Message to Students

Published Monday 3 January 2022

Covid-19 guidance and return to college arrangements

Happy New Year to you all. We hope that you have had a good break from college and are ready for next term! No doubt you will be aware of the developing situation in relation to the new variant of COVID-19 – Omicron. As a result, the government have introduced some additional measures to keep us all safe as we enter our new term.

Face coverings are now a requirement in classrooms and workshops as well as corridors and common areas. Whilst we all appreciate this is not ideal it will keep us all safe and ensure that we can continue to attend college for our learning. Please ensure that you have a face covering or get one from reception points on arrival. Please discuss any exemptions with teachers or with support staff.

We are asking all students to undertake a lateral flow test before returning to college. If you have kits at home please make sure that you do this the day before returning to college. Kits are available from all admin teams on all sites and teachers have been asked to ensure that you collect your kits in the first week of term. We are asking that students as well as staff get into the habit of lateral flow testing at least twice a week. If your lateral flow test is positive you should not attend college but book a PCR test and follow the advice from the NHS test and trace service.

Other guidance remains the same in terms of hand washing regularly and vaccinations. Vaccinations are seen as the strongest defence against COVID and we would actively encourage you to get your vaccinations if you haven’t done so already.

We are making arrangements for learning to continue for students who need to self-isolate due to COVID. Please let your teacher know as soon as possible if you are unable to attend college and we can make arrangements for you to access your learning.

We look forward to seeing you back on campus this coming week.