Dear Students, Parents and Carers
As you will be aware, the Prime Minister recently announced that Schools and Colleges will re-open fully to all students from 8th March.
Your teacher will have confirmed your method of return, timetable, and if it is to remain remote learning or if you will be required on site for some or all of your lessons. Please note things will have changed from your September timetable. We are still offering a combination of both on and off site learning in order for us to maintain COVID-19 safe delivery. Please ensure you keep in contact with your teacher direct or via Teams for these updates. For anyone who is unaware of what the situation was with regards to the home test kits please see below:
https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests
Below are links to alternative testing facilities, and these may be more suitable for you.
Derbyshire: https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/social-health/health-and-wellbeing/health-protection/disease-control/coronavirus/community-testing/community-testing-for-covid-19.aspx
Nottinghamshire: https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/care/coronavirus/asymptomatic-community-testing-for-covid-19
Leicestershire: https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/coronavirus-covid-19/rapid-asymptomatic-testing
Staffordshire: https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Coronavirus/Testing/Testing-for-people-without-symptoms.aspx
It is great to have students back to College and, in line with current Government guidance, will be encouraging our students and staff to ensure they continue to maintain the principles of social distancing. The two metre rule should still be observed, which means the classes will operate as they did last term with a blended mix of onsite and online learning, depending on class size. Students and staff will be required to wear face coverings (unless exempt for health reasons) in all public areas and in classrooms or workshops. No one should attend a site if they are feeling unwell.
Students need to eat in classrooms and obviously you will need to remove masks for this but we want masks to be put back on as soon as you have eaten to limit the amount of time without masks in your teaching area. Staff will be enforcing this message in class.
FALSE - Lateral flow testing is voluntary
CORRECT - Before being able to have a test you need to complete a consent form.
CORRECT - If you have been tested you will need to receive a negative test result before attending face to face lessons.
CORRECT - You will need to attend all three tests before being provided with home test kits.
FALSE - No, however at least twice a week you are advised do a test prior to attending college.
CORRECT - You continue to inform DCG should you be absence because you have symptoms and/or tested positive, either as a result of an on-site lateral flow, or a home test.
Safe Risk Assessment for the reopening of DCG Sites (PDF)
Students that are required to work at home can access College systems and content from any internet browser, on any internet-connected device. This can include, but is not limited to, Windows desktops and laptops, apple mac desktops and laptops, tablets (android and apple), mobiles (android and apple), games consoles (PlayStation and Xbox). For games consoles we would recommend plugging in a USB keyboard to make it easier.
To simplify access, we would recommend:
For further guidance about working remotely visit: https://moodle.derby-college.ac.uk/course/edit.php?id=1246679 Student logon for Moodle, Emails or the App is the same as College laptops.
Ring 0800 028 0289 for any support needs and a dedicated team will filter your IT, Safeguarding or Welfare needs.
We have set up a support page to help support you when working from home https://www.derby-college.ac.uk/you-re-not-alone
During this time if students are in receipt of bursary assistance arrangements a payment will be made to ensure you continue to receive financial support for meals.
Should you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact the College on 0800 028 0289 and ask to speak to a member of the Student Support Fund.Applications from school leavers/current Derby College students
We continue to receive 2021/2022 applications for students wishing to join any of the College sites (The Roundhouse, Ilkeston Community College, The Joseph Wright Centre, Broomfield Hall).
Join us at our next virtual open event to find out more https://www.derby-college.ac.uk/news-events/events
Please note: where face to face interviews on college sites would normally take place these will be replaced with alternative interview methods. For example. telephone/remote access interviews.
Any DCG student or employee testing positive for COVID-19 must report this to the DCG Health and Safety team immediately by filling out the Covid Positive report form
For any other absences, please ensure you follow the student or employee absence process as normal.
The DCG Business Development Team continue to remain in regular dialogue with our employer partners and will continue business as usual with any planned meetings or alternative method of working as mutually agreed.
The DCG Apprenticeship Delivery Team continue to remain in regular dialogue with our employers to limit any potential disruption to learning for your apprentices. For more information call on 01332 387421 or email BusinessEnquiries@derby-college.ac.uk
DCG take our duty of care extremely seriously and we will keep you updated as to any further developments as the need arises via the webpage, DCG social media and directly through your teacher, assessor or business development consultant. Obviously, this continues to be a difficult time for the whole community and again we thank you for all your patience and understanding.
This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to students and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education as national lockdowns and/or local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home.
The remote curriculum: what is taught to students at home.
Our students will move seamlessly to remote education, with timetabled classes taking place, as before.
We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in College wherever possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, (there will be adaptations to vocational practical learning. Where the practical learning cannot take place at home, the College will either prioritise theory learning or organise some practical learning workshops on site from time to time, in a Covid safe way)
Students that are required to work at home can access College systems and content from any internet browser, on any internet-connected device. This can include, but is not limited to, Windows desktops and laptops, apple mac desktops and laptops, tablets (android and apple), mobiles (android and apple), games consoles (PlayStation and Xbox). For games consoles we would recommend plugging in a USB keyboard to make it easier.
To simplify access, we would recommend:
https://my.dcg.ac.uk – this provides links to timetables, Moodle course updates and assignments, office 365 (Teams, OneDrive etc.), pro-portal but will also have a banner which will be used to communicate our latest message to students.
The MyDCG App for mobile device available from the app store – this provides the same links as the above but more conveniently or more inclusively on a mobile phone or tablet device.
https://www.derby-college.ac.uk/student-systems-hub - this provides a link directly to the systems they may need, but will require authentication, whereas the App or MyDCG will only require you to authenticate once on access or install.
For further guidance about working remotely visit: https://moodle.derby-college.ac.uk/course/edit.php?id=1246679 Student logon for Moodle, Emails or the App is the same as College laptops.
Any students highlighted as unable to access online learning has been contacted with details of which College sites are available to access during the lockdown period. If you are unable to access IT please contact your teacher who will arrange for your child’s online sessions to be accessed at a DCG campus.
As part of your learning, we will be using a variety of teaching approaches including:
You will be contacted by:
We will feed back to you by:
We recognise that some students, for example some students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), may not be able to access remote education without support from adults at home. We acknowledge the difficulties this may place on families, and we will work with parents and carers to support those students in the following ways:
For students who need additional support this is in place, whether they are studying on site or remotely. Our in-class support staff (Education Support Workers and Communication Support Workers, for Deaf students) join online classes. Teaching and support staff will share strategies and tasks with parents and carers where support is needed at home.
Some of our most complex students with SEN (Pathways to Independence and Pathways to Work) will follow a personalised timetable, may study remotely for short sessions, with follow up practical tasks set for them to do at home.
Parents are carers please contact tutors and our inclusion teams for details of specific support strategies. These may have been shared with you when your young persons inclusive teaching was created.
If my child is not in school because they are self-isolating, how will their remote education differ from the approaches described above?
Contact your teacher directly and they will put a specific plan in place.