Room Booking T&Cs

Contact: English Faculty Receptionist

Email: reception@english.cam.ac.uk

Tel: 01223 335070

Who may book an English Faculty room

  • Rooms may be booked by members of the English Faculty free of charge.
  • Rooms may be booked by other departments of the university free of charge, provided the event/lecture/conference does not charge for attendance. Internal bookings that charge attendees will be charged.
  • For affiliated groups looking to use English Faculty rooms there will be a charge.
  • The English Faculty does not accept bookings from external groups.

Room booking terms and conditions

  • The start and end time for bookings must fall within Faculty working hours unless the booking is made by a senior member of the English Faculty. These are as follows:
    • Term Time – Mon-Fri, 9am-6.45pm
    • Holiday Period – Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm.
  • The person in whose name the booking is made is responsible for the room and the condition in which it is left.
  • The room may only be used for the event specified at the time of booking. Unwanted bookings should be cancelled at the earliest possible opportunity. This is particularly important in the case of unwanted block bookings.
  • The number of attendees must not exceed the stated maximum capacity of the room.
  • Room bookings may not overrun unless this is agreed by the Faculty Receptionist.
  • Bookings will usually start/end on the hour to enable maximum use to be made of the limited number of Faculty rooms.
  • If an event involves speakers or guests whose presence makes special security arrangements necessary, this must be highlighted at the time the booking is made, or as soon as the need for security becomes apparent, in order to allow the Faculty to make an informed decision as to whether to accept/go ahead with the booking.
  • Once a booking has been accepted, the Faculty reserves the right to negotiate changes to the booking in order to make optimum use of the rooms available or to make way for important Faculty events.
  • Whilst every effort is made to accommodate bookings, the Faculty reserves the right to refuse or cancel bookings at its discretion and without notice.

Room booking procedure

  • English Faculty rooms must be booked via the Faculty Receptionist.
  • For routine bookings, an email is sufficient and there is no need to fill in the Room Booking Form. However, for some events, you may be asked to fill in the form.
  • Room booking requests/forms should be emailed to reception@english.cam.ac.uk
  • Please include the following information in your room booking request:
    • date when the room is required
    • start and end times
    • meeting purpose and/or title
    • number of people expected to attend
    • AV requirements.
  • If you are making the booking on someone else’s behalf, please say who that is. If your booking is for a talk or event, you also need to include the names of any speakers and any other information the Receptionist needs to be aware of.
  • Requests for rooms in term time will only be accepted following the annual block booking of rooms for Faculty meetings and after the teaching needs of the Faculty have been finalised, usually around the beginning of each term.
  • An unoccupied room is not necessarily available and should only be used if you have checked with Reception that it is in fact free.
  • If you are planning an event (eg a talk) which relies on specific AV working and/or that is high profile in some way, perhaps because it has an external speaker, it is advisable to book a slot in the weeks beforehand to check that you know how the AV works. If possible, it is also advisable to allow a little time on the day in order to set things up before the start of the event.

Support for meetings and conferences

  • The Faculty building is not a conference facility and does not have staff to provide administrative/housekeeping support for events taking place in its rooms.
  • The event organiser is responsible for leaving the room in a fit state for the next session.
  • Event organisers are responsible for organising their own signage. Please check with Reception before putting up your signs and ensure that all signs are taken down at the end of the event.
  • A registration desk for events can be arranged by prior agreement with the Faculty Receptionist. Registration must be handled by the event organisers.
  • WiFi – free, open WiFi is available using the UniOfCam-Guest network.
  • There is no designated area available for the storage of baggage or coats.
  • The Faculty building does NOT offer catering facilities.

Access

  • There is level access at the main entrance through two sets of automatic doors. There is a large lift to all floors. All rooms are level and accessible. There are accessible toilets on all floors except the ground floor.
  • Complete access information is available.

Parking

  • The Faculty of English is situated on the Sidgwick Site. Parking on site is limited and restricted to permit holders only.
  • The University strongly recommends that visitors to Cambridge use one of the Park & Ride schemes in operation. The Park & Ride on Madingley Road is the closest to the Faculty of English and the Universal Bus that leaves from near that site normally travels along West Road.
  • Although it is sometimes possible to find metered parking near the Faculty in Sidgwick Avenue, Queen’s Road and West Road, parking in the city centre itself is limited and several city centre roads have restricted access with penalties for using them.
  • There are two accessible parking bays outside the English Faculty. These can be reached from the West Road entrance to the site.

Use of the Social Space (please also read the Catering Policy)

  • The Social Space may be made available for external catering organised for events booked into Faculty Rooms. However, as the space is primarily a public space for students and those using the library it cannot be reserved for the exclusive use of one group.
  • You must request permission to use the Social Space separately and will then be asked to sign a User Policy before you use it.
  • It is unlikely that permission to use the Social Space will be granted for events taking place 9am-5pm Monday to Friday during Term Time.

AV equipment (please also read the Faculty of English Room Details)

  • Please state your AV requirements when you request a room. Include equipment that you know is usually in the room so that alternative arrangements can be made if equipment is out of order or needed elsewhere.
  • It is your responsibility as room booker/event organiser to check that any AV you require can be provided in the room allocated.
  • If you require additional IT support or equipment at your event, you will need to discuss your requirements with the Faculty’s Computer Officer by emailing computing@english.cam.ac.uk at least 2-3 weeks before your event. If your event is during the University Vacation you should email at least a month beforehand.
  • There is usually a PC provided in the room which is connected to all of the AV systems and you may find that easier to use than your own laptop. To use your own laptop you will need to bring with you the connectors you need for HDMI.
  • Unless you have made a specific arrangement with the Faculty’s Computer Officer, it is your responsibility to set-up any equipment you wish to use and to ensure you allow enough time for this.

Housekeeping

  • During term time, rooms are often in constant use. In order that bookings proceed to schedule, please vacate your allocated room promptly, 5 minutes before the end of the session
  • Food and drink are not permitted in the ground floor lecture spaces.
  • The event organiser is responsible for leaving the room in a fit state for the next session. This includes tidying the room and removing rubbish.
  • Please clean white boards after use. Please only use whiteboard marker pens on the white boards.
  • All faculty rooms have a fixed layout. If it is necessary to move chairs, please return them to their usual layout before leaving.
  • Please do not remove furniture from rooms.

Health and safety (please also read the Health and Safety Information document)

  • You must not allow the number of people attending your event to exceed the stated capacity of the room.
  • The room booker/event organiser is responsible for ensuring that all attendees are aware of Health and Safety issues (such as fire emergency procedures) and for the proper conduct of all attendees.
  • A fire evacuation route procedure is provided in all rooms.