25/02/2021 – College Opening Update
Dear Student,
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement earlier this week, we can confirm that Kidderminster College will begin welcoming students back to campus from Monday 8 March for Covid-19 testing, and from Thursday 10th March for face-to-face teaching.
We’re really looking forward to being back together and we hope that this is good news for you too! You’ve continued to impress us with your hard work and your determination while you’ve been at home, but we know it hasn’t been easy for you and you’ve missed out on the benefits of being on campus.
We want to reassure you that your safety remains our highest priority and we’re working hard to make sure that campus remains a safe place to learn. This means that there will continue to be safety measures in place across campus for the foreseeable future and we’ll also be inviting all students and staff to take part in our testing programme, which is an important part of keeping you safe.
Keeping You Safe
While we will reopen for all of our students, your timetable will continue to be a blend of on-campus lessons and online teaching over the next term. This will reduce the numbers of students on campus at any one time but means you can still benefit from time with tutors, classmates and fantastic facilities, while staying as safe as possible.
We are continuing to follow all of the available guidance and we have extensive safety measures in place on campus:
- You will be required to wear a face covering in ALL indoor settings, including your lessons, unless medically exempt
- All lessons will be subject to social distancing wherever possible
- One-way only systems will remain wherever possible and lifts restricted to one person use
- You will have already been invited to take part in our testing programme to prevent asymptomatic spread of Covid-19
- You MUST NOT attend campus if you are displaying symptoms, or live with anyone displaying symptoms of Covid-19
If you, or someone you live with, is classed as extremely clinically vulnerable you do not need to return to college. Your tutor will provide you with details of how we will continue to support you until you are able to return.
Testing
When you return to campus, you’ll be invited to take three Covid-19 tests, spaced 3-5 days apart. These tests are designed for people without any symptoms and use a ‘lateral flow device’ which will give you your results in under 30 minutes. Once you’ve completed your three tests on campus, you’ll then be given tests you can complete yourself at home. You’ll be asked to do this twice each week and report your results back to us. Testing in this way helps us to identify people who may need to self-isolate and keep everyone on campus safe.
To take part in testing it is important that you complete a consent form located at www.kidderminster.ac.uk/consent/
You can book your first Covid-19 test using the following link: www.kidderminster.ac.uk/booktest/
We understand that this might seem a little daunting. We want to assure you that testing is safe and it’s the quickest and simplest way that we can safely return to campus. Testing isn’t mandatory but we do encourage you to sign up, as this will help create a safer campus for everybody.
If you have a special educational need and/or disability and need extra support or reasonable adjustments putting in place, please let us know so that we can arrange this.
You can find more information about testing on campus on our https://kidderminster.ac.uk/testvideo/ If you have any questions please get in touch by studentservices@kidderminster.ac.uk
What Happens Next
Please prepare to return to campus in the week commencing Monday 8 March. You will be contacted by your tutors who will give you details of your timetable and your first day back on campus. In the meantime, you should continue to engage with your online learning.
We know that this may be an anxious time for you and if you do have any worries about returning or need any additional support, your Personal Tutor will be able to help you.
We really are looking forward to welcoming you back. See you soon!
Kidderminster College