Updated FAQs: Department for Education (DfE) and Government alert level tiers

16 Oct 2020

We've updated our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The following questions have been added to our teaching and learning FAQs:

What are the DfE tiers?

The Department for Education (DfE) tiers form part of the guidance to higher education to support the reopening of campuses. They are independent from the Government COVID alert levels.

The DfE guidance gives a practical framework to think about what we need to do to continue operations during the coronavirus pandemic.

The guidance is in place for HE providers to use to make their own judgement about our provision, working alongside public health authorities to do this.

How do the DfE tiers relate to the national/local alert levels?

There is no direct correlation between the local COVID alerts levels and the DfE Tiers.

What DfE tier are we at and when will this be reviewed?

We are currently working at DfE tier 3, this is in place until 30 October and will be reviewed on 23 October. The review decision will be communicated to all staff and students.

If Greater Manchester moves to local COVID alert level: very high we will review our operations based on the local restrictions in place. The guidance for local alert level: very high includes provision for universities to stay open, and we would not expect any changes to our teaching and learning, although we may need to review things like our on-campus cafés.

What would trigger the University moving to DfE tier 4?

We are meeting with public health officials on a very regular basis to review our operations and guide our decision-making.

The guidance for local alert level: very high includes provision for Universities to stay open.

If there was a national lock down or circuit break, we would expect that this would be the trigger to move to DfE Tier 4.

What should I do if I live in an area that’s at a very high alert level and I’m still required to come to campus?

This is covered in our FAQ on reopening campus. Please see the returning to campus section.

Should I be travelling to an area that’s at a very high alert level?

This is covered in our FAQ on reopening campus. Please see the returning to campus section.