Strike action information for students

About the industrial action

Why is UCU calling on its members to take action? 

UCU’s call for action is centred on the risk of compulsory redundancies at the University linked to the restructuring in some of our academic schools.

What is the risk of compulsory redundancies?

Like many universities, we are making changes to safeguard our world-class teaching and research and meet the changing expectations of universities, and to maintain an excellent education and student experience, which is our absolute priority. 

To date, subject to formal approval, eight roles will be made compulsorily redundant across a university workforce of around 7,800 (0.1 per cent of the workforce) during these academic reviews and final numbers are expected to remain low as remaining consultations conclude.  

What can I expect during industrial action?

As always, during a period of industrial action, our focus will be on minimising the impact on you and your education and research at Sheffield.

For many of you, the strike action will not significantly impact your education or research. This is because not all members of staff are members of UCU, and not all members will choose to strike. 

For undergraduate and postgraduate taught students:

• You are expected to attend as normal for scheduled classes unless you have been told in advance that the class is affected by strike action.
• Every effort will be made to avoid disruption, but in some cases, your teaching could be cancelled at the last moment or with very little notice. This is because, under UK law, anyone undertaking strike action does not have to notify their employer in advance.
• Most teaching will continue as normal. If any teaching is cancelled due to strike action, your school will email you in advance wherever possible, just as they would with any staff absence. Where advance notice is not possible, your school will contact you with details on how lost learning will be replaced. 
• Exams and assessments will continue to take place. If there are any changes, for example, changes to deadlines, your school will contact you directly.
• Classes cancelled due to strike action may be rescheduled for later in the semester. As a reminder, teaching for this part of the semester can run up to and including Friday 18 December.

For postgraduate research students:

• Some postgraduate research students also have staff roles, such as Graduate Teaching Assistants. You may be considering taking strike action and should follow the guidance issued by your Head of School if this is the case.
• As always, during a period of industrial action, our focus will be on minimising the impact on you and your research at Sheffield:
• The majority of supervision, examination and other research activities will go ahead as usual.
• Assume all activities are going ahead as normal, unless informed otherwise by your supervisor or school. 

Will the campus be open as normal?

The University will remain open, including our libraries, study spaces, and facilities. However, it is possible that the opening times for a small number of buildings may change. Where this is the case, you will be notified. 

What is a picket line?

It is vital that everyone is able to express their opinions in a legal, safe, and respectful way. During the strike action, you may notice groups of staff, known as a ‘picket line’, outside some buildings. Pickets are a legitimate form of protest undertaken by employees. Further information about industrial action, strikes and pickets is available on the UK Government website.

Replacing lost teaching

Will missed teaching be replaced?

Where industrial action may affect your learning, your school will provide details of arrangements they are putting in place to ensure that, wherever possible, lost learning is replaced or made up on a like-for-like basis in line with our regulatory obligations to the Office for Students. 

If you are offered classes outside of your normal timetable, these will only be scheduled to take place during normal timetable hours, Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and during the 15 weeks of the semester period set aside for teaching and assessment. This may include during reading weeks. Classes cancelled due to strike action may be rescheduled for later in the semester, which could be up to and including Friday 18 December. Check your University email account regularly during this period of industrial action.

Why is the University replacing missed teaching?

It is important that you have the opportunity to receive the teaching and achieve the learning outcomes you were promised when you accepted an offer to study your chosen programme.

This is also clarified by the Office for Students (OfS) in their expectations of institutions during industrial action. These include that we “Prioritise the delivery of education when implementing contingency plans – in the first place, avoiding any impact on students; where this cannot be done, mitigating the impact on students through delivery of education with as few changes as possible; where this cannot be done, timely repeat performance of any missed or significantly disrupted teaching, assessment, or other promised aspects of students’ experience.”

What happens if I choose not to attend my scheduled learning sessions during a period of industrial action?

If you choose not to attend a class that goes ahead during industrial action, this will be classed as an unauthorised absence.

As per the Attendance and Engagement Policy for Students, you are required to:

• attend punctually and regularly at lectures and classes;
• complete all written assignments, practical or other coursework;
• keep appointments to meet with the student’s supervisor; and
• attend all examinations, as appropriate in each case to the relevant programme of study or research.

Examinations and assessments

Will I be examined on content I have missed due to strike action?

You will not be assessed on topics before the relevant material has been covered.  

Similarly, whilst schools will ensure that as much learning as possible is recovered before formal examinations, they will be mindful of the time and opportunities you have had to assimilate, learn and practice topics ahead of the examination period. This will also be taken into account when scheduling, preparing and reviewing examination papers.

For other types of assessments, for example coursework, group work and presentation, schools are again being asked to ensure that you are not assessed on content that has not been covered and to review assessment deadlines.   

If you chose not to attend a class that went ahead during the strikes, this will have been classed as an unauthorised absence. You can therefore reasonably expect to be assessed on the material covered.

Will the strike action be taken into account when marking our assessment, or do I need to submit an Extenuating Circumstances (EC) form?

Your assessments will be marked as normal. But, the relevant examination board, ie. the staff in your school who review results alongside an external examiner, will be fully aware of any impacts of strike action on relevant modules and will make sure that you are not disadvantaged. You do not need to submit an EC unless you have reason to believe that the strike affected you disproportionately to your peers.

If I chose not to attend classes that did go ahead during strikes, in solidarity with striking staff, will I still be assessed on these topics?

Yes. If it was your choice not to attend a class that went ahead this constitutes an unauthorised absence and the onus is on you to recover any missed learning. Your decision not to attend class will not count as a valid extenuating circumstance in terms of any impact on your performance.

Late teaching means I won’t have time to revise for exams?

Your school will understand that cancelled classes may mean there is less time between being taught and the assessment period. They will consider the timing of hand in dates and also the dates for formal examinations to give you as much time as possible to prepare. They will also make sure that assessments are appropriate given any missed teaching. The fact that you may have had less time to prepare for examinations will be taken into account by the relevant examination board, ie. the staff in your school who review results alongside an external examiner, to make sure that the marking is fair.

Will the University make assessments easier to account for lost teaching?

No, the University will not lower standards expected from you as you progress through your programmes. This is important in terms of your learning and also in maintaining the standards that are applied to all degrees delivered by the University. 

We will take steps to ensure that you are not disadvantaged by cancelled classes. This includes rescheduling teaching, providing missed content through appropriate alternative means, offering support and revision classes, ensuring you are not assessed on topics that have not been covered, and taking into account the wider impact of industrial action on your learning and overall experience.

How do I access support for the exam period?

As the exam period approaches, we will share information about the support available. 

Complaints and compensation

Can I complain about the approach my school has taken to replace lost learning / claim compensation for lost learning?

The University's first priority is to replace any learning you lose as a consequence of industrial action. This is important because we have a contract with you to deliver the programme you registered for and to support your learning.

The Office for Students (OfS), which regulates higher education, are clear that compensation is not “a substitute for the holistic experience of intellectual, professional and personal development that a student should expect from their higher education” and that we should deliver the education you reasonably expect, whilst noting the protections afforded you under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

If you feel that replacement learning has not fully mitigated the impacts of the industrial action on you personally, you can make a complaint via the University's formal complaints process. Complaints will be submitted via a bespoke Formal Complaints form, designed specifically for these Industrial Action Complaints.

Read the Complaints about industrial action 2026-27 page for full details about the bespoke process.

Under the University's formal complaints process you are entitled to seek redress, including compensation, with compensation taking the form of “a financial refund, price reduction or repeat provision of service.” Compensation can be made in response to both individual and group complaints. It is normal for compensation to be paid in full and final settlement following a complaint, with students having the alternative not to accept the offer and to progress a complaint with the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) on receipt of a Completion of Procedures letter.

Read the University’s Compensation and Refunds Policy.

Compensation for lost learning will not normally be considered until it is clear what learning you have lost, what arrangements your school has put in place to replace this and how effective these mitigations have been. 

The Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) provides some helpful advice for students wanting to complain. This is relevant to all students across the UK.

Can I be reimbursed for out of pocket expenses due to lost teaching?

Any rescheduling of teaching or assessment will happen during the normal teaching and assessment week, normally the 15 weeks of teaching and assessment in each semester. These are the weeks you would normally be expected to be on campus.

However, if you have incurred travel or childcare costs to attend a lecture or meeting on campus and on arrival found that it had been cancelled with no notice because of industrial action, you can apply to be reimbursed. To be eligible, you will need to have had no other reason to attend campus, for example, other classes that were not cancelled, and will need to provide evidence to confirm your costs, for example, travel tickets.

Complete the reimbursement form to make a claim.

Mental health and wellbeing support

Where can I find mental health and wellbeing support?

We understand this is a challenging time and that industrial action may cause uncertainty and stress on top of your studies. If you’re feeling down, overwhelmed or if the strike action has significantly affected your mental health, our Student Mental Health, Counselling, Therapies & Wellbeing Service can offer tailored one-to-one support to help you make sense of what you’re experiencing.