards. Option 2: Leave home at 6.30 am on 5th. Collect DD1. Pack car & drive to DD2. Load car with DD1's help. DD2 has an online course until 14.30. Leave at 14.31 and clog it home so I'm not driving for too long in the dark. Gives me a day off to recover but around 450 miles of driving in December.

Just hoping that rules become clearer. Both have had recent negative tests administered by their institutions. I hate being left in limbo...

I'm planning on doing option 2 for my two students. But I thought I might drive up Friday night and stay somewhere if that's a possibility. Otherwise it'll be a long day.

I don't think students should be bothering to get angry - they can't be made to go home, or stay for that matter. People wanted the govt to make it so students could go home safely for Christmas, they've come up with a plan that offers testing, online teaching, and time to get home and have a gap before seeing e.g. elderly relatives at Christmas. Has anyone been told that if they get a negative test they can't stay in halls? If not, what's the problem?

Bwlch · 13/11/2020 08:53

She can't get a train - there isn't anything remotely near us

Even so, picking them/her up from a not-so-close station would still mean a lot less driving for you.

JamminDoughnuts · 13/11/2020 09:17

the train companies should promise not to inflate their prices, if a student has to rebook the journey, the train company should promise they dont have to pay more

Bwlch · 13/11/2020 09:58

if a student has to rebook the journey, the train company should promise they dont have to pay more

The trouble is that that is open to abuse. They will just buy the cheapest ticket, regardless of date or time, and swap it for the one they really want.

Nettleskeins · 13/11/2020 10:27

Poor train companies, they have taken such a hit in pandemic anyway, surely this is a minor gripe, if we want them to keep running services. If you think of all the other ways students spend money in last two weeks of term that they will presumably save on...nights out etc now cancelled

JamminDoughnuts · 13/11/2020 10:46

i dont think it is a minor gripe, the fares can be huge!

Xenia · 13/11/2020 11:20

My son used the much cheaper coach and very crowded coach last time he came home from Bristol to London rather than the more expensive and less crowded train. Mind you he seem invincible, not even caught it from his one and only flatmate with whom he lives and eats and who did test positive. (He was negative) - they just came out of 14 days quarantine.

Parker231 · 13/11/2020 11:37

DS has said he is dropping one of his flat mates off on his drive home. He lives north London and we’re central so his friend won’t need to use the train.

Nettleskeins · 13/11/2020 14:12

"The fares can be huge."

Well, there have plenty of other financial hits in the pandemic, why should students' train fares be exempt? Ds1 didn't get half his rental money back last year (2ndyear). I'm sure people have had to stump up for all sorts of pandemic related extras...but then saved money in other ways.

Sometimes things just aren't "fair".

Unless we are all going to become communists.

Nettleskeins · 13/11/2020 14:15

I could ask the uni to give ds2 a refund for all sorts of things, similarily I could ask a refund from LA for all the facilities they closed in pandemic.

But I won't. Cos they are skint anyway.

Nettleskeins · 13/11/2020 14:17

Was it ever "fair" that some students couldn't afford the train in the first place, and went by National Express??

Nettleskeins · 13/11/2020 14:29

I just looked up single with a Railcard from Lancaster in the week earmarked. Most tickets between 20 and 25 pounds. Not exactly exorbitant for a 3 and half hour train journey with no changes.

Nettleskeins · 13/11/2020 14:33

Considering he hadn't come back since sept, nor did I travel to see him, stay in ACC etc, day out with him etc, he hasn't spent money on cinema, theatre, travelling to Manchester or lakes. He is quids in as far as I can tell, even if he had to buy TWO train tickets in the event of one being wrong date!

JamminDoughnuts · 13/11/2020 15:48

@Nettleskeins

I just looked up single with a Railcard from Lancaster in the week earmarked. Most tickets between 20 and 25 pounds. Not exactly exorbitant for a 3 and half hour train journey with no changes.
no, my point was, so he has booked the ticket, takes the test, it is positive, he has to rebook, by which time the prices are huge, as they do go up nearer the time. call me a communist Hmm
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