I am on Art Foundation (part time over 2 years, now in 2nd year) at a university at present. We have been unable to access workshops since March 2020 and only allowed in studios one day a week from September to Christmas.
Obviously it's Government Policy that we haven't been back since Christmas. Our tutors are great but I think my uni haven't handled it well, and that was the most important factor in my decision to go elsewhere for my degree. In the first term back, other Unis extended workshop hours into the evening and put in a booking system so that people could use them on a first come first served basis. We've had the frustration of seeing workshops empty, but being unable to go in as the slot had been reserved for a different course that weren't actually using it.
What was going to be a key part of my final project has been sat in a workshop since March and I simply can't get in to finish it. I haven't the tools, materials and technician support to work on it at home Even though we are going back a week on Monday, we have been told we will have no access to the workshops for the rest of the year so frankly there's almost no point.
Much as this is frustrating for me, I will get my Foundation Diploma and move on, and hopefully things will be more normal by October. However, there are final year students on a design crafts degree at my current university, specialising in for example ceramics, that haven't had any workshop access for coming up to a whole year. Their ability to develop skills, create a portfolio and use that to get a job has been severely affected. That matters more to them than the piece of paper
Students that do return on the 8th March have just 2 weeks, and then have been told they can't travel home for Easter. If the university isn't opening workshops etc over the Easter holidays they will be stuck away from family and friends and unable to progress their work. My university have been silent on that point.