Tuesday 17th March 2020, 9PM

Coronavirus response update

Ashton Sixth Form College is open and running as normal. This is in line with advice from Public Health England. Yesterday’s change in advice for members of the public about self-isolation has reduced our staffing levels significantly. We will assess tomorrow whether we are able to run the college as normal, or if we will have to make some changes to our way of working. We will keep students, parents and carers informed.

It is possible that a decision about school and college closure may be taken in the next few days. Whilst this is not a certainty, it is prudent to plan for such an eventuality. Our aim is to provide the best service possible to our students should the college close. Our Virtual Learning Environment (Canvas) will be the main resource used for teaching, learning and assessment.

It is likely that any closure would be over many weeks. In order to ensure that students have the resources they need, staff have been given time during the working day to prepare resources and update Canvas. To accommodate this, the timetable has been collapsed for all students on Thursday 19th March. There will be no lessons for students, but they are welcome to come in to college to use the library or our Learning Resource Centres to complete homework, revise, improve coursework and study. There is no compulsion for students to attend if they prefer to work from home. The college will run as normal on Friday 20th March; all students, including those on as study day, should come into college to collect resource packs and advice from their teachers.

In addition, arrangements for A2 mock examinations have changed; your son or daughter’s teacher will provide guidance about the new arrangements for the mock examination period and whether they are going ahead. Those that do, will take place within normal lessons; timetables will run as normal.

Please follow the health advice from the Government which can be found at www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Thank you for your co-operation and support at this difficult and unprecedented time.