Telford College drawing up plans for students to return safely
The principal at one of Shropshire's major colleges says they have started work on how students will return to its buildings.
Graham Guest, principal and chief executive of Telford College, said decisions will have to be made around social distancing, those students who need to be physically at the college, and the support available for those who remain at home.
He said: "We have been working hard to keep things as ‘normal’ as possible for our students throughout this lockdown period.
“Our campus has remained open with a skeleton staff to deliver the curriculum for a small number of vulnerable students, and children of key workers.
“Meanwhile, we have been working remotely with the rest of our students, apprentices and local employers. Attendance levels through distance learning have been really positive – well above the national average.
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“When the Government tells us it is safe to start welcoming more students back through the doors, we will begin the process of a phased and orderly transition.
“A great deal of work is already going on behind the scenes at Telford College to lay the groundwork, so that we will be able to achieve this sensibly, while keeping in mind the importance of social distancing.
“We will need to be flexible with the delivery of courses on campus, while at the same time ensuring ongoing support for those who must remain at home. This will be an ever-changing balancing act.
“The priority will be to help our most vulnerable students, and those who physically need to be at college to complete practical assessments in areas such as automotive, engineering and construction.”
Mr Guest said that online platforms had meant the college could continue to help students at home, and that he believed they would continue to be used in the future.
Adapt
He said: “Ever since the Government began to impose social mobility restrictions to tackle Covid-19, schools and colleges have been challenged to work differently.
“We’ve had to adapt the ways in which we deliver our curriculum, methods for keeping in touch with students, and the rules by which they are going to be assessed in place of their summer exams.
“We have been keeping in touch with Telford College students through a plethora of interactive learning services, including the Discord and Moodle teaching platforms – and I’m sure these will continue to play a key role once the lockdown is over.
“We’ve also set up private college YouTube channels which are allowing staff to share interactive tutorials, and we have secure chatroom facilities too – so students can communicate with each other, just as they would do in college.
“Despite the many challenges that this all brings, it has been heartening to see communities come together, determined to find a way.
“We’ve been seeing innovation, invention and imagination from those who – often for the first time – are having to turn part of their homes into a study or makeshift workspace.
“I am sure that some of these new online learning practices which have proved so successful over the past few weeks will be retained for the future.”
Mr Guest said that he been encouraging his pupils to continue with study – despite the unfamiliar learning surroundings many are now in.
He said: “When I first arrived at Telford College, we invested heavily in the ability to monitor and track students online, and this has come to fruition over the past couple of months. But has been a big culture change for everyone.”
“The most important message we have been giving to students, wherever they are, is that they need to continue to study.
“I want to reassure them that they will not be disadvantaged by the situation we are in. We are working tirelessly to ensure they progress to where they want to be.
“We want to ensure that we don’t lose a generation, and that our students achieve.”
