Coronavirus response update 11th May 2020

I hope you managed to find some time to enjoy the sunny weather on Friday and Saturday over the long weekend. The announcement by the Prime Minister on Sunday evening posed more questions than offered answers. Some of this has been clarified on reading the updated guidance released by the Government this afternoon. For school and college opening, a preliminary date of the 1st June has been identified as an ambition for the return of year 12 students, but this is dependent on the progress made in reducing the number of new infections (Our Plan to Rebuild: The UK Government’s COVID-19 Recovery Strategy: May 2020). Our main aim is to ensure the safety of all members of the college community when this time arrives. Any return to college will be cautious; it will be very different to our normal pattern and way of working.  SLT and others are working on plans for our return; these will be shared with staff and students once ready and prior to any date of return.

A few updates.

As mentioned above, the Government guidance, Our Plan to Rebuild: The UK Government’s COVID-19 Recovery Strategy (May 2020) was released at 2.00 this afternoon. A copy of this can be found at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/884171/FINAL_6.6637_CO_HMG_C19_Recovery_FINAL_110520_v2_WEB__1_.pdf.

We will read the advice carefully and use it to inform our future decision making. We will work with colleagues in other Sixth Form Colleges through our local and regional networks, and will participate in discussion through the SFCA to ensure that our plans are robust and safe for everyone. I know this will be a nervous time for many and there will be concerns to be raised and questions answered before anything happens. We will share our plans with you once they are developed.

The consultation for vocational, technical and other qualifications closed on Friday. A response from the college was submitted to Ofqual. We’ll provide an update to the guidance as we receive it.

That’s it for today.

Take care, look after yourself, your families and each other; be patient and stay positive.

Anton