NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19): GUIDANCE FOR STAFF AND STUDENTS

This is an evolving situation and individuals should check www.gov.uk/coronavirus for the most up-to-date advice and guidance.

20 April 2020

Continuing with remote learning and working
We are continuing to operate remote learning and working, following the Government's advice. Our campus buildings, therefore, remain closed or open only by exception (eg for essential service staff) until further notice.

FAQs: cancellation of exams this summer
The Department of Education has published FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) around the cancellation of GCSE exams this summer. Take a look for some helpful gudiance and clarity.

6 April 2020

Update from the Principal: How your GCSEs will be awarded this summer

We understand how unsettling the past weeks have been for you, since the announcement that exams have been cancelled this summer, and that you are urgently waiting for news. We wanted to let you know that the Government has issued guidance for colleges and schools to complete your grades and send them to the awarding body. This is so that you are not disadvantaged in your progress within the College, university, an apprenticeship, training or work because of these unprecedented conditions.

How will your grades be calculated?
We will send, to the exam boards, two pieces of information based on what we know about your work and achievements:

1. The grade we believe you were most likely to get if teaching, learning and exams had happened as planned
2. Within each subject, how your mark would rank in comparison to other students on the course by performance, for each grade.

This information will be used to standardise judgments made by the awarding bodies, and we will consider a range of things like your classwork and homework, your results in assignments and any mock exams, any non-exam assessment or coursework you might have done, and your general progress during your GCSE course.

This information will allow Ofqual, and the exam boards, to standardise grades across schools and colleges, to make sure that, as far as possible, results are fair and that students are not advantaged or disadvantaged because schools or colleges are more generous or harsh than others when grading. That means the final grade you get could be different from the one we send to the exam board.

Information that is shared with the exam boards will be confidential, and your teachers, or anyone else at the College, will not be allowed to tell you the grades they will be sending to the exam boards, or where they have placed you in the order of students.

GCSE results won’t be delayed after the dates they were expected in August, and ideally they will be issued a little earlier, so you can have the certainty you need. Please be reassured that the grades you get this summer will look exactly the same as in previous years, and they will have equal status with universities, colleges and employers, to help you move forward in your lives as planned.

Stay safe,

Ali Hadawi
Principal and CEO

Update: 1 April 2020

Free school meals: the College is in the process of contacting all eligible students for details to make payments, to ensure they continue to receive support through this difficult time.

We're aware that a scam is currently circulating, asking parents and students to share their bank details in order to receive free school meals. Please be assured, the College will always contact you from an official email account containing @centralbeds.ac.uk asking for your bank details - check and disregard any other emails you may receive. Should you need to verify the email sent by the College, as your bank details are vital to process payments, please contact our Finance team, via: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Update: 31 March 2020

The College has contacted all learners who are eligible for free school meals and made payments directly into their accounts for this month. Any updates to this arrangement will be provided as and when they become available. In the meantime, if you have any queries regarding free school meals, please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Update: 30 March 2020 

The Education Minister has now clarified that it is safest for children and young people to stay at home, and to be sent to school only if absolutely necessary. Central Bedfordshire College has been working with parents to support this initiative where possible.

At this moment in time and in line with this, Central Bedfordshire College will be closing all of its buildings from 9am on Wednesday 25 March, and all staff will be moving to remote working and all students will continue with online and remote learning.

If parents of vulnerable children at the College, or key workers with children at the College, have queries regarding access for their child, please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Exams udpate: 23 March 2020 10am

For the current academic year, the government has taken the difficult decision to cancel all exams due to take place in schools and colleges in England this summer. This decision hasn’t been taken lightly, and we know our students will be disappointed as they have been working hard towards these exams.

To ensure students can progress to the next stage of their lives, including going onto university, further study or an apprenticeship this autumn, the Department for Education is working closely with the exam boards, and qualifications regulator Ofqual, to put in place alternative arrangements.

Ofqual is now working urgently with the exam boards to set out proposals for how this process will work, to ensure that the approach taken is as fair as possible.

Once we know what these proposals are, we will provide further updates on this page, and through social media.

Updated: 20 March 2020 (5pm)

In line with the updated advice from the government, we can confirm that Central Bedfordshire College and all its campuses will close to most students from Monday 23 March 2020 until further notice, with exception to vulnerable children and those children whose parents are key workers.

We have made all the necessary provisions to move teaching and learning online, which will commence from Monday. All of our plans will continue to prioritise enabling students to learn, succeed and progress as best they can, so they are able to complete their assessments and achieve the highest grades possible.

Students’ arrangements
All students, unless in a vulnerable category, need to have made all the necessary preparations to be able to study from home from Monday 23 March. Students:

• need to ensure that they can access learning materials via Moodle and able to access their emails to enable their tutors to communicate with them
• refer to the communications sent by text/email informing them of the arrangements and reminding them of the importance in engaging and maintaining good communication with the College
• await communication from their subject teachers
• must not attend the College unless by prior arrangement, which will include any necessary on-site practical assessments
• if entitled to free school meals, will be supported by payments

Vulnerable students
All designated vulnerable students are being communicated with directly, to ascertain whether they will be attending College or not, with further arrangements to be made if required.

If parents/carers deem their child to be in a vulnerable category as detailed by the government, please contact the College to obtain information on how we can support you. Call 01582 477776 or email your child’s tutor directly.

Key workers
All parents of 16-18 year olds - if you are a key worker as defined by the government, and require support from the College with your child, please contact us directly, on: 01582 477776.

Parents/Guardians
We have written to all parents and guardians advising them of the working arrangements from Monday 23^rd March 2020, and provided guidelines on the ways in which they can support their child achieve and progress.

Applications, enquiries and interviews
The College will continue to take enquiries by telephone and email, and online applications.

We would also like to reassure students who have applied to us, or are considering applying, that we will continue to process your application in readiness to start with us this September. To secure your place, apply via our website and our Admissions team will be in touch with further details.

Interviews will continue to take place by telephone until further notice. All communications relating to interviews will be by email and/or a phonecall from the Admissions team.

We will also continue to work closely with our employer partners and apprentice employers to aim to limit disruption and provide them with as much support as possible.

For new or current student applications enquiries, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For all apprenticeship enquiries, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Due to an influx of enquiries, we may take a little longer to respond, so please bear with us.

Updated: 17 March 2020

The College remains open and all classes run as normal until further notice. 

In response to additional measures announced on 16 March by the Prime Minister, Public Health England has released new guidance for those staying at home because they have symptoms of the virus or live with someone with symptoms.

• If you live alone and you have symptoms of coronavirus illness (COVID-19) - a new persistant cough and/or a temperature, however mild, stay at home for 7 days from when your symptoms started. (See ending isolation for more information)
• If you live with others and you or one of them have symptoms of coronavirus, then all household members must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill
• These actions will help protect others in your community while you are infectious
• Students: email your tutor as soon as possible, who in turn will advise you further on virtual learning arrangements. You will be expected to complete your work from home and maintain regular contact as agreed with your tutor
• Staff: email/phone your line manager as soon as possible. Please ensure you have provision to work from home and maintain regular contact with your line manager

Only use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service if: 

• You feel you cannot cope with your symptoms at home 
• Your condition gets worse 
• Your symptoms do not get better after 7 days 

Staff and students who are unable to return after 7 days should follow the medical advice provided by NHS 111 online coronavirus service and notify your personal tutor or line manager.

March Open Event cancelled
The safety of our visitors, staff and students is our number one priority and with the evolving coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, we have taken the decision to cancel our 19 March Open Event. 

Online applications remain open
Our online applications remain open and as always, we encourage you to apply early to secure a place on your chosen course for September.

Telephone interviews
To minimise face-to-face contact, the College will be moving towards telephone interviews until further notice. If you are due or awaiting an interview, full details will be sent via email and available to view on your application portal and/or a phonecall from the Admissions team.

Enquiries

For open event specific enquiries, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For new or current student applications enquiries, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For all apprenticeship enquiries, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Due to an influx of enquiries, we may take a little longer to respond, so please bear with us.