Christmas closure 2020

02 Dec 2020

A reminder that the University will be closed for two weeks over the Christmas period

In recognition of the exceptional hard work from colleagues the University Christmas closure period has been extended this year.

Our University will officially close at the end of Friday 18 December 2020, and reopen on Monday 4 January 2021. While many staff are able and encouraged to take a well-earned break over the Christmas period, we thank colleagues who will be working to keep vital services open and our campus secure.

The University will officially be closed, but some buildings and labs will remain open for critical research and essential work. These arrangements are made at a Faculty level, or by the Professional Services Leadership Team (PSLT), and communicated locally.

Postgraduate researchers seeking exemptions to be on campus should check with their Supervisor what arrangements are in place for their Faculty.

Support for students

As is the case every year, a number of students will remain in Manchester over the closure period, and therefore some facilities on campus and in halls will remain open to cater for them.

To support students with their studies, the Alan Gilbert Learning Commons will be open (closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day) for students who want to book a study session in advance. Online resources from the Library and the remote desktop service will be available as normal. And for staff and students needing IT help and support, the 24/7 out of hours support telephone line will be open too.

We will be publishing more details of the support available to students next week.

Do I need to take the Christmas closure as annual leave?

No. Monday, 21 December to Thursday, 24 December; and Tuesday, 29 Thursday to Thursday, 31 December will be classed as University closure days and you will not need to take them as annual leave. Friday, 25 December, Monday, 28 December and Friday, 1 January 2021 are Bank Holidays.

If you are required to work on a closure day or Bank Holiday you will have different options regarding payment or time off in lieu. This will need to be agreed with your manager in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of Employment. If you’re an agency worker the arrangements may be different – please see agency worker pay and leave arrangements.