Principal Mark Jones reflects on the start of the Autumn term, praising students and staff for their cooperation, and explaining how the College is continuing to ensure health and safety remains the top priority.
As we enter the fourth week of term, it seems a good time to reflect on how things have gone so far at Gower College Swansea.
Firstly, I want to say a huge thank you to all our students and staff for their cooperation as we navigate our way through an academic year that is very different to any we've known before.
Staying together in small course group bubbles, wearing face coverings in communal areas and adhering to the College's new one-way systems and increased hygiene measures has ensured that we've been able to continue delivering face to face teaching for most full time students across the campuses.
Whereas schools are keeping their pupils together in whole year groups, the College has decided to play things a bit differently by introducing smaller, course contact groups. So if there is a confirmed case of Covid at the College, we would only need to isolate that particular class group.
But we need to stay alert and be flexible and, whatever the future holds, we are confident that disruption to our students will be kept to a minimum.
If the official Welsh Government guidance does change, we have a Plan B already in place which would see students switching to a more blended teaching and learning method, with a combination of face to face and online delivery, which worked really well at the start of the year.
If you are still undecided about what to do this year - and there is a lot to think about we know - you can still talk to our Admissions team. We have spaces available on a range of full time courses including A Levels, catering, engineering, performing arts, public services and business.
Simply email admissions@gcs.ac.uk or contact 01792 284000 to find out more.