Coronavirus response update 10th June 2020

I hope this finds you and your family safe and well.

A few updates:

Firstly, thank you for your patience over the last 11 weeks. We have been overwhelmed by the support you have shown to us as a college; it is really appreciated. It just goes to prove that we work better together, all pulling in the same direction.

Our plans to reopen now focus on the week commencing the 22nd June. We will be sending out guidance to all students about when to expect on their return and how to behave in the next few days. Invitations to those students we feel would benefit from some face to face contact will be sent out early next week. For the vast majority of our students, the main form of teaching and learning and teacher contact will continue online; our live online sessions have begun this week for a small number of subjects as we pilot this approach. All subject areas will deliver in this way from Monday 15th June following students’ usual timetable. These will continue until Friday 3rd July 2020, the last day of teaching for this academic year.

Below you can find some useful resources to keep the conversation going about racism in our society which has come to the forefront over the last few days. Our students continue to look to us for guidance and to set an example of support even in these isolated times. The Colleges’ Equality and Diversity Twitter feed can be found at @ASFC_EandD. There are many resources which can be found via this Twitter. There are some useful resources below:

• www.theredcard.org/  is a charity aimed at stamping out racism in sport.
• www.stephenlawrence.org.uk/ is a charity that works with people aged 13-30 from disadvantaged backgrounds in providing them support to start the career of their choice. It was set up in the memory of Stephen Lawrence.
• www.blackmindsmatteruk.com/ is a charity that works to narrow the equality gap which currently exists in mental wellbeing support for black people in the UK.

These resources might help to answer some of the questions your sons and daughters may be asking you.

That’s all for today.

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

Anton