Following the statement from Gavin Williamson (Secretary of State for Education) on Wednesday afternoon, I am writing to confirm the changes to the start of the Spring Term in January. In accordance with the new Government guidance, most students will now be learning online throughout the week commencing 04 January 2021. This will allow time for the College to prepare for Covid-19 testing.
The only students who will attend the College campus during the week beginning 04 January are:
Students who are taking scheduled national examinations
These exams will be held in a COVID-secure environment and students will leave the college immediately after the exams have finished. Students needing to attend exams in the week of 04 January will be contacted separately to confirm the arrangements.
Students whose parents are key workers (or ‘Critical Workers’)
If a student has a parent who is a ‘critical worker’ and it is not possible for them to stay safely at home, then they will be able to come to the College campus during their normal College days. The list of critical workers includes: (full list)
- Health and social care
- Education and childcare
- Key public services
- Local and national government
- Food and other necessary goods
- Public safety and national security
- Transport
- Utilities, communication and financial services
Students whose parents are agreed as critical workers will be able to come onto the College campus at certain times and will be able to join in with any relevant online learning provided by their teachers and with some other projects, such as careers and personal development activities. Students attending the College in this way will work online and be supervised by a range of staff.
If you are the parent of a student who considers that you are a critical worker and, therefore, you wish your son/daughter to come onto the College campus, please complete this form by 16:00 on Friday 01 January 2021, to help with our planning process.
Students whose parents are critical workers but do not need access to the College campus, will continue to learn online.
Students who are defined as being in ‘vulnerable groups’
The families of these students will be contacted directly on Monday 04 January 2020 to discuss their needs for the first week of term. If you feel that your son/daughter is in a vulnerable group and you haven’t been contacted by 15:00 on Monday 04 January, please contact the College.
From the week beginning 11 January 2021, the guidance says that we should prioritise on-site learning for students taking assessments this year and for those who are vulnerable; which covers almost all students at the College. Therefore, most students (both 16-18s and adults) will return for face-to-face delivery from Monday 11 January 2021. The exception to this will be students of the University Centre Newbury (UCN) who, as previously notified, are working online for the first two weeks of the new term.
Thank you for your continued flexibility and support. We are adapting as quickly as possible to the latest Government guidance to protect our students and communities during the pandemic.
With best wishes
Iain Wolloff
Principal