Jon Deery started university in September 2020. He knew his experience would be different because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but believed that he would receive at least some in-person teaching for his £9,250 annual tuition fees.
Months after the end of the UK’s first lockdown, he moved from his family home in Darlington to start his course in English literature and creative writing. Newcastle University – which he was attending – suggested there would be a “blended” approach to teaching.
“That’s why I had gone in,” Jon explained, now 25 years old. “I didn’t need to move to Newcastle, I could have stayed home.”
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Not long before Jon’s freshers week, some new restrictions had come into force, such as the “rule of six” prohibiting large social gatherings and a 10pm curfew on the hospitality sector.
