Information for Students, Parents & Visitors regarding Covid-19

Click on the buttons below for the latest information by area:

May Half Term Update 22/05/20

Dear students, parents and carers,

We hope that you and your family are safe and well.

Following on from the Government announcement regarding the possible opening of schools and colleges, we wanted to update you on the College’s position and what changes are being made to work towards reopening the campuses.

For the time being, the College will remain closed for most students. We ask that students continue to complete their work through our online systems Solar and Microsoft Teams.

Our Health and Safety team have started working on a plan for a possible phased reopening from Monday 1^st June, looking at the practical work needed to ensure the college campus is safe to reopen.

We would like to reassure you that any reopening will only be done when we are clear that we can provide a safe learning and working environment for students, staff and all our families.

We are not expecting to be able to run a normal college timetable or campus until the autumn term at the earliest. Our tutors are working hard to continue to develop new and innovative ways of learning through our online learning platform Solar and providing virtual contact through Microsoft Teams.

All tutors and support staff are still working remotely to help guide, support and advise students through this time of uncertainty and would encourage any students who need extra support to contact our Programme Management team through Microsoft Teams.

Kind regards

Thalia Bell
Head of Riverside College

---

Update for Students on Bursary and Free College Meals:

Bursary: Students who are currently receiving bursary will continue to do so. Payments will also be made over the Easter Holidays.

Free College Meals: Students who have been receiving free meals in College will now be given £3 for each day they would have been attending as per their timetable. This payment will be made with their bursary payment and will start this week.

Please email Ben Etchells if you have any questions regarding bursaries and College meals: ben.etchells@riversidecollege.ac.uk

---

COVID-19 News Update 23/03/20

Following this evenings announcement from the UK Government the College buildings are now closed until further notice.

Students should continue to communicate with tutors as per the guidance on our website.

If you need any help accessing Solar or Microsoft Teams, please click here to view our guide.

---

Covid-19 Update 20/03/2020

Dear Parent/Carer

Following government guidance a decision was made to close the College yesterday in line with all other United Kingdom schools and colleges; the closure will remain in place until it is safe to re-open.

All students have been made aware of how they should continue to study remotely. Should they have any questions they should contact their tutors via email, MS Teams or Solar.

You will be aware that GCSE and A Level examinations scheduled for May and June have been cancelled. We are awaiting guidance from external agencies with regards to these and other relevant assessments. As soon as we receive these we will update our website and Facebook page accordingly.

We appreciate that is a difficult time for everyone and we are thinking about all those affected by the Coronovirus. The inconvenience we all face is necessary to ensure, as far as possible, that the health and safety of the whole community is given priority.

In the meantime, please keep safe and check the College’s website for updates.

Yours sincerely,

Mary Murphy
Principal

---

Covid-19 Update 19/03/20 – College Announcement

Please check this webpage daily for updated information

Dear Students,

Following yesterday’s announcement from the UK government, the College will close as of 5pm this evening, Thursday 19th March, for most students until further notice and will be moving to online learning. Please note evening classes are NOT running this evening.

Students no longer attending face to face lessons will be supported remotely by tutors and learning will continue through a mix of online and other remote learning methods. Students will be contacted by their tutors via Microsoft Teams, their student email or Solar with details of how their remote learning will continue.

Planned examinations will not be taking place and we are not rushing to make a statement until we have a clearer picture and more information.

Students who have been attending College and receiving bursary and childcare payments will continue to do so. We are awaiting Government guidance about Free College Meals, Advanced Learners Loans and Student Loans.

Separate arrangements will be put in place for vulnerable students where possible.

Please check this webpage regularly and/or our official social media channels for updates and new information. If you have any questions or concerns please call 0151 257 2800.

---

Information for Students, Parents and Visitors regarding Covid-19

Updated 17/03/20

Our priority is to safeguard the wellbeing of our College community and therefore you can be assured that we are following all the advice from Public Health England and the Department for Education.

New guidance for households with symptoms

Yesterday, the Government introduced new guidance on whole household isolation in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak:

• If you live alone and you have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), however mild, stay at home for 7 days from when your symptoms started
• If you live with others and you or another member of the household have symptoms of coronavirus, then all household members must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill. It is likely that people living within a household will infect each other or be infected already. Staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community
• For anyone in the household who starts displaying symptoms, they need to stay at home for 7 days from when the symptoms appeared, regardless of what day they are on in the original 14-day isolation period.

While the College remains open to staff and students, we have introduced the following restrictions from today, Monday 16^th March 2020 until further notice:

• If you return from any overseas destination, please do not return to College for 14 days. Contact the absence line as normal.
• Trips, visits and events have been postponed or cancelled until further notice.
• Access to our Vita Salons and Scholars Restaurant is restricted to Staff and Students only.
• The College Admissions team will be undertaking all interviews over the phone, and enquiries should be made by calling 0151 257 2022 or by going to www.riverside.ac.uk rather than attending College sites.

Please also be reassured that the College is monitoring information regarding Coronavirus very closely and has plans in place should the College be advised to close.

You can find any updated information here, on our website and social media.

We are also taking the following actions:

• Additional hand sanitisers and hand wipes have been placed around the College, particularly in computer rooms and LRCs – please do use them
• Posters have been placed around College reminding people of the best action to take and to raise awareness of the importance of washing our hands
• The Estates team are undertaking additional cleaning in high traffic areas throughout the day
• Students are being updated through tutorials, but please take every opportunity to reinforce the messages regarding personal hygiene, please see Personal hygiene guidelines
• Updating student contact details to ensure we can communicate effectively via email and phone if needed.

If you are travelling or have been to the affected areas, please ensure that you follow the Government guidance for returning travellers.

For more information on the virus and how to protect yourself, please see the NHS Guidance.