LCBT – College Update

Information for parents/guardians and students regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Updated: 11th June 2020 : 6:00pm

Dear Learners, Parents/Guardians,

We hope this finds you safe and well. Thanks to changes in guidelines from the Government, we are delighted to be able to open the College from Monday 15th June. This will be a phased return over the next 3 weeks to ensure that we strictly adhere to the Department for Education (DfE) and Government guidance that has been issued to Schools and Colleges.

The first learners to return next week will be those with limited numbers of assessments to finalise to complete their course, and we hope that by the first week of July all learners will be having some face to face teaching in College each week, complemented with remote learning.

We have now in the last 24 hours received further guidance from the Awarding Bodies on how assessments can be adapted and your lecturer will be able to give you a detailed plan in the coming days of what time you will need in College in order to complete your course.

Over the next three weeks, limited numbers of learners will be invited to return on a specified day and time. This is to support social distancing and the safety of all individuals. Therefore, a combination of remote learning and practical assessments at college will be used to help you complete your studies. This information will shortly be issued by your lecturer if you haven’t received this already.

We understand that some may be nervous about being out after such a long period in lockdown. We have taken every care to ensure the College in environment is safe, meeting all guidelines, and that learners can travel out of peak hours. Please do read and familiarise yourself with all the information below, but if you have any concerns please do speak to us, either your lecturer or contact student support at StudentSupport@lcbt.co.uk.

The adaptions that the Awarding Bodies have made will mean that some learners who are advanced in their course only have to come to College to complete a small number of assessments, or may not need to return. If however you feel you would benefit from some extra practise time around some of the treatments then we will be running workshops during August to allow learners to spend some extra time in College practising in salon with a lecturer. If you feel this would be beneficial please tell your lecturer and we will make sure to tell you when these become available.

Please also remember that our Job Shop is a free service for all of our learners and is running as normal and here to help you find employment either while studying or when you have completed.

We have very much missed all our learners and the team are looking forward to welcoming you back to LCBT!

Christianne C de Moncayo
Principal

IMPORTANT – REQUIRED READING BELOW

BE PREPARED FOR YOUR RETURN TO COLLEGE

YOU WILL NEED TO ENSURE YOU ARE PREPARED FOR THE COLLEGE DAY YOU AHEAD. PREPARATION ALSO COVERS YOUR CLIENT; THIS INCLUDES:

• You will need to bring a client with you who is a member of the household you are living in, we will not be able to provide clients on the day and you will not be able to perform treatments on other students, if you have a query regarding this please speak to your lecturer as soon as possible
• Ensure you have confirmed your clients name with your lecturer so that they can be booked in to our database at reception. Your client must be someone from your household.
• Packing equipment and tools needed in your LCBT bag for the treatments you will be delivering, ready to use on the day you return. You will not be able to borrow or share equipment during the college day to minimise the risk of cross-infection. This includes pens, we will be unable to provide pens on the day and you will not be able to share with anyone else
• Have a clean and professional uniform to wear on the day of return, uniforms should be washed at the end of each day to reduce cross-infection. A change of footwear ready to use in the salons will also be needed, this is to also minimise cross-infection. Please note that you will not be able to borrow uniform at college to prevent cross infection. Further to this, no outdoor clothing can be worn in the sessions so it must be your LCBT uniform.
• Please ensure you fingernails are artificial nail free and cut short so to prevent cross infection
• No jewellery should be worn at college to also prevent cross infection
• Please keep all valuables at home as locker facilities will not be in use, therefore we cannot accept any responsibility for valuables that go missing on the college premises if they have been brought in
• Pack drinks and food for the day as there will be restricted access to drinking and eating facilities around the college, these must be brought in disposable packaging.
• A large water bottle should be bought in as drinking fountains will not be accessible
• Please ensure you arrive promptly for your specified duration as outlined below. Please plan your journey ahead, trying not to use public transport where possible.
• Once you have entered the college for your specified duration you will be unable to leave unless there is an emergency. In the event of an emergency you will be guided by staff.

ON THE DAY REMEMBER:

• If you or anyone in your household are at all unwell prior to leaving for college, please do not attend and inform your lecturer as soon as possible. Anyone with a persistent cough or temperature should not be attending. If you become unwell during the college day, please let your lecturer know.
• Your temperature will be taken as you arrive at college
• You will be provided with PPE as you enter the building, this must be worn as you travel to our designated classroom. Further PPE will be provided by your lecturer in the classroom
• Arrive promptly for the day at the college reception, remembering to social distance whilst you await access to the building
• Entry will be through the main door, one desk will be for entry and one for exit, there will be clear signage
• Please check in at reception, who will then allocate you to a room with your assessor.
• Lifts will not be in use
• The stair way will have an outlined route for walking, you MUST stick to this route
• Please make sure you wash your hands regularly
• There will be hand sanitisation stations provided at reception and in each classroom so please ensure that your hands are washed and sanitised regularly
• There will be no break times due to the reduced hours you will be attending
• There will be no communal areas open
• Lockers will not be available for use
• There will be no vending machines
• You will also be allocated a set of toilets to use for the day
• There will only be 2 students permitted into any toilet facility at once
• PPE will be provided for you in the classroom, this includes aprons, gloves and facemasks.
• Once you enter the room, there will be minimal chances to exit as to ensure the room is secure to minimise cross-infection
• Please remember to adhere to social distancing guidelines at all times, except with the household member you have bought in to complete your treatments on
• The college facilities will be strictly and continually cleaned throughout the day, however we ask all learners as part of their industry role to keep their treatment area clean and sanitised before, during and after use. The college will be providing extensive cleaning materials for this.
• Do not leave the classroom unless you have been given permission to do so
• Do not share equipment, this will have to be cleaned after each learner has used each piece of equipment
• You will be invited one at a time to select products needed for your treatments, these will be distributed by your lecturer
• Treatment areas will to be cleaned and sterilised before starting treatment and after completing treatment to ensure we have a safe working environment for everyone.
• At the end of your session duration a cleaning checklist will be provided. It is imperative that the checklist is followed so to prevent cross infection and to keep everyone safe.

ANYONE NOT ADHERING TO THE ABOVE RULES WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE THE COLLEGE IMMEDIATELY, OR MAYBE REFUSED ACCESS.

Update from the 28th May 2020 : 7:00pm

At LCBT our priority continues to be the care and education of our learners and we are therefore following the current advice for schools from Public Health England which advises that schools should remain open and continue to operate as usual.

As a College, we are monitoring developments closely and are putting plans in place for every contingency. We will continue to email if there are any updates or changes in the recommendations for schools. The latest guidance received today is that no school should close in response to a suspected (or confirmed) COVID-19 case unless directed to do so by Public Health England.

Following the announcement by the Minister of State for Education and the Prime Minister yesterday afternoon (23rd March 2020), I am writing to inform you that from Monday 23rd March, LCBT will move to remote learning for all students.

We are well equipped to do this through our online learning system, LearnUpon (accessed through lcbt.learnupon.com), as well as Microsoft Teams. Lecturers will make contact and provide detailed instructions of lessons, activities and assignments. Learners will be expected to log on at the start of the day, engage in webinars, complete activities, assignments and eLearning, and registers will be taken for their day of regular study.

The college team have all been working hard to prepare for this eventuality, and Lecturers have been planning activities and assignments that can be done remotely. We are also working closely with the awarding bodies on how we will be able to complete assessments at home where practicable.

Lecturers have been guiding all learners to ensure they can all log on and access remotely but if there are any difficulties with this please contact LCBT support at studentsupport@lcbt.co.uk as soon as possible so we can help.

This is an important point in the year for all learners in their study programme and everyones role in supporting the students will be crucial over the coming weeks.

Please help to ensure there is a quiet space to work at home where possible, and make sure studying is undertaken during the regular days of study.

GCSES, FUNCTIONAL SKILLS AND VOCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

GCSES ENGLISH AND MATHS QUALIFICATIONS

The Department of Education has recently announce the cancellation of GCSE exams for this academic year, 2019/2020). The latest official news and guidance in regards to the Government decision can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/further-details-on-exams-and-grades-announced

Additionally, further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofqual   The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) are a government department that regulates qualifications, examinations and assessments in England.

Like many other colleges and schools we are continually monitoring the situation regarding the GCSE examinations. We can appreciate that you may have some questions surrounding the collection and attainment of results that will be used and how this will be submitted to the examination board. We are monitoring this situation and once we have a definite answer from Ofqual we will act on their guidance. Until we receive this information / instruction students will continue to be given work to complete independently at home and will be able to contact tutors and support staff throughout the remote working period using our distant learning platform.

VOCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

For our students on vocational qualifications, we are seeking approval from the awarding bodies to increase our ability to remotely assess a number of the units our students are delivering and conduct paper and practical based assessments rather than examinations where possible.

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS

For our students on Technical Qualifications, we appreciate this will possibly impact exams, synoptic assessments, optional and mandatory units and employer involvement. Please be assured that we are working with City & Guilds who are exploring a range of options to support our students successfully complete their qualification.

FUNCTIONAL SKILLS ENGLISH AND MATHS QUALIFICATIONS

For students on Functional Skills qualifications, we are continuing to remote teach and set work for learners undertaking functional skills. Below is the latest updated from City and Guilds, the awarding body for our functional skills qualifications, with details on the processes they will be undertaking with the College to ensure you receive your results.

Changes to City & Guilds summer 2020 Functional Skills exams due to COVID-19

We are writing to you as the Awarding Organisation for your Functional Skills qualification to give you an update on the process we will be undertaking with your learning provider this summer to ensure that you receive your result from City & Guilds for your qualification.

We understand that these past few weeks have been very unsettling for you, with the announcement that schools, colleges and many other learning providers have closed temporarily and that assessments and exams for this summer have been cancelled.

We are working to support your teachers/tutors and assessors to make sure that if you were expecting to take an assessment or exam between 20 March and 31 July, you are treated as fairly as possible and can get a result and progress onto the next stage of your education or in your work as planned.

How will your grade be calculated?

For each of the different elements of your Functional Skills assessment, eg reading, writing, speaking, listening & communicating or mathematics, your learning provider will be required to submit to City & Guilds the grade that they believe you would have been most likely to achieve if teaching, learning and assessment had continued under normal circumstances. This will be based upon what they know about you, along with your work and achievements on your course so far.

In order to determine your grade, teachers/tutors and assessors have been asked to take into consideration a range of activities such as practice or mock exams, partially or fully completed assignments, your performance in homework or other set work and tasks as well as general progress on your course. Your grade will be approved by the Head of Centre or Principal of your school or college before it is submitted to City & Guilds.

City & Guilds will then undertake a process of rigorous quality assurance to check the provisional centre assessment grades and how they have been calculated and use a range of other measures and statistics to make sure everyone is treated as fairly as possible.

Can I see the grades my school or college submits for me?

Please don’t ask your teachers/tutors, assessors or anyone else at your school or college to tell you the grades they will be submitting to City & Guilds. We have asked your learning provider to keep this information confidential until City & Guilds has completed its quality assurance checks and is able to confirm and release final results to your learning provider.

When will I get my results?

City & Guilds has asked learning providers to submit provisional centre assessment grades in June and will release results at the end of July 2020.

Please be reassured that the grades you get this summer will have equal status with those issued at any other time and will have the same value with learning providers and employers. Your teachers/tutors, assessors are the ones who know you the best, and are best placed to make an accurate, professional judgement about your level of achievement.

Once again, we appreciate how difficult this unprecedented situation is for you, so please be reassured that we are working closely with your learning provider to ensure that your grades are a fair reflection of your abilities and performance.

If you have any questions, please contact your learning provider directly.

With best wishes

David Phillips
Managing Director, City & Guilds

COMPLETION OF COURSES

Lastly, there have been a number of queries in regards to whether courses will finish at the planned times stated when students started on their courses. This is an unprecedented situation and we are endeavouring to support students to complete their qualifications at the dates planned, though we do anticipate that some groups may complete their courses a little later than planned due to disruption in face-to-face learning and restrictions on assessment of the qualifications by the awarding bodies.

We are in continued communication with the awarding bodies, the ESFA and Department for Education (DfE) and will be updating our process and information once further guidance have been provided to us.

FURTHER INFORMATION

If you have any questions at all please do not hesitate to contact us at studentsupport@lcbt.co.uk. There will be the same support functions operating while we are teaching remotely such as welfare and safeguarding and we will shortly be forwarding more information help and guidance on this.

Thank you all for your understanding and support during these difficult times. I wish you and all your family well and look forward to welcoming all the learners back hopefully soon.

We are continuously monitoring the situation and the advice given by the Government and Public Health England. Full up to date information can be accessed by following the link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public

The Department for Education launched a helpline to answer questions about COVID-19 related to education. Staff, parents and young people can contact the helpline as follows:

Phone: 0800 046 8687. Email: DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday).

Links to further advice include: Updates on COVID-19: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus.

Guidance for educational settings: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-educational-settings-about-covid-19.

Travel advice for those travelling and living overseas: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus.

If you have any queries not related to student support please don’t hesitate to email us on the email address: studentwellbeing@lcbt.co.uk

We thank you in advance for your continued support during this difficult time for all, and will keep you updated should there be any changes.

Kind Regards,

Dr Christianne C De Moncayo

CEO / Principal

The London College of Beauty Therapy