Guidelines for COVID 19for students

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kzgirl
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Guidelines for COVID 19for students

Post by kzgirl »

I am hoping some of you may be able to help me, my daughter has returned to University and I am appalled at the lack of precautions put into place for COVID 19. There is a one way system around the university which is fine. My daughter is taking her own food, hand sanitiser and wipes with her. She has been told that they are performing shows without microphones due to no one wanting to sanitise the headsets, which is fine. The dance rooms are not being cleaned between classes (not even spot cleaned) the students are not able to social distance in classes as there are too many students in the room. They are not able to wear face masks in lessons or they cannot sing. The first show is in two weeks. My question to you all is do any of you know what other Uni's or performing arts colleges are doing to stop the spread of COVID 19. In particular what is happening in dance classes?, how are the timetables being done?, how big are the classes and what cleaning has been put into place between classes. My daughter has just gone into the canteen to eat her own food and sat at a table labelled 'sanitised' she took her antiseptic wipe out of her bag and re wiped the table the antiseptic wipe was grey when she had finished. She has emailed course tutors and lecturers during the Summer asking all these questions and had no reply which is the normal response to student emails. I contacted the Uni as a parent and asked as there is nothing on their homepage assuring safety of students and I was told to get my daughter to email her academic adviser which she has already done and got no response. There are around 160 students on her course and she has just entered her final year. Surely there are government guidelines that these places have to follow but I don't where to find them for Musical Theatre as these courses are different to normal University courses whereby you sit in a lecture. Any advice of where to go next would be very welcome. I can see that students could become ill very quickly. they are not able to be in a bubble as they live in separate places don't all socialise together and come from different parts of the UK.
Lakeviewp
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Re: Guidelines for COVID 19for students

Post by Lakeviewp »

Hello!
I’m not surprised you are very worried! It sounds like your daughter’s Uni have made no effort at all.
My DS is at Laine and they are doing ‘blended learning’. All singing, acting, voice and contextual classes will continue to be on Zoom.
Dance classes have been set in bubbles of 5-7 students and this is the maximum there will be in the studios which will be cleaned regularly. Before lockdown the students assisted in wiping down barres etc before and after classes. They are not allowed to dance in bare feet for any lessons.
There are lots of other things being put in place too and Laine have commissioned a 65 page report assessing all aspects of health and safety regarding COVID-19.
We feel reassured that they are trying to do everything they can whilst still maintaining a high level of training (even if it isn’t quite up to the amount they had pre-lockdown).
Last year’s graduates are now classed as 4th years and the college will continue to support them via zoom and bring them back to the studios for a show when possible, but currently there are no shows for any years on the horizon.
I would be interested to hear what other colleges are doing too!
kzgirl
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Re: Guidelines for COVID 19for students

Post by kzgirl »

Lakeviewp wrote: Thu Sep 03, 2020 2:27 pm Hello!
I’m not surprised you are very worried! It sounds like your daughter’s Uni have made no effort at all.
My DS is at Laine and they are doing ‘blended learning’. All singing, acting, voice and contextual classes will continue to be on Zoom.
Dance classes have been set in bubbles of 5-7 students and this is the maximum there will be in the studios which will be cleaned regularly. Before lockdown the students assisted in wiping down barres etc before and after classes. They are not allowed to dance in bare feet for any lessons.
There are lots of other things being put in place too and Laine have commissioned a 65 page report assessing all aspects of health and safety regarding COVID-19.
We feel reassured that they are trying to do everything they can whilst still maintaining a high level of training (even if it isn’t quite up to the amount they had pre-lockdown).
Last year’s graduates are now classed as 4th years and the college will continue to support them via zoom and bring them back to the studios for a show when possible, but currently there are no shows for any years on the horizon.
I would be interested to hear what other colleges are doing too!
Thanks for your reply Lakeviewp I am not letting this lie, just waiting for her official time table and then I will do something if not happy. I don't understand why all the students just sit there and say nothing they are all scared its always the same few having to fire the bullets to get things done.
Dancermum70
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Re: Guidelines for COVID 19for students

Post by Dancermum70 »

My daughter is also back at Uni but its only the students who are in the freshers showcase that are on site. They have to maintain social distancing at all times which includes during rehearsals and the performance they will be using a one way system on the stage They have had to rework the show so they can do this, they will be using microphones but the show will be filmed and will be watched online.

They haven't had their timetables yet so they don't know how things will be when they are back on timetabled classes.
Dancecrazy
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Re: Guidelines for COVID 19for students

Post by Dancecrazy »

My dd is about to start 1st Year . They’ve been sent detailed guidelines by the Covid Officer . It will be blended learning and they will be in social bubbles . There’s a lot of info including Temp taken twice daily . Canteen and locker room out of bounds .
Visors and Covid screens for singing classes .
Dancecrazy
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Re: Guidelines for COVID 19for students

Post by Dancecrazy »

Sorry I pressed send too quickly .
Basically it sounds like they’re doing everything right on paper but it remains to be seen what happens once the course gets underway
islandofsodor
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Re: Guidelines for COVID 19for students

Post by islandofsodor »

My daughter was back in today and she was appalled at the lack of social distancing but it sounds nowhere near as bad as your dd kzgirl.

There will be no performances this term. They are hoping to hold the grad showcase in February, subject to the ongoing situation. The college is following a mixture of the guidelines for schools and colleges and the guidelines for Performing Arts. Each year group has been assigned their own studio and its the teachers who move, not the students. There are approx 30-40 students in a year group and they are divided into two groups. My daughter's main complaint was size of rooms for distancing but that's no different to any of the schools or colleges. (my son is on a btec music performing arts course) She wore a mask but no-one else chose to.

Changing rooms are not being used and there is no floorwork in dance.
kzgirl
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Re: Guidelines for COVID 19for students

Post by kzgirl »

I cannot believe that tickets are available for freshers showcase, students are dancing in bare feet, they have just been told to get on with it and tough it out. DD has said she is fully expecting someone to become ill. She has supposed to have received an email with how her classes are going to be taught but she hasn't had anything yet, according to the Uni website it should have been sent on 03/09/2020. She is in a room with 52 other pupils which is half of the freshers showcase cast. I had a long discussion with her last night, I am extremely concerned for the students health and well being.
islandofsodor
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Re: Guidelines for COVID 19for students

Post by islandofsodor »

There is definitely no floor work or bare feet.

The maximum for singing should be 15 with mitigation’s. The guidance actually says to use microphones if possible to avoid having to sing loudly. The risk assessment we’ve been said says no loud talking over music for the dance teachers. The latest research by someone called Declan Costello says singing is no more dangerous than speaking, it’s the volume that makes a difference.

My daughter says there are around 40 ish first years and they’ve been split into two groups. I still think that’s too many personally, I think Laine’s approach seems more sensible.

1:1 singing is in booths with screens and some kind of extraction system.
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