Cambian Dilston College – Update as of 3rd September

College Status - Open

Currently:

17 - Number of students currently at home with parents / guardian

8 - Students currently in a residential placement

8 - Students currently attending college  

Students at home are being supported by:

• Preparing, distributing and updating individualised work packs and resources for each student. These include literacy, numeracy, PSHE and activities/worksheets relevant to their programme

• Weekly Makaton sign of the week shared

• Fun activities, practical tasks, activity booklets and physical tasks are distributed throughout the week

• Staff send resources regularly throughout week which includes recommended resources and web based materials

• All learners have special access to ‘NowPressPlay’ which provides over 20 stories for learners to listen too

• We are collating work completed to ensure qualifications can continue and where possible certificates can be claimed

• Staff are calling weekly to check in with students, answer or pass on questions to relevant subject tutors and to provide further work when needed

• Education staff are continually sourcing or producing fun activities and activity packs to be distributed

• College animal pictures have been shared via email or uploaded to Facebook

Other comments / notes

Thank you for your continued support at this time of uncertainty. We, like you, are finding our way and adjusting to the ‘new’ world in the face of Covid19. We wanted to update with some reassurance as we approach the upcoming Easter Break. 

Whilst all of our schools have remained open, some parents / guardians taken the decision to keep your young people safe at home.  This has enabled us to focus on those young people who were not in a position to go home and be cared for by family.  We have been able to continue to offer support to all students and families, whether at college or not.  We have been able to provide ‘virtual lessons’ or distance learning opportunities and remote therapeutic support.  If you would like some support or have ideas about services you think we could offer, please do not hesitate in getting in touch.

We are planning for our schools and colleges remain open and that our Day and Termly Students will return after the Easter break.  What we are unable to do, at this time, is be clear about the timing of this. There are a number of factors that we have to consider.

• Whilst the government announced an initial three week period of encouraged self-isolation and social distancing, we understand that depending on the impact of this initiative this period may well be extended.

• To support the safe return of students we need to be sure that we have a staffing cohort who are well and able to provide the requisite care for the students at college.

• We will want to minimise the likelihood of infection within our schools / college, and aside from staff working, we want to minimise other college visitors and ONLY allow all people (staff, students and limited visitors) to the school who are well.

In order for us to plan most effectively, we would ask you to support us with the following:

1. On 14^th April you should confirm your intentions regarding the return of your child. 

We understand that you may well wish to keep your child home and continue to work with us remotely.  We will provide support for those who may wish to do this.

Once we have these numbers, we will be able to better assess whether we have sufficient, well staff to safely return your child to college.  We are currently gathering staff information daily which helps us to understand this position and for the next seven days. If through illness, staffing level change and impact the ability to support the safe return of your child we will contact you immediately.

1. When considering whether to return your child, we ask that your child and your household MUST NOT have exhibited any symptoms of Covid 19 in the seven days before the potential return of your child.  If over the holiday period your family have been in self-isolation these details and timings will be required to be shared.
2. On return to college, you be asked to complete a health declaration to confirm to the best of your knowledge that your child is fit and safe to return to college.

We hope this is a sensible and pragmatic approach to the current situation, we feel that this will allow us to continue to manage these exceptional circumstances effectively and safely.

If you require further details regarding this update then please do not hesitate to contact nicola.moxon@cambiangroup.com