It's going to be different,but we need to adopt...

Life at Regents is all about social distancing and support bubbles but student numbers have increased despite lockdown

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If Regents Theological College prin-cipal Dave Newton had been dis-cussing Christmas plans for his students 12 months ago, they would naturally have included parties, community events and concerts.

But this year’s celebrations have been designed around social distancing, support bubbles and pre-travel self-isolation.

These might be new foundations for Regents’ festivities, says Dave, but they are accepted priorities elsewhere in the college after a year of unprecedented change and adaptation.

“Back in March, lockdown was a shock, but as soon as it was announced, we decided to send all our residential students home because we didn’t know how long it would last,” he says.

“Within a week, we’d transferred everything from face-to-face delivery to online teaching.

These changes allowed Regents to navigate the remainder of that academic year, but a new challenge swiftly emerged as Dave considered the next intake. “After that, the biggest fear was recruitment. Would anyone come back in September?”

It is a real answer to prayer, he says, that student numbers this year are up! “Recruitment for our Masters course was higher than it had been for the past five years, with 25 students enrolled instead of a typical 20. Fortyfive undergraduates enrolled, instead of 40, and we have 25 on our ministry foundation certificate.

“I wouldn’t have been surprised if numbers were 20 to 30 per cent down. For them to be up is miraculous. We are really grateful to God for that.”