So I am reliably informed from various sources that at a meeting of Michelle Donelan’s higher education task force this week, the issue of the “rule of six” and the activities of SUs and societies was discussed.

The feedback from the Minister was that while a gathering (in England) of more than six would be fine for “teaching, work and in halls”, six will be the limit for “anything social”.

...and so student society events would be banned (although there are, of course, other exemptions for organised team sports).

This is not an accurate representation of what we think the legal position will be, contradicts the guidance from DfE and demonstrates a complete misunderstanding of what it is that the Minister (and potentially VCs on the taskforce) thinks happens on all student society events.

For example - the exemption is not "for teaching", it's for the provision of education.

Again for those at the back. Society events are one of the component activities of Charity Commission registered students’ unions, which only exist to advance education;

...they can (and in this case should) be subject to detailed and rigorous risk assessments, management and mitigations; and our alternative is that these groups meet anyway, underground, in a much riskier way.

I mean for goodness sake. A lecturer hosting a safe and socially distanced film screening is fine, but EnviroSoc doing it in the same room in the same way isn't? Which will mean they do it 'round someone's house instead? Let's get real here + not make all of this actually worse.

Finally here. What did DfE mean by this if it DIDN'T mean societies can SUs can host safe stuff that busts the six limits?