Update COVID-19: Advice to all students, parents & carers – 4/12/2020
Dear students, parents, and carers
Further to my last communication to you on 27th November 2020, I would like to update you on the current COVID-19 situation in the College.
REPORTED COVID-19 CASES: LATEST DATA
The table below gives the most up-to-date picture of COVID-19 infections at South Devon College in all areas.
| Weekly cases: 1 (Total cases reported during the last 7 days – this gives an indication of the number of current cases) |
| Total cases: 35 (A running total of positive/presumed positive cases reported to the College by students and staff since the first case was reported on Wednesday 7th October 2020) |
Changes to Teaching and Learning for all student from week commencing 14th December 2020 (except Higher Education who should continue to follow the information provided on the 11th November)
We have made the decision to deliver the majority of lessons online or via set work for supported home learning for the week commencing Monday 14th December 2020, the final week of term. This decision has been made to reduce the risk of students and staff having to isolate over the Christmas period. The arrangements will apply from the morning of Monday 14th December until the evening of Thursday 17th December. The last day the College will be open to those students who need to come on site, and the last day of term is Thursday 17th December 2020.
This online delivery or supported home learning will be formally timetabled for all students. It may still be necessary to undertake some limited face to face teaching or assessment and the College will continue to remain open to support our vulnerable learners. Tutors will contact students, parents, and carers directly to confirm arrangements for this week.
By delivering online lessons and supported home learning during the week before the Christmas holidays, we hope to further reduce the risk that any of our students, staff and their families have their Christmas break disrupted through potentially having contact with a positive case and therefore having to self-isolate.
Reporting positive Covid results
Please remember to complete the ‘out of hours Notification of a POSTIVE COVID-19 test result’ form to alert us if you, a member of your household or other close contact identified through Track & Trace, receive a positive test result in the evening or during the weekend or whilst the College is closed during the Christmas break. This online form is available via our main website www.southdevon.ac.uk
I would like to remind and reassure students, parents, and carers that each time we are alerted to a positive, or presumed positive case, we undertake a forensic risk assessment process. From these risk assessment processes to date, we genuinely believe there is no evidence of any transmission within the College of this virus. The College has remained open throughout this term, thanks to students and staff diligently following our COVID Secure guidelines whilst on site.
Please note, if you are required to self-isolate because you have been told to do so by the College, the NHS App, NHS Test & Trace or a member of your household/close contact is symptomatic and then you subsequently develop COVID symptoms, please do notify your tutor immediately.
Continued communication
As promised, we will continue to issue a weekly update of the number of confirmed cases within the College. We will provide this update at 2pm on Friday afternoon each week, including during College holidays when the College remains open. The College is closed during the Christmas break; therefore, updates will not be issued during this time and will recommence on Friday 8th January 2021.
Everything possible is being done to safely keep the College open for students and staff. This continues to be a real team effort and we ask every single student and staff member to keep doing everything possible to keep each other safe and well.
Thank you very much for your ongoing support.
Yours sincerely,
Laurence Frewin
Principal and CEO