It’s been three weeks since I last updated you on the progress the College is making on the range of challenges we are currently facing.
I would again wish to thank all of you for your continued engagement with your studies. Whilst staff are continuing to both teach and provide tutorial and pastoral support online, the response from you has been excellent and clearly will help prepare you for your next step, whatever that may be.
In recent weeks more information has become available from the different examination bodies in relation to the assessment and grading of your performance. Although, we are still awaiting greater clarity from a number of the vocational exam boards. In terms of A Levels, for example, your performance will be assessed by your College lecturers and based on all of your assessed work up to and including 20 March.
The exam boards will then look at each institution’s proposed distribution of grades as compared to the actual distribution of grades in previous years. So if for example, 40% of students achieved A* in the previous couple of years, then it would be expected that a similar % achieve A* this year. Therefore, we believe our College students have a real advantage as our grade profile in recent years has been excellent.
Another key focus for us at the current time is in preparing for the easing or partial easing of lockdown at some time in hopefully the not too distant future.
Clearly there are a whole range of challenges ahead. These include the need to maintain social distancing through possibly having smaller class sizes alongside partitioning classrooms, workshops and laboratories and ensuring that everyone has access to PPE – and whilst we don’t have any actual date to work to, the planning is well underway.
However this is still only part of the picture. When you do return, for some there will be outstanding assessments to complete and, for many others, the need to catch up and complete parts of your course.
We will also aim to ensure that you get the opportunity to progress onto your next step as part of our Gower College Swansea Guarantee and this will need to be built into individual timetables.
In addition, with the employment market likely to be even more competitive going forward, we are keen that we provide you with even more targeted support in this area.
To keep up to date with how we are responding to Covid-19, please visit our dedicated webpage.
Stay safe and keep in touch.
Mark Jones, Principal