Principal’s update

20^th May 2020

To all our students and apprentices

College Reopening

I hope you and your families are all safe and well, and that you have been making good progress with your learning.

Further to the Government’s announcement on the reopening of schools from 1^st June, I am writing to let you know of our response at Carlisle College.

We are planning to reopen the campus to eligible students before the summer break, and this will most likely be sometime in June. However, in this initial phase this will only be for students and apprentices whom we know would benefit from attending the College site to complete their qualification, and the number of students invited in will be relatively small.

Our decision is in line with advice from Public Health England and Central Government and follows the relaxation of some of the lockdown measures. It is the decision of myself as Principal, supported by the Executive Leadership Team and the College Board to decide on a date to reopen our campus. The College puts your safety and wellbeing and that of the staff at the forefront of any decision. We can assure you that our management team has been planning for some time to ensure that any return to college can be managed safely, adhering to guidance and social distancing protocols. The groups of students eligible to return, as per Government guidance, will only be those whom we believe will benefit from some face to face delivery or practical training and assessments which cannot be replicated at home. Our staff will be in a position to contact those students and apprentices in the coming weeks.

No date has yet been set and we will only reopen our campus when:

• All Government guidance can be met, in full.
• Individuals, college areas and work tasks have been risk assessed and appropriate mitigation measures are in place.
• Full consultation has taken place.
• The Principal, supported by the Executive Leadership Team and the College Board, authorises the action.

If you are in one of these groups, you will be contacted to discuss whether you are able to attend, and your circumstances would make it possible to do so. Whilst we would encourage learners to attend if invited, no-one will be disadvantaged if you are unable or unwilling.  Returning to college will give you the opportunity for face-to-face tuition and completion of practical assessment by your tutors, which cannot be carried out remotely. We do not envisage a full timetable. The aim is to make sure you are up to speed and able to complete your courses successfully. Learning in the virtual classroom will continue for all our students. We will contact you in due course to advise you if you are one of the students eligible to return, of the date we are reopening the College and the strict extra measures to which you will need to adhere.

I also want to put on record how impressed we all are with how you have adapted to the new way of learning in these remarkable circumstances.

I would like to thank you for your understanding and support at this time and wish you every success with the completion of your course this year.

Best wishes

Grant Glendinning

Principal