Highlands College

Safe Return to Highlands College

Guide for Parents / Guardians

 

We appreciate that this is a difficult time for you all. Helping your son or daughter to maintain routine and focus is a positive way to support them so that they stay optimistic about their goals.

We are now implementing our ‘Safe Return to College’ plan, the emphasis of which is to prevent the spread of infection of COVID 19 to students, staff, and all stakeholders.

 

We have created this guide to clearly outline the key elements of our approach and to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the safe return of students to College.

For the purpose of this guide, ‘Highlands College’ refers to the main site and all its subsidiaries; including but not limited to University College Jersey, Sixth Form College and the Apprenticeship Provision & workshops. Students of the Professional Studies Centre will follow separate guidance.

  

When will my son / daughter be returning to Highlands College?

The safety of our students is paramount so we will be implementing a phased return to Highlands College from 8th June 2020 for selected student groups.

 

How will I know when my son / daughter is expected to return?

 

Students will be invited to attend where there is a requirement for them to complete practical tasks or other tasks to achieve their qualification, or in order to be able to progress in their studies in the new academic year.

For those students who are required to return: their personal tutor will contact them directly via TEAMS to confirm arrangements for attending College, including the dates and times for sessions. This will also include information on additional health and safety measures which will need to be followed while on campus.

Students should not attend College unless specifically asked to do so.

 

If my son / daughter is required to return to College, what steps are being taken to keep them safe?

The College has already undergone a deep clean, and an ongoing, enhanced, cleaning regime has now been implemented in line with COVID 19 cleaning guidance.

The Head of each Department has developed a safe system of works, these include risk assessments and the creation of a Workplace Checklist specifically around COVID 19 Impact and physical distancing. This will be shared with all staff and students prior to their return to College to ensure its full implementation. The risk assessments are ongoing, and protocols are likely to evolve to ensure everyone’s safety.

Rolling timetables have been introduced to facilitate physical distancing, this means that timings of the college day will differ from student to student resulting in staggered start, finish and break times.

A pre-opening inspection will be conducted by Children, Young People, Education and Skills Department (CYPES) to ensure that all necessary precautions have been taken.

 

What systems are in place should my son / daughter need to move around the campus?

Students are to limit movement and contact where possible across campus. To minimise contact and to support physical distancing, all staff and students must stay on the left-hand side of corridors and stairways and must abide by the new entry and exit points within the college.

Prior to returning to College, students must take the time to view our short video outlining the new entry and exit points for each building ( https://youtu.be/-8KK0dOcJkg ).

To assist this process, we have ensured that the appropriate signage is clearly visible.

 

Who do I contact if I have any questions or concerns about the return to College?

The relevant personal tutor is your first point of contact. Please contact them directly if you have any questions or concerns. They will endeavour to address these or direct your query to the appropriate person if they are unable to advise.

A full list of personal tutors and their contact details can be found on our website here: https://bit.ly/HighlandsContacts

Personal tutors will be available until the last day of term on Wednesday 1 July (inclusive).

  

What should my son / daughter do if they feel unwell?

In accordance with Government workplace advice, if students are symptomatic, they must not come to College and should self-isolate.

If your son/daughter becomes unwell while in College and believes it to be COVID 19 related, the College will contact you immediately and isolate your son/daughter whilst awaiting your instructions for getting them home, they will be expected to go home immediately. The incident must be reported to their Personal Tutor or Head of Department who will arrange for a complete clean of the area which may have become infected. Please then contact the COVID Helpline on 445566 for further advice and guidance. If further medical support is required, the normal emergency medical procedures should be followed and 999 or 612612 should be dialled.

What if my son / daughter is not initially required to return to College?

All other students who are not initially invited to return to College, including those who are required to ‘shield’ for medical reasons, should continue to access remote learning from home, if they have not yet completed their studies for this academic year. Students should contact their personal tutor if they need information on tasks to complete.

Some students will now be awaiting information on the grading and award of their qualification and tutors are currently reviewing guidance from the qualification awarding bodies. Tutors will be in contact with relevant students during June to confirm the arrangements for the award of individual qualifications.