Coronavirus (COVID-19): Advice for students, staff and visitors

We would like to reassure staff and students that our priority is your health and well-being.

We remain vigilant and continue to follow Government and Public Health England guidelines closely to minimise the spread of coronavirus.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR ALL STUDENTS - 22 FEBRUARY 2021

Following today's government announcement, and the planned return of students, we now await clarity from the Department for Education on measures the Group are expected to follow for a safe return. Please be assured that we will email every student, apprentice and employer as soon as these details are received.

STUDENT UPDATE - 05 JANUARY 2021

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced a third national lockdown on Monday 4 January which has now taken effect. This step is necessary to bring the new variant of the coronavirus under control.

There will be no face-to-face teaching until mid-February at the earliest. We have now moved all timetabled lessons online via Microsoft Teams and Moodle until students return to College. All students are expected to attend their online lessons as timetabled from Tuesday 5 January 2021.

Our campuses are closed to students so please do not travel to the College with the exception of the following:

For students taking scheduled exams during January.
Students who are classed as vulnerable, on an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan or whose parents/carers are critical in the COVID-19 response and cannot be safely cared for at home, can attend either our Bedford College or Tresham College Kettering campus from Tuesday 5^th January 2021.

If you are in one of these categories and would like to attend, please email us by 4.00 pm on the day before you need to attend for confirmation. You can contact us by:

Bedford campus: Email studentservices@bedford.ac.uk
Kettering campus: Email studentservices@tresham.ac.uk

Exams and vocational assessments are still taking place as planned during January in COVID-19 secure environments until we are advised otherwise and therefore students should still attend for these times only.

We will be in touch as soon as we can with further details from the government and awarding bodies. In the meantime, please stay safe and take good care of yourselves. Please be assured, our plans will protect your educational progress and support your wellbeing.

Continuing your Learning from Home

During this time all students are expected to continue their learning using the online teaching resources available through Microsoft Teams and Moodle. Where possible, teaching will be delivered live via Microsoft Teams at your usual lesson times from Tuesday 5 January 2021. If this is not possible, lessons will be provided for you to retrieve from Moodle. If you have any problems accessing these online resources please email: moodlesupport@bedford.ac.uk

We are aware that some students may wish to use our facilities within the Learning Resources Centres at each campus. If you feel that you may need to use the IT equipment within the LRCs please email Student Services to book your slot no later than 3.00 pm on the day before this is required.