As everyone will be aware, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has required all schools and colleges to put in place a range of special arrangements over the past two years. We anticipate having to give careful consideration to such matters for some time to come. As has been the case throughout the pandemic, future arrangements can be difficult to predict with certainty; we will therefore keep a very careful eye upon government guidance as it emerges over the coming weeks and months.

The government guidance on Covid was updated with effect from 1^st April 

From 1^st April, the government no longer recommends asymptomatic testing for Covid and consequently will not be making Lateral Flow Tests (LFTs) available to students via their school or college.  Although LFTs are available to buy (£1.99 per test at Superdrug, for example), most people will soon run out of testing kits and will therefore no longer be able to establish whether their symptoms are Covid or just an ordinary illness like a cold.  PCR tests will also no longer be available for most people.

The new College protocols, based on the latest government guidance, will be:

If you test positive for Covid through a Lateral Flow Test – stay at home for at least 3 days and then come back to College once you are no longer showing symptoms.

If you feel ill but are unable to confirm whether you have Covid or not, the government indicates that the key symptoms to look for are:

• Symptoms of respiratory infection (cough etc)
• High Temperature
• Feeling Unwell

If you are showing any one of these symptoms then you should stay at home until you feel better.

Students and parents will be especially worried about what happens if symptoms appear around the time of the public A level, Applied General and GCSE exams during May and June.  We are hopeful that more specific guidance from the Department for Education on this specific issue will be issued in due course.

Vaccinations

We would urge all students to give clear consideration to NHS guidance in this area and take up any offer of a vaccination, which can be arranged via GPs or online.

The timetable

We are pleased to confirm that, in line with government guidance, we are operating our “normal” timetable at the moment

Students are receiving 4 sessions per block, each 1 hour 10 minutes long. They will see your personal tutor regularly, as part of “in person” tutorial sessions. Students are in College every day, with students spending more time in College than last year, with more opportunity to take part in additional studies and other activities.

FURTHER UPDATES WILL BE POSTED ONLINE AND IN STUDENT EMAIL BULLETINS AS REQUIRED