Latest Information Regarding COVID-19
This page has been created to allow you to keep track of the latest announcements from Blackburn College regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
We’ll keep these pages up to date for you. Please check back regularly for updates in the coming days
Update, Wednesday 15th July 2020 (all Blackburn College Students)
Dear students,
Now that we have reached the end of the academic year, I wanted to write to you to thank you for your hard work and perseverance in this period of online and home learning.
Some of you have attended Blackburn College in the last weeks in order to meet with your tutors. It has been great seeing students back on campus.
Beacon Centre Re-Opening
From Wednesday 15th July 2020 the Beacon Centre at Blackburn College will re-open. Our reception area will re-open and we will be available to advise students and potential students through face-to-face services.
Our services also continue to operate remotely at this time, should you not wish to attend College.
You may find the following contact details useful.
Careers Advice
Advice on which course to choose to suit your career aspirations.
Get in touch: careers@blackburn.ac.uk
Student Finance
Advice on your bursary, bus pass or Student Finance applications for University applicants.
Get in touch: studentfinance@blackburn.ac.uk
Admissions
Advice on your application and enrolment.
Get in touch: admissions@blackburn.ac.uk
Teaching and Learning in September 2020
Blackburn College is planning to fully deliver all our programmes for this coming academic year and we are committed to:
- Enabling you to enrol online
- Delivering face-to-face inductions in small groups to ensure you settle into study with us, supported by online activities and resources
- Ensuring that all students take part in regular small group teaching, face-to-face tutorials (including laboratory, studio and arts spaces) and personal tutor meetings, with activities also available online to support your learning
- Delivering a revised approach to timetables to limit numbers on campus at any given time
- Re-assessing our teaching spaces and adjusting capacity that ensures you and your tutors can observe required social distancing
- Delivering as many other face-to-face activities as we can safely, where it can be done in suitably smaller groups. We will make full use of the teaching day and week to do this.
Social Distancing
I wanted to remind you of the continued importance of social distancing. Many of you will have read that cases of the coronavirus are increasing in Blackburn with Darwen.
Indeed, some of you may be concerned that a ‘local’ lockdown may be imposed within the Borough. I wanted to write to you to ask you to continue to act responsible so that you keep yourself and others safe.
I also wanted to remind you of the symptoms of the virus, what to do should you have symptoms and how to get tested for the virus.
Main Symptoms of Coronavirus
The main symptoms of coronavirus are:
- a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
- a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
- a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
Most people with coronavirus have at least 1 of these symptoms.
What To Do If You Have Symptoms
If you have any of the main symptoms of coronavirus, you should:
- Stay at home (self-isolate). This means you do not leave your home or have visitors. Anyone you live with, and anyone in your support bubble, must also self-isolate.
- Get a test. You can get a test to check if you have coronavirus as soon as possible. Anyone you live with, and anyone in your support bubble, should also get a test if they have symptoms.
Getting a Test
You can now be tested in Blackburn to see if you have coronavirus. A new drive through testing centre is available near to the Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital. This is a drive through service and is only available for those with a car. If you do not have a car then you order a home testing kit, which is delivered to your house. Many results are returned within 48 hours.
You need to book a slot or a home testing kit online.
In all cases, you should continue to use official resources to get the correct advice.
Queries
It may be that you have questions or queries. In this case please email thehub@blackburn.ac.uk. Please make clear in the email who you would like the enquiry to be forwarded to and a member of the team will help you.
Until the new term starts in September, please continue to keep yourself and your families and loved ones safe by following the Government’s advice.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Fazal Dad
Principal and Chief Executive
An Important Update for Parents of Blackburn College Students
Dear Parent/Carer
Due to the national situation, you will be aware that keeping your family at home is the safest way of preventing the spread of the Coronavirus.
Blackburn College has therefore moved to online and home learning – tutors and support staff continue to work remotely and are providing access to teaching and learning via Moodle and other online platforms.
Student work will be posted online and tutors are contacting students with specific instructions as to how to complete assignments and work remotely. This may require students to use other software, webpages or their course books, for example.
IT Support
It may be that your child needs help and support with IT at this time. Our Helpdesk team is running remotely and the team can be accessed by emailing helpdesk@blackburn.ac.uk.
Encouraging Your Child
Please encourage and support students to engage with learning during this closure period.
Read the Coping with Change leaflet which gives extra information to support families in promoting wellbeing and adapting to home learning.
It is important that students continue to make progress and work towards the completion of their qualification. Our subject tutors, English and maths teams and support staff will maintain regular contact with students during this time to ensure they are supported.
Queries
It may be that you have questions. In this case please email thehub@blackburn.ac.uk. Please make clear in the email who you would like the enquiry to be forwarded to. It may also be helpful if you include the student ID number found College ID card.
Pastoral and Welfare Support
We continue to try to support our students and their families in difficult circumstances remotely and do all we can to keep our community safe.
You may also, however, find these useful links for parents helpful.
I ask that you do all you can to stay safe and would urge that you act in accordance with the latest Government advice.
Yours sincerely,
Andrew Pickles
Assistant Principal (Student Support and Engagement)
