covid-19 updates
CORONAVIRUS ADVICE FOR STUDENTS, PARENTS AND CARERS
UPDATE
04 March 2022 - COVID-19 Secure RIsk Assessment
Following the Government’s and DfE’s updated guidance on the 21 and 24 February, Kirklees College has recently updated its current COVID secure risk assessment. There have been a number of changes since the Government and DfE announced these changes so please take some time to refamiliarise yourself with the risk assessment so you understand the new controls in place.
Thank you for your support to help keep the KC Community safe.
UPDATE
24 February 2022 - Living With COVID-19
On Monday 21 February, the Prime Minister set out the next phase of the Government’s COVID-19 response ‘Living with COVID-19’.
In response to this announcement and to keep our KC Community safe, our position is as follows (subject to sufficient supplies and availability of testing kits).
- All students and staff must test negative before returning to college on Monday 28 February.
- We will continue to support students and staff wishing to home test up to 31 March.
- Students and staff in SEND and alternative provision should continue with twice-weekly testing and report results via their college email. Testing kits will be prioritised for these groups.
- All students and staff who test positive must continue to remain at home and avoid contact with other people for at least 5 full days, and then continue to follow the guidance until they have received 2 negative test results on consecutive days before returning to college.
Thank you for your support to help keep the KC Community safe.
UPDATE
27 January 2022 - COVID-19 Plan A Update
As of today, Thursday 27 January, the Government has now moved back to Plan A Covid-19 measures. Whilst the wearing of face coverings is no longer required in classrooms and communal areas, we ask that all students and staff continue to wear face coverings when moving around sites and accessing busy communal areas unless exemptions apply.
Infection rates in our local area remain high and we want to encourage all students and staff to ‘Be Kind’ and help keep our KC Community Safe.
The wearing of face coverings will remain under constant review and any changes will be communicated.
Please see our updated Risk Assessment HERE.
Thank you for your support to help keep the KC Community safe.
UPDATE
20 January 2022 - COVID-19 Update
Further to government guidance released last night, as of today, Thursday 20 January, face coverings will no longer be required in classrooms for students and staff.
In order to keep our KC Community safe, we are still requesting that face coverings be worn in communal areas on college sites at all times unless an exemption applies.
Our supply of LFT Kits have been replenished and are available at all receptions across college. Please can all students and staff continue to test twice a week and record results via college email.
Please see our updated Risk Assessment here.
Thank you for your support to help keep the KC Community safe.
UPDATE
17 January 2022 - COVID-19 Self-Isolation Update
From Monday 17 January, people who are self-isolating with COVID-19 will have the option to reduce their isolation period after five full days if they test negative with a lateral flow device (LFD) test on both day five and day six and they do not have a temperature. For example, if students or staff test negative on the morning of day five and the morning of day six, they can return to college.
The first test must be taken no earlier than day five of the self-isolation period and the second must be taken the following day.
If the result of either of their tests is positive, they should continue to self-isolate until they get negative results from two LFD tests on consecutive days or until they have completed ten full days of self-isolation, whichever is earliest.
Anyone who is unable to take LFD tests or anyone who continues to have a temperature will need to complete the full ten-day period of self-isolation.
Please find the latest COVID-19 Secure Risk Assessment taking into account the new five-day isolation period HERE.
Further LFT tests are scheduled to arrive this week in college. Please can all students and staff continue to test twice weekly and record results via their college email.
Thank you for your support to help keep the KC Community safe.
UPDATE
05 January 2022 - COVID-19 Self-Isolation Update
The Government has recently updated its guidance regarding self-isolation within England.
All students and staff that are fully vaccinated or under the age of 18 years and 6 months and receive negative LFD results on day 6 and 7 (with tests taken 24 hours apart) can end their isolation early and return to their place of work and/or education on day 8. However, it is strongly advised that those who do end their isolation early limit their close contact with other people in crowded or poorly ventilated spaces, to continue working from home if possible and to minimise contact with those that are at a higher risk of severe illness.
Therefore, all managers are strongly encouraged to take a risk-based approach when accepting returning students and staff back to college and to take the latest advice and guidance into consideration. To support you with the decision-making process, the Health and Safety team have created a flowchart HERE which will help you to take a risk-based approach and a chart outlining the isolation period which can be found HERE.
However, individuals that are unvaccinated and are identified as a close contact of someone who has recently tested positive for COVID-19 are still required to self-isolate for 10 full days starting from the day after last contact.
On a final note, we ask all students and staff to continue to follow the systems of control found within the risk assessment which can be found HERE and continue to follow the existing public health measures in place.
UPDATE
04 January 2022 - COVID-19 Update
In the last few days the Government guidance on face coverings has changed and with effect from Tuesday 4 January 2022, these should now be worn by students and staff in all areas of the college, including classrooms unless you have an exemption.
All students and staff should continue to test twice-weekly using lateral flow device (LFD) tests. Please ensure you test before your first day back. The result should be reported using your college email address so that checks can be made. Test kits are available at all receptions across sites.
If you have tested positive for Covid-19, please report this to your line manager as soon as possible and students should continue to report any absences in the usual way.
At the moment, all exams are going ahead as planned. Any further updates will be provided during this week.
Thank you for your support to help keep the KC Community safe.
UPDATE
14 December 2021 - COVID-19 Plan B Update
As part of the government’s Plan B of the COVID-19 Response: Autumn and Winter Plan, Plan B sets out a number of additional measures across society to control the transmission of COVID-19.
From 14 December 2021, adults who are fully vaccinated and all children and young people aged between 5 and 18 years and 6 months identified as a contact of someone with COVID-19 are strongly advised to take an LFD test every day for 7 days and continue to attend their setting as normal, unless they have a positive test result.
Daily testing of close contacts applies to all contacts who are:
- Fully vaccinated adults – people who have had 2 doses of an approved vaccine
- All children and young people aged 5 to 18 years and 6 months, regardless of their vaccination status
- People who are not able to get vaccinated for medical reasons
- People taking part, or have taken part, in an approved clinical trial for a COVID-19 vaccine
Thank you for your support to help keep the KC Community safe.
UPDATE
10 December 2021 - COVID-19 Plan B Update
On Wednesday 8 December, the Prime Minister announced the implementation of Plan B of the COVID-19 Response: Autumn and Winter Plan, to reduce pressure on the NHS and to slow the spread of the new Omicron variant. Plan B sets out a number of additional measures across society to control transmission of COVID-19.
Following that announcement, we received an update from the Department for Education setting out the following requirements for educational settings:
- The wearing of face coverings in communal areas and when moving around campus is required unless exemptions apply. There is no requirement for face coverings in classrooms or training areas at this stage unless mandated by industry standards or local risk assessments
- All individuals who have been identified as a close contact of a suspected or confirmed case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, irrespective of vaccination status and age, are required to self-isolate and asked to book a PCR test immediately and remain at home until the results are received
- The requirement for twice-weekly home testing still remains and is a critical measure to help stop the spread of the virus. All test results must be reported to the NHS Track and Trace system using your student email address
- In order to mitigate disruption, students, staff and visitors must remember to sanitise, wear face coverings in required areas, give each other space and take up the offer of a vaccination
Thank you for your support to help keep the KC Community safe.
