If you have any of the main symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), get a test as soon as possible. Stay at home until you get the result. 

What are the symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19)?

Book a test online or call 119 to arrange one. If you are worried or have any questions, visit the NHS 111 website.

When you ask for a test, you will be encouraged to alert the people you had contact with in the 48 hours before experiencing symptoms. If any of those close contacts are Academy staff, tutors, or students, you may wish to ask the Academy to let those people know that you might have COVID-19 but are waiting for a test result. At this stage, the NHS advises that those people should not self-isolate. Alerting those that you have been in contact with means they can take extra care in practising social distancing and good hand and respiratory hygiene. They can also be more alert to any symptoms they might develop. 

If you are not able to attend an upcoming Art Academy London course due to Covid-19, then we would kindly invite you to refer to our cancellation policy. 

Contact shortcourses@artacademy.org.uk for more information. 

The NHS advises that if you – or someone that you live with –  tests positive for coronavirus, you should stay at home. Refer to NHS guidance to find out what to do.  

The NHS advises that you use the NHS test and trace service to share this information promptly with the people you’ve recently been in contact with as they may need to self-isolate too. 

While contact tracing is undertaken at a national level in England by the NHS track and trace system, you may want to share your test result with us. This will help us to identify individuals that may also need to self-isolate and take steps to protect the Academy’s staff, students and tutors. 

If you have had close contact with someone who has coronavirus, the NHS advises that you must self-isolate if their Test and Trace service advises you to do so

How long should I self-isolate for?

If you are not able to attend an upcoming Art Academy London course due to Covid-19, then we would kindly invite you to refer to our cancellation policy. 

Contact shortcourses@artacademy.org.uk for more information.

When you ask for a test, you will be encouraged to alert the people you had contact with in the 48 hours before experiencing symptoms. Your contacts may include people that you live with and those outside your household. At this stage, those close contacts are not required to self-isolate, but they must:

• Avoid individuals who are at higher risk of becoming seriously ill with Coronavirus, for example, because they have pre-existing medical conditions.
• Take extra care in practising social distancing and good hygiene and in watching out for symptoms.

If you have had close contact with someone who has coronavirus, you must self-isolate if the NHS Test and Trace services advises you to do so.

If you’ve been in contact with a person that has coronavirus

If you are not able to attend an upcoming Art Academy London course due to Covid-19, then we would kindly invite you to refer to our cancellation policy. 

Contact Lucia Blagden at shortcourses@artacademy.org.uk for more information.

If you’re at higher risk from coronavirus, you were advised to take extra steps to protect yourself until 1 August 2020. This was called shielding. 

In England, you’re no longer advised to shield. But there are still things you can do to protect yourself and others. You can also still get some support. 

Who is at higher risk of coronavirus?

Guidance on shielding and protecting extremely vulnerable people.

Contact shortcourses@artacademy.org.uk for more information.

Transport for London (TfL) are working to carefully, safely and sustainably reopen London. We advise that you follow the latest advice in regards to using public transport.

The Academy is delighted that a number of new TfL initiatives, as part of their Streetspace for London scheme, will introduce a wide range of improvements across Southwark, including the widening of footpaths and introducing more cycle lanes.

The Academy is also working with our local bid group, Better Bankside, to petition Southwark council for the pedestrianisation of Mermaid Court. This would enable us to provide external bicycle racks for those attending classes.

If you must travel by bus, train or tube, consider changing your route to avoid busy interchanges, wear a face covering and keep two metres apart from others where possible. If you can, please walk or cycle for all or part of your journey. Do not travel if you have symptoms of the virus.

On-site storage is something we are currently investigating, and we will keep you updated about.

Currently, there is available secure bicycle storage nearby at a Better Bankside facility on North Hopton Street SE1 9JH. Click here to find out more.

info@artacademy.org.uk

On September 9, 2020, the government announced new rules around social contact. 

We would like to reassure our community that, as an educational establishment, our activities here at the Academy are not subject to these restrictions. 

We have followed specific government guidance to put in place a system of stringent measures designed to keep and make everyone feel safe and comfortable at the Academy. 

Please help ensure we can continue to protect our community and safely run our activities by wearing a face covering at all times while on-site, washing your hands more regularly, and following 2m social distancing rules. 

To find out more please visit our Keeping the Academy Safe page.

At the Academy, your health and wellbeing are paramount. Our priority at all times is to ensure that our site is as safe as possible for everybody using it.

We are following Government regulations and working with representatives from within our community and beyond to make sure the Academy remains a safe space.

We are initiating a programme of safety measures as our staff, students, tutors and models return to their place of study or work over the coming weeks and months. These measures will be subject to constant review and will no doubt grow and evolve as guidance changes. They include UK-standard social distancing measures, increased frequency of onsite cleaning, promoting the use of face coverings, signage and guidance, and the provision of handwashing and hand sanitising facilities.

Visit our Keeping the Academy page to find out more.

Yes, in line with the latest scientific guidance from SAGE regarding appropriate measures for Higher Education settings, the Academy has decided that for the safety of all in our community, we will require everyone to wear a face covering while on the premises, including during classes, unless exempt for medical reasons. During classes models will also be exempt. 

Currently, we do not require individuals to wear any additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) beyond what would usually be required for a class. PPE, such as visors, may be appropriate for a small number of individuals, and as such will be provided by the Academy. If you would like more information, or to request PPE, please contact shortcourses@artacademy.org.uk. 

In addition to other mitigating actions (ventilation, reduced group sizes, social distancing, personal hygiene, increased cleaning), face coverings act as a source of control and provide some protection to the wearer. There is good evidence for their effectiveness in preventing droplets from being released by an infected person and some evidence that they can reduce the exposure of someone else to those droplets. They may also limit aerosol transmission by capturing droplets at the source and stop them evaporating into smaller aerosols than remain suspended in the air. Their use will therefore have the greatest benefit in scenarios where individuals have to come into close proximity, or are using the same shared space.

There is also new evidence that loud speech can enhance the risk of transmission. This poses a challenge for the majority of teaching situations, especially during demonstrations and presentations. We recognise that the wearing of a face covering in these circumstances may interfere with teaching and, therefore, a tutor may, where necessary, temporarily remove their face covering  (but they must be worn by all other participants).

How to make, wear and remove a face covering

If an individual (student, tutor, or staff member) becomes unwell with symptoms of COVID-19 while at the Academy, then that person should make themselves known to either an Academy tutor and/or member of staff. That individual will be sent home and advised to follow: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance

Any direct personal care that an individual requires until they can return home, or be collected (eg in the case of young artists), will be administered by an Academy tutor and/or Academy staff member.

• Where an individual tests negative, the NHS advises that so long as they feel well and no longer have symptoms similar to Covid-19 they can stop self-isolating. 

We will not request evidence of negative test results or other medical evidence before welcoming individuals back after a period of self-isolation.

• Where an individual tests positive, they should follow the guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection and use the NHS test and trace service to share this information with the people they’ve recently been in contact with.

• direct close contacts – face to face contact with an infected individual for any length of time, within 1 metre, including being coughed on, a face to face conversation, or unprotected physical contact (skin to skin)
• proximity contacts – extended close contact (within 1 to 2 metres for more than 15 minutes) with an infected individual
• travelling in a small vehicle, like a car, with an infected person

• if someone who is self-isolating because they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 starts to feel unwell and gets a test for Covid-19 themselves, and the test delivers a negative result, they must remain in isolation for the remainder of the 14 day isolation period – this is because they could still develop Covid-19 within the remaining days
• if the test result is positive, they should inform their setting immediately, and must isolate for at least 10 days from the onset of their symptoms (which could mean the self-isolation ends before or after the original 14 day isolation period), their household should self-isolate for at least 14 days from when the symptomatic person first had symptoms, following guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection

Yes. We currently have three windows of opportunity for you to collect leftover packs from our London Bridge premises only: Friday 10th July between 9am-1pm, and 2-5pm; Wednesday 15th July between 9am-1pm, and 2-5pm; and, Monday 20th July between 9am-12pm, and 1-4pm. Please contact info@artacademy.org.uk with your preferred time slot. More dates will be made available in due course, to include our Newington premises at 155 Walworth Road.

Yes. Students are strongly advised to pre-order items from the shop by emailing info@artacademy.org.uk. Academy staff will prepare these orders for students to collect from the main office hatch (the main office will remain closed, for now, to all visitors). Ad hoc shop sales can also be accommodated, however students may need to join an external queuing system. Card payments only.

Students should arrive 10 minutes before their class is due to start. In order to reduce the risk of crowds forming at our entrance, students attending daytime, evening and/or weekend courses may be required to join an external queuing system at our main entrance. 

If you are attending, or dropping students off for our Young Artists and/or Young Artist Fine Art Workshops you will be required to enter the building through our Chapel Court entrance. Individuals dropping off and/or collecting Young Artists will not be permitted to enter the building and must wait outside the building where a member of Academy staff will meet and chaperone students. Young Artists will be supervised by an Academy staff member at all times while on Academy premise

Yes, though with some restrictions and at scheduled break times only.

The barn can be used by up to 12 people (from the same class) at scheduled break times only.

The kitchen can be used by 1 person at a time for handwashing and waste disposal facilities only.

Please note, students will not be able to use the kitchen to prepare hot drinks and/or food.

Students will be able to use the coffee machine, where free hot water, and paid-for hot drinks are available.

Mugs will not be available for use, and students are strongly encouraged to bring their own reusable mugs if they wish to use the coffee machine.

The barn, kitchen and coffee machine will be subject to regular cleans.

Use of these facilities is not permitted outside of scheduled break times.

We would ask all students to ensure they adhere to these protocols.

Kindly refer to our terms and conditions.

If you need to cancel your booking you can do so by contacting our team at shortcourses@artacademy.org.uk

shortcourses@artacademy.org.uk

If you’re feeling distressed and need urgent support:

• Contact your GP surgery to request an emergency appointment
• If your GP surgery isn’t open, call the free NHS out-of-hours medical line on 111 for help accessing the right services
• You can call the Samaritans on 116 123 to talk to someone at any time, day or night

The NHS Every Mind Matters campaign is encouraging us all to look after our mental health during the current situation.

The charity Sudden has produced COVID-19 specific bereavement advice.

Cruse is a national charity supporting those facing bereavement. They have put together a range of advice, information and resources to help those affected during the current situation.

Visit the Cruse website on how to deal with bereavement and grief during the coronavirus outbreak.