19 March 2020
COVID-19: College Closure
Dear Parents/Carers and Students
Following on from my last update, I’m writing to let you know that we have now been instructed to close the College after this Friday until further notice.
Please note that this is a national closure – as you may have heard in the news – so while it is a challenging situation, we are not alone. We’ll re-open fully as soon as we can and will communicate this in the same way as we have been doing over recent weeks.
We recognise that students have worked very hard throughout their courses in preparation for their final exams, and we understand that this is a time of uncertainty.
What we’ll continue doing while students are at home.
Students continued learning is of course important to us, so subject staff, progress tutors and study support staff will keep in regular contact. Teachers have been discussing with students how to access distance learning in the weeks ahead.
Students completing examinations and qualifications (Y13 and GCSE re-sits)
It is vital students continue to engage with all distance learning tasks until the Government indicate how final grades will be awarded. We have been informed by the DfE that we should find out in the next few days, and will of course inform you straight away once we know anything.
Year 12 Students
Full engagement and commitment to distance learning and the build up to progression exams/assignments at the end of Y12 remains a priority for all Y12 students. The period of time students are away from College and how productive this period is will have a significant impact on their future success in Y13.
This is as much as we know right now and we appreciate your continued patience as we deal with this evolving situation. We understand that this latest news will have an impact on you and your family, but we’ll continue to update you as the situation develops.
Our Study Support Team will be contacting all parents of students with Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs) and students we consider might have additional vulnerabilities, to discuss how we can best support the individual needs of those students over the weeks ahead. Given the age group of our students, we are assuming that the children of key workers will be well-placed to work independently on distance learning activities, but please contact us if you wish to discuss this further.
For students in receipt of free school meals, please note that this will be paid directly into bank accounts weekly until Easter, and then monthly in advance until further notice.
Thank you again for your continued support, and we’ll be in touch with more information when we can.
Trust Executive Team
