Coronavirus Updates & FAQs
All CHASE updates will be posted here and this page will be updated as and when we have information from UKRI or elsewhere. Please keep checking periodically.
You can email enquiries@chase.ac.uk if you have any queries or concerns that aren’t addressed below or in the FAQs.
PLEASE NOTE: We are no longer accepting Phase 3 Covid-19 applications
Updated 21 June 2021
Dear all,
As another disrupted academic year draws to a close, I’m glad many of you will have received funding extensions via the university-led ‘Phase 2’ scheme. I’m pleased to say that UKRI has acknowledged that ongoing restrictions have continued to impact researchers and their work, and so we are being allowed to draw on the CHASE grant to offer further covid-19 extensions where necessary. Now the Phase 2 scheme is complete, we have set up a new application process for what we are imaginatively calling ‘Phase 3’.
Phase 3 funding extensions
We recognise that for some projects the impact of the pandemic may take some time to become clear, and so we will review applications for extensions four times a year. You will need to explain why an extension is necessary, and how you will use the time to complete your doctoral work. You will need the support of your supervisors. Most extensions will be up to 3 months, and applications should normally be made 6 months before the end of your funding period. You may apply even if you were awarded an extension via Phases 1 or 2, although you will need to make a case for a further extension.
Planned extensions
If your funding started in 2019 or later, you can also apply for a Planned Extension to your studentship, which allows extra time to accommodate changes to your original project proposal. You can find more details about this in the CHASE Handbook on the website. The application form is here: https://www.chase.ac.uk/s/CHASE-Planned-Extension-Application-Form-2020-21.docx (Word doc, best viewed on a desktop or laptop)
Extended sick leave
Finally, if you are ill with covid, or sheltering and unable to work at home, you can take sick leave for an extended period if necessary.
We hope that in these various ways we can help to support you through the effects of what we know has been another very difficult year.
Looking back, looking ahead
While Covid-19 responses have taken up a lot of our time and attention, I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the ongoing work and creativity of staff and students to keep so many of our training and research events going this year, including placements and knowledge exchange activities, which you can read about via the CHASE website and Knowledge Exchange Hub. We’ve had some great proposals coming through the student-led research networks, too, and we’re always keen to support ideas for new networks. If there is any silver lining to this awful period we’ve been through, it is perhaps that we have all become more adept at working together across distance. Even as we look forward to meeting in person again, with all the benefits that brings, we will be looking to build on the best of these online experiences, keeping in mind the advantages in terms of environmental impact and widening access. And on that note, if you haven't already registered for the next Virtual Encounters, hosted online by UEA on 24-25 June, please do so via the link in the emails you'll have received.
We also had a great response to the studentship competition again, which was opened up for the first time this year to international applicants and introduced widening participation criteria. There are lots of fascinating projects coming our way, and we’ll be in touch in due course about how you can join in welcoming the new cohort of researchers in the Autumn. Next year, as part of our ongoing commitment to removing obstacles to access for BAME students in light of the Broken Pipeline report, we are planning to offer a number of dedicated studentships for BAME and under-represented groups. CHASE also recently convened a workshop across all AHRC DTPs with the authors of that report (Leading Routes), in order to share ideas and promote best practice in supporting BAME students through every stage of the doctoral process. This is obviously a work in progress. Please do get in touch with me or your student reps if you want to feed into this work in any way.
Student survey
We’re keen to hear more about the year from your perspective. In fact, as we didn’t survey you last year because of everything else that was going on, we’d like to hear about the last two years. This is just so we have a fuller picture of research activities CHASE-funded students have been involved in to feed into our annual report that goes to the AHRC. I do want to emphasise that this is not an audit of your individual performance in any way. I am very conscious that just keeping research going at all at times this year is an achievement in itself. It’s a light-touch survey, and we’d be very grateful if you could take part in it via this link.
Finally, in wishing you all a good summer, please make sure you do allow yourselves a break!
all the best,
Kate
Kate Lacey
Professor of Media History and Theory, University of Sussex
Director of CHASE, Consortium for Humanities and Arts in South-East England
Updated 26.03.21
Dear all
Further to its message in February, UKRI has published updated guidance on how DTPs and other doctoral grants can draw on their existing budgets to support further extensions for students affected by Covid-19. The welcome news is that they have taken on board a lot of our suggestions, and CHASE is now empowered to make extension awards beyond the institution-led Phase 2 processes.
However, we do not yet know the outcomes of those Phase 2 processes, and the CHASE Management Board will also need to make decisions about how much money to allocate, given that this will mean a reduction in future activities, support funds, and potentially studentship awards. We are keen to have your input on these decisions, and will consult with our Student Committee; please take the opportunity to engage with your institutional reps on this issue (see website for information on who these are). I will write to you again once a process is in place. We will also be contacting students whose funding is due to finish imminently, for whom the question may be more urgent.
Best wishes,
Kate
Updated 23.02.21
Dear all,
You may have seen that the UKRI has yesterday made a further announcement about funding to support doctoral students affected by Covid-19 restrictions. There is some additional funding for the 'Phase 2 extensions, which is clearly welcome, but a large part of the proposal is to allow the DTPs like CHASE more flexibility in drawing on different budgets to support extensions. As it stands, there is no detail or agreement exactly what that means, as the consultation process is still ongoing. All the Directors of AHRC DTPs met last week to advocate on your behalf and to co-ordinate our feedback to the UKRI. I'm afraid the timetable for the UKRI to finalise its decisions on that is not yet clear, but we will, of course, keep you posted.
Best wishes,
Kate
Updated 27.01.21
Dear all,
We have recently received a letter jointly signed by 30 CHASE-funded students demanding a revision of the Phase 2 extension process. As the letter raises some important issues, and expresses some widely shared frustrations with the process, we thought it would be helpful to publish our response here.
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Thank you for your letter of 22nd January. I do appreciate how challenging and unsettling the current situation is, and in particular the uncertainty that remains in relation to funded extensions.
As you know, the UKRI recently decided to delegate the processes around this second phase of funding extensions to individual universities. This is, indeed, a change from the first phase, and was a decision that was taken without consultation with the DTPs.
As the co-Chair of AHRC DTP Directors, I co-ordinated a joint response to that announcement, expressing our concerns – on our students’ behalf – about what that decision would mean for the timing and parity of the application process and allocation of funds. The response from the UKRI was that the universities were in a better position to consider the diversity of the student population and target the limited funds to where it is most needed. They pointed out that universities need to balance the needs of other scholarship holders (which are often linked to the UKRI offer) and, of course, those who are self-funding. They also pointed out the strains on public funding at the moment.
Of course, that decision was taken in November, before the announcement of the current lockdown. We met recently with the AHRC, and I asked the new Executive Chair of the AHRC about the likely response by the UKRI to this further period of disruption and uncertainty. He said he was expecting an announcement to be made, but could not offer any further guidance at this stage, as it will depend not least on the upcoming government spending review.
At one level, then, I’m afraid my answer to your demand for a better solution to the question of funding extensions, is that CHASE itself has limited leverage in how the extension process is applied, and we have been told that there is no chance of this decision being reversed. CHASE will be contributing £150,000 from its existing grant towards the funding of extensions across the consortium in addition to the funds allocated to the ROs by the UKRI. In other words, the CHASE contribution will be distributed evenly, pro rata, across the consortium. Moreover, each institution will have designed its process according to the same guidelines from the UKRI. However, one of the issues arising from the UKRI decision, with each institution designing a bespoke application to meet the needs of its range of scholarships is that there is no longer the usual co-ordination of dates and processes for all CHASE students that normally comes with CHASE matters.
Meanwhile, we are channelling concerns that we receive on to our member institutions. We do not have any direct input into those institutional processes, nor what kind of information they might be asking for. However, CHASE has made the case to the UKRI and AHRC that there should be a light touch approach to providing evidence, as we took at CHASE during Phase 1.
In terms of changes to registration, that is also a matter primarily for individual institutions. Our advice at the outset of the pandemic was not to change to part-time registration or intermit immediately because it would cut a student’s income in half at a time when other options for paid work were practically non-existent. At the same time, the AHRC was confirming that extensions to registration to reflect the disruptions, could be granted without penalty. The option to go part-time or intermit did, however, remain an option to all students.
We do take very seriously the detrimental impact on research activities, motivation and mental health, and we do recognise that the uncertainty impacts on everyone at every stage of their PhD. We are working constantly to put in place as much mitigation as possible, to translate training and networking opportunities online where we can, and to offer individuals advice and support. We have put out information about ongoing placement opportunities, and can point students in the right direction if they can’t find what they are looking for.
I’m genuinely sorry that we can’t offer the immediate solution that you are requesting, but I hope this response is helpful in explaining the situation in a bit more detail.
Yours sincerely,
Kate Lacey
Professor of Media History and Theory, University of Sussex
Director of CHASE, Consortium for Humanities and Arts in South-East England
https://www.chase.ac.uk
she/her
Previous emails (please note, some of the information contained with the below emails has now been updated, these are just for record)
FAQs
Current students, questions about:
Current Applicants
Q: Will my application be affected?
A: CHASE is working to ensure that the selection process during the current competition will continue. Panels will be meeting online. We will notify applicants of any changes to the expected timetable.
Q: If I am awarded a studentship, can I defer the start date of my award?
A: UKRI has said that it “acknowledges the need for flexibility for students due to start their doctoral studies”. We would expect most studentship awards to begin in October 2021, but will keep the situation under review.
Current CHASE-Funded Doctoral Researchers
Questions about working conditions
Q: It's becoming difficult for me to conduct my research day to day
Because of heightened anxiety (in relation to my own work; my health and wellbeing or that of those I care for and care about; my future prospects; in general)
Because I cannot work as well at home (no suitable workspace; caring responsibilities; general interruptions; inadequate access to resources)
Because my other work commitments are eating into the time I normally devote to my research
A: This is perfectly understandable in the current circumstances. Please be reassured by the fact that you are not alone in finding it difficult to readjust, but also by the fact that all the various parts of the institutional support structure are working hard to find ways to support you through and beyond this extraordinary period. This will include being flexible about deadlines and adapting expectations.
Your supervisors should be your first port of call for specific advice. But also remember that we are all learning how to manage this enormous disruption to our normal working practices, and that your health and wellbeing should be your first priority. If that means working at a slower pace, or taking time out to care for others, that’s fine.
Q: If I am sick or self-isolating because I or a member of my household has Covid-19 symptoms can I still apply for sick leave?
A: Yes. A self-certification tool has been published by NHS 111 for those who are self-isolating due to them or someone in their household having covid-19 symptoms. UKRI guidance suggests that this would be an appropriate way for students to document any requests for sick leave relating to coronavirus. https://111.nhs.uk/isolation-note/.
You will be eligible for sick leave even if you have already taken up the normal allowance of 13 weeks.
Q: I am sick, but not for reasons related to Covid-19, but cannot get a medical note at this time. Can I still apply for sick leave?
A: Yes. We would encourage you to ask for certification retrospectively, but will judge applications for sick leave with self-certification sympathetically during this period of lockdown.
Q: I am really struggling with the isolation. What can CHASE do to help?
A: First of all, it is important to know that the various support structures at your own institution will still be available to you during this time. It is clear that the current conditions might also exacerbate existing mental health issues, and our advice is to reach out to those services who are there to help and to listen. Remember that if you need to put your PhD on the back burner during this time, we will treat applications for extensions sympathetically.
In terms of ameliorating the isolation, there will be lots of advice from your institutions, from the wider public and from your own social networks. At CHASE specifically, we have been working hard throughout the pandemic to continue to provide online training, including sessions on how to deal with the challenges of working from home and in isolation. And of course you can still communicate with fellow students via the Student Committee and the various Networks. This might even be a good time to think about setting up a new Research Network to connect with other researchers in your field for intellectual and social stimulation (see below).
A: Keeping in touch with fellow researchers
If you’d like to establish a group for sharing ideas/links/resources throughout the CHASE funded cohort, we can help with getting the word out via our mailing list.
If you would like to make a request based on the above suggestions or suggest your own, please email enquiries@chase.ac.uk and explain briefly what you are looking to do and how we might be able to help. CHASE subscribes to the video conferencing software, Zoom. Let us know if access to this would be useful for your research network or for organising social meet ups with other researchers. Request from here.
Q: What should I do if I cannot confer with my supervisors?
A: Supervision should normally continue during this period, albeit via online channels and with mutual respect for the various challenges we are all facing at this time which might impede our ability to work at the same intensity.
If your supervisor is on sick leave, follow the guidelines for such a situation from your institution. If there is likely to be an extended period where you are without supervision for any reason, please contact the director of graduate research at your institution who should liaise with the CHASE academic lead. You should not be left without support from your institution.
Questions about registration
Q: I’m worried about incurring delays to my studies
Because I will have to postpone aspects of my research (e.g.fieldwork; studio work; collaborative work; visits to archives and other materials)
Because I do not have access to the necessary resources (e.g. libraries & other institutions; workspaces; internet connection; software; hardware etc.)
Because I cannot work as well - or at all - at home (e.g. no suitable workspace; caring responsibilities; general interruptions; inadequate access to resources; difficulty in concentrating)
Because I have to prioritise other commitments (e.g. caring responsibilities; voluntary work)
A: UKRI advice is that extensions to registration will be granted without penalty to either individuals or Research Organisations. Keep in touch with your supervisors in the first instance about your concerns and how best to manage and mitigate delays to your studies. Extensions to your registration period will be managed by your institution and communicated to CHASE.
Q: When and how should I apply for an extension to my registration?
A: You should follow the advice from your institution. We would expect that normally you would apply for an extension if you need it in the normal way – that is to say, towards the end of your period of registration. You are advised to keep a general record of the ways in which your ability to work has been affected during this period. Please note that there is a distinction between applying for extra time and applying for extra funding.
Q: Will extensions be matched to the period of the lockdown?
A: Applications for extensions are made on an individual basis and are a matter, in the first instance, for institutions. It is possible that the impact of the lockdown will affect students differently, and perhaps extend beyond the immediate period, and so we are not able to make blanket decisions. We will of course keep this advice under review as the situation unfolds.
Q: If I cannot work on my PhD at this point for Covid-19 related reasons, should I apply for intermission (suspension/interruption of studies).
A: We do not recommend that you apply for intermission at this point in most cases because your funding would be suspended, and there is no immediate advantage, since applications to extend submission dates are very likely to be approved. Of course, there might be individual exceptions to this general advice which you should talk through in the first instance with your supervisors and institutional admin lead. We will also keep this advice under review as the situation unfolds.
Q: I am worried that my progress has slowed so that I will not pass my upgrade (or similar institutional annual review processes).
A: We anticipate that institutions will be introducing systems that recognise and mitigate for the current extraordinary circumstances.
Q: I can no longer work on my thesis full-time, should I switch to part-time status?
A: This is an option that is open to you, but if the idea is simply to extend your period of registration, then we would advise against it, as extensions are likely to be approved in the circumstances.
Q: I am a part-time student but I am now working on my thesis full-time under lockdown; if I have lost my supplementary income, can I switch to full-time status?
A: Yes, in principle. Note this would also bring forward your maximum registration date. Although normally only one change of mode of study is allowed, UKRI have said that students can change mode of study more than once where this is due to covid.
Questions about Funding
Q: Will I continue to receive my stipend payments even though my University is closed?
A: Yes, we fully expect your maintenance payments to be made without disruption. In the event that you do not receive a payment when expected, please get in touch with the CHASE admin lead at your institution in the first instance. If that step does not lead to a resolution, please contact us via the CHASE address: enquiries@chase.ac.uk
Q: I have had to stop working on my thesis because of Coronavirus. What is the process for requesting a funded extension?
A: Since November 2020, the UKRI is managing funded extensions via individual Research Organisations, not via the DTPs like CHASE. You should receive information about the application process from your own University. Throughout your studies, you should certainly keep in touch with your supervisors about the ways in which your work is affected.
Q: Will funding extensions cover both fees and stipend?
A: Yes, the stipend will remain at the level that you normally receive for the duration of the extension.
Q: As an EU student, I receive a fees-only award. Can I apply for a funded extension?
A: Yes, you can apply for an extension on the same basis as your current award. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer stipends to fee-only award holders.
Q: Will CHASE reimburse me if I purchase additional books, subscriptions (or similar) so I can work remotely on my research?
A: Yes, you can apply for research support in the normal way via the RTSG. We will support reasonable claims. Please do note, though, that lots of cultural institutions and publishers are making online materials more freely available during this period. We would recommend that you take advantage of your research networks within and beyond CHASE to ask whether there are avenues to share resources.
Q: Can I apply for costs to cover aspects of my research that are affected by the Universities being closed (e.g. access to studio space or equipment)
A: Yes, you can apply for research support in the normal way via the RTSG. We will support reasonable claims. Unfortunately, as this is an unprecedented and developing situation we cannot give general guidance at this point about what a reasonable claim might look like, but decisions will be made in light of the expectation that the closures are temporary. Please note that you should not spend any money on such things before you have had approval.
Q: I was going to attend a conference or claim for other research expenses during my funded period, but I am worried I will not be able to afford to undertake these activities if they are postponed beyond my funded period.
A: Although we are not in a position to make firm commitments at the moment, we are looking into the possibility of allowing students to apply to the RTSG beyond the end of the funded period where critical opportunities have been lost during this period. These might include conference attendance, or performance or exhibition costs that can come later in creative-critical projects. We are aware that it is difficult to plan while things are so uncertain, so we will push for a decision on this and keep you informed. It seems unlikely that the UKRI will allow a wholescale change to its guidance, but please do get in touch with specific requests in case we can find individual solutions.
Q: I rely on paid work to supplement my stipend, but this is no longer available to me. Can CHASE help?
A: No, unfortunately this goes beyond the remit of the training grant. You may be able to apply to your institution’s hardship fund.
Q: Can CHASE offer a Family Support Fund, or generally offset increased living costs?
A: No, unfortunately this goes beyond the remit of the training grant. You may be able to apply to your institution’s hardship fund.
Q: I am on a fees-only scholarship. Is there any more funding available to support me during this time?
A: Unfortunately, the answer is currently no. You may be able to apply to your institution’s hardship fund.
Q: Why can’t CHASE offer a blanket funding extension to all students?
A: CHASE receives its funds from the UKRI (who in turn receive funds from the Government) and has to adhere to its guidelines for how to distribute this public money to ensure there is parity and equity across all the various Doctoral Training Partnerships.
Q: Will I have to document the impact of Covid-19 measures on my work in order to apply for an extension?
A: It makes sense to keep notes about the ways in which your work has been affected, especially if you are still in the early stages of your PhD and therefore some way off the moment when you might need to apply for an extension, but in most cases applications do not ask for documentation as such.
Questions about collaborative work
Q: I have a Collaborative Doctoral Award (CDA), and the non-HEI partner is closed or otherwise inaccessible to me. What should I do?
A: This is clearly a really difficult situation, but we have to hope that it is temporary. It is important that you talk to your supervisors, both at your institution and the non-HEI partner organisation, in the first instance about whether it is possible to re-organise your research timetable so that you can continue to do productive contextual work or whether there are aspects of the research than can be done at a distance.
It is in everyone’s interest that the project is completed, and so applications for extensions where there have been inevitable interruptions and delays will be treated sympathetically. If it gets to the point where you and your supervisors think the integrity of the project as a whole is threatened in some way, please do get in touch with CHASE so we can help to work out a way forward together.
Q: My research (creative practice or otherwise) relies on embodied interactions with other people that are not possible to replicate online. What should I do?
A: Again, there’s no denying this is a real challenge, but talk to your supervisors about whether there are aspects of your research that you can make progress with during this period. Of course, not knowing how long this period of lockdown will last makes it particularly difficult, but hopefully your collaborators will be willing and able to reconvene at a later date, and/or your supervisors will be able to advise you on how to adapt your research plan. Keep a record of the delays and impact on your research. Applications for extensions will be treated sympathetically.
Questions about placements
Q: I was supposed to be starting a placement. What should I do?
A: Please contact your placement host. It is likely that placements will need to be postponed or cancelled. Please inform Steve Colburn (steven.colburn@chase.ac.uk), CHASE Placements and Partnerships Officer, of any updates to your placement. We would not require any postponement to be approved unless there were changes to the proposal. Please also ensure you inform your PhD Supervisors of any changes to your placement plans. Note that several placements have been undertaken successfully online.
Q: I was hoping to do a placement in the future but I am worried I will no longer have time to do so because of the delays to my research.
A: We will, as always, do our best to support students in taking up placement opportunities in the future. Talk to your supervisors and CHASE leads about your options in the first instance.
Questions about fieldwork
Q: What should I do now that I cannot undertake my fieldwork due to travel restrictions or closures?
A: You should discuss this with your supervisors in the first instance to see how best to re-work your research plan. If delays to your fieldwork mean you need to apply for an extension, we would expect this to be treated sympathetically.
Q: My fieldwork is time-dependent (it is seasonal, or connected to a unique time and place). What should I do?
A: This is the kind of question that can only really be addressed by discussing your options with your supervisors. If your project design needs major revision that will cause delay to your submission, we would expect an application for an extension sympathetically.
Q: I had to cut my fieldwork short and I will not have enough data (either qualitatively or in terms of quantity).
A: Again, this is something to discuss with your supervisors in the first instance. If your project design needs major revision that will cause delay to your submission, we would expect an application for an extension to be treated sympathetically. If it is possible to re-start your fieldwork, we would also be sympathetic to applications for reasonable additional research costs.
Q: I am currently on fieldwork and am unable to return home.
A: Make sure you keep in touch with your supervisors and your institution and that you are following local measures to keep safe. Make sure you have informed your University Insurance Office of any extended period of working away.
Questions about training
Q: Will CHASE still be offering research training?
A: Yes. We are continuing to work hard with colleagues to translate our training into new formats for these new conditions. Please do keep checking your emails and the website for the latest information. There are currently sessions devoted to adapting to working from home, for example. Remember too that there is an archive of training on the CHASE VLE.
Q: I have spent money on tickets or registration fees for an event that has been cancelled. Can I claim this back?
A: Yes. Put in an expenses claim in the normal way, explaining the circumstances.
Q: I am worried that I will be missing out on important career/professional development opportunities to attend seminars and conferences or otherwise develop my skills and disseminate my research. What is your advice?
A: It is unfortunately true that such opportunities are more restricted than normal at the moment, but as the sector re-adjusts to the new conditions there will increasingly be alternative opportunities for online conferences and publications. It is a good time, perhaps, to be developing online and digital skills in this regard. You might consider submitting work to our own multimedia journal, Brief Encounters. Also, remember that many, if not most, events are being postponed rather than cancelled altogether.
Although we are not in a position to make firm commitments at the moment, we are looking into the possibility of allowing students to apply to the RTSG beyond the end of the funded period where critical opportunities have been lost during this period (e.g. attending a core conference in your field, presenting a summative performance or exhibition of your research).
Q: Can you offer training on using particular platforms or software for remote working?
A: Yes, in principle. Keep an eye out for announcements. If you have particular requests or suggestions, including links to creative commons sources that you think we should share, do get in touch.
Q: Will Encounters be happening this year?
A: With regret, we had to cancel the Summer Encounters conference in 2020, but the very positive experience of our Virtual Encounters conference in the Autumn means that we will be back with Encounters in some shape or form in the Summer.
Q: Can CHASE support student-led initiatives for online collaborations and contact?
A: Yes, and we would welcome such initiatives. (See above) Do get in touch!
Other Issues
Q: What should I do if the advice I receive from my institution is different to that I receive from CHASE?
A: At CHASE we are trying to liaise as closely as possible with the institutional leads so we hope this won’t be a common problem. Where there is confusion, please do get in touch with us and we will do our best to clarify the situation.
Q: Is the guidance from CHASE in line with that from other DTPs?
A: We are certainly following the general advice from the UKRI which oversees all the DTPs. We are also collaborating closely with the other AHRC-DTPs in raising issues as they arise with the AHRC and, in turn, the UKRI and the government. The recent decision to devolve decisions on funding applications to Research Organisations (Universities) inevitably means that there will be some disparity between and even within DTPs.
Q: I want to put an application in to CHASE (for any reason) but the form requires a signature that I cannot get. What should I do?
A: We would be happy to accept an email confirmation in lieu of a signature. If this is not possible either because the signatory is on sick leave, for example, let us know and we will find a way around it.
Q: Do I need to send original receipts when I am claiming expenses?
A: Please ensure when completing claim forms to scan original receipts and attach them to your email, and keep them safe to be able to provide them physically in the future if necessary.
Related links
Visit .gov.uk for information including the current situation in the UK and information about the virus and its symptoms.
NHS information on coronavirus has advice for travellers and information on the virus and its symptoms.
For travel advice, you can visit the latest UK Government travel advice related to coronavirus and individual pages for travel advice to specific countries or territories.
Specific advice relating to the education sector can be found here