As you will all most probably be aware, there is a new variant of the Covid-19 virus called Omicron.
In line with the new Welsh Government guidance, all students should now wear face coverings while indoors across all campuses.
We are already operating on this basis, but you will now be asked to wear your face covering:
• When in classrooms
• When in common room areas – unless eating/drinking.
In line with recent Welsh Government guidelines to further reduce the transmission of Covid-19, the following changes will now be in place from Monday 11 October:
This week, we were advised by Swansea Bay Health Board that the Regional Incident Management Team (IMT) considers the current risk level of coronavirus in Swansea Bay equivalent to the high rating on their framework.
Subsequently, the guidance from the IMT is that, although the College is not itself a high risk, all organisations – including schools – are being asked to take extra steps to help prevent the continuing spread of the virus in the wider community.
As a College, we already have a number of control measures in place, which include
I hope that you and your family have enjoyed the summer break.
As our students return to College we would like to make you aware of the arrangements that will be in place from the start of this autumn term and how we will continue to prioritise the health and safety of our students whilst they are at College.
Firstly, it is our intention that the majority of teaching will be carried out on a face to face basis, although we will also be looking to provide enhanced support for those learners who are having to self-islolate at home.
Principal Mark Jones looks forward to the start of the autumn term, explaining how the College is continuing to ensure that health and safety remains the top priority.
As we near the start of the new term, it seems a good time to reflect on how things have gone so far at Gower College Swansea.
The most recent announcement by the Education Minister gives us the opportunity to build on the good work of the past couple of weeks and to bring more students back for face-to-face teaching from Monday 15 March.
We are now able to bring in more vocational students in learning areas where there are outstanding practical assessments, and it also means we can bring back A Level students where preparation for assessments will need to take place.
I will explain the arrangements that we need to put in place for students below.
We are looking forward to welcoming some of our students back soon!
This video will give you an idea of what to expect when you return to College.
Some key points to remember:
From Monday 22 February, our campuses will be open for a small number of vocational students only.
In this first phase, these students are likely to be those studying engineering, construction, catering and accountancy (AAT) courses who have qualifications that require a license to practice element.
There will also be a small number of students who will be notified to come in to College to undertake essential assessments that cannot be undertaken online or remotely, which may include lab technician apprenticeships and some applied vocational science.
Last week, the Education Minister announced that a small number of vocational students would be able to return to College from Monday 22 February which, as you will hopefully be aware from my previous update, we have been planning towards for the past couple of weeks.
The students who will be prioritised for return are those needing to undertake assessments to complete their qualifications and achieve their license to practice.
I’d like to update our students and parents following last Friday’s announcement (29 January) by the First Minister.