When the restrictions are relaxed we will review what facilities we can make available to students and will communicate this to you.
Assessments and teaching will be online until at least Friday 19th February.
Last updated: Friday 22nd January 2021
In response to the latest measures set out by the Government to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the Backstage Academy Senior Leadership Team has agreed the following measures:
1. The campus will be closed to students until further notice
All onsite access to students and visitors is currently restricted until further notice. Only essential staff who are required to maintain the site will be able to access our facilities.
Backstage Academy is following advice from Public Health England and the UK Government in order to protect our community and help with public efforts to stop the virus. If these or other restrictions are extended and/or it is not possible for students to return to study onsite then we will notify students via the Backstage Academy App and Backstage Academy email address.
2. Moving Delivery Online
Whilst access to our campus is restricted, Backstage Academy remains open for learning. We are committed to fulfilling our obligations to students, which is why we are currently doing everything we can to ensure that the students are able to complete their studies with minimal disruption.
The Backstage Academy team has transitioned a considerable amount of our activities online as far as is practical and possible. Student timetables have now been updated to include all online sessions scheduled between now and the end of Semester 1 on Friday 19th February.
In the interim, students and staff can access a range of resources remotely including the University of Bolton’s electronic library resources, existing research material and lessons on Moodle as well as free online training courses provided by some of our industry partners.
3. Supporting Students
Online Counselling/Wellbeing Meetings
This is a truly unprecedented situation and we are aware of how this might be making students feel very uncertain. Backstage Academy would like to reassure that our student wellbeing team is here to offer you support through this challenging time.
Our Student Wellbeing Officer, Chris Madden, is offering counselling sessions/wellbeing meetings via Zoom (for video calls) and phone. Chris has worked this way with many clients and it is a valuable approach for support. Please email student.support@backstage-academy.co.uk for information on how to book a session with Chris.
Please note that in order to ensure that there are sufficient slots for students, these meetings will be 25 minutes long. When booking a meeting with Chris, please let him know if you would like to use Zoom or phone.
Looking after your mental health is important during this unprecedented period. A full list of external organisations can be found here.
Online Disability and Pastoral Support
Our Student Services and Disability Support Officer, Emily Lynch, is also offering tailored sessions via Zoom (for video calls) or the Backstage Academy App (for ‘live-chat’ instant messaging sessions). This can be for everything from general pastoral guidance to study skills such as Harvard Referencing or research.
Please email student.support@backstage-academy.co.uk for information on how to book a support session with Emily.
4. University of Bolton update on Semester 1 Mitigating Circumstances Arrangements
Following the government announcement on Monday 4th January 2021 in relation to the national lockdown restrictions, assurance was given by the University of Bolton Vice Chancellor that students would not be disadvantaged academically and that flexible assessment arrangements would be put in place.
Blanket Mitigating Circumstances will therefore be automatically applied to all Semester 1 assessments due on or after 4th January 2021 (for students on UK-based programmes).
To ensure that you get your feedback in good time for future modules and avoid having a build-up of assessments to complete in Semester 2, all students are strongly advised in the first instance to submit any work by the deadline, or request an extension of up to 14 days via an extension request form. Please email studentadmin@backstage-academy.co.uk for a link to this.
Individual Mitigating Circumstances requests are still required for assessments due before 4th January 2021. If you are unable to provide medical or other third party/documentary evidence of your circumstances, or require further support with this, please contact studentadmin@backstage-academy.co.uk
5. Student Loan Payments
The Student Loans Company latest guidance for current students can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/slc-coronavirus-covid-19-update--2.
6. Students in Financial Difficulties
Students who have experienced an unexpected change to their financial circumstances due to the current crisis should consider applying to our hardship fund.
We recognise the additional pressure that some students may be under and have therefore decided to extend the application window for the Hardship Fund until the end of the academic year. Details of the hardship fund on the Moodle student hub page, in the “Student Bursaries and Hardship Fund” section. If you can’t find this or are experiencing issues, please contact studentadmin@backstage-academy.co.uk.
Students are also able to apply for the University of Bolton’s Hardship Fund. Further details can be found here.
7. Reporting Illness
If you become unwell and are unable to attend or engage with scheduled sessions, please continue to use attendance@backstage-academy.co.uk to notify us.
Key Links
The health and safety of our students and staff are our utmost priorities. We are continuously monitoring the situation for further changes and will update you on this page first with developments.
Backstage Academy is following advice from Public Health England, the Government, the Office for Students and the World Health Organisation. Contingency plans are in place to support students.
If you have any questions or queries about our response to the Coronavirus, please email enquiries@backstage-academy.co.uk or call 01977 659880.