Update: 15.01.21 Remote Learning Offer

Today the college has published its Remote learning offer 2020-21.

This document explains the arrangements Blackpool Sixth has put in place for remote learning.  It outlines the support which is available for students to ensure that they can access remote learning. It also details the expectations the college has of students undertaking remote learning.

If you find that the links to other policies and documents mentioned in the document do not load, please use these links:

● Student video call expectations
● Positive behaviour policy (and addendum)
● Safeguarding policy (and addendum)
● Acceptable use of computers policy

Further update on vocational exams 07.01.21

**UPDATE FROM awarding bodies, OCR AND LIBF

OCR – Cambridge Nationals (CTEC engineering and applied science):

Our priority is to ensure students are not disadvantaged. If your students do not take our exams this January, there are options:

There may be an opportunity to take their assessment at a future date. If this is not possible due to arrangements still to be announced for this summer, we’ll work with the DfE and Ofqual to make sure they are treated fairly.

LIBF – Level 3 Finance Studies

Learners who do not sit exams in January will not be disadvantaged and may be able to resit the paper in July. Should this not be possible, we will put in place alternative arrangements for your learners to ensure that they are not disadvantaged.

Update concerning exams: 06.01.21

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT – External/exams assessments

In the light of the Secretary of State’s announcement yesterday evening whereby colleges have been given the authority to make the decision whether or not to run external exams/assessments due to take place in January and February, Blackpool Sixth has decided to cancel all exams from 7 January 2021. 

We have made this decision considering the increasing rates of positive cases locally, the safety and wellbeing of both the college and our wider community alongside the updated statement from the government last night.  Furthermore, we have had reassurance from the main awarding body, Pearson, this morning, which states:

• “We will certificate any learner who is unable to take their exams and has enough evidence to receive a certificate that they need for progression.

• Learners unable to take their assessment this January may be able to take their assessment at a later date. If that is not possible, we will put in place arrangements to ensure no learner is disadvantaged.”

Whilst we are not yet clear what the alternative assessment methods and arrangements are we are confident that this is the right decision for the college and we will keep you informed about this as more information is shared nationally.

For your information, many other local colleges have taken the same decision.

Update: 05.01.21

Dear Blackpool Sixth students and parents/carers,

You will no doubt have heard the Prime Minister’s announcement that the country is going into national lockdown, similar to the lockdown in March. This will last for at least seven weeks, with measures to be reviewed in mid-February.

What does this mean for students?
Students will learn remotely from home until February half term. Learning will be delivered using a combination of live lessons (Google Meet) and other remote learning such as videos and tasks set using Google Classroom. Students should aim to follow their normal timetable but, as you no doubt appreciate, some flexibility may be required to respond to individual circumstances. For instance many of our staff are parents themselves of young children and will have home education commitments. Teachers will liaise with their individual classes via their college email to plan the delivery of their sessions. Thank you for your understanding.

Any students who have a problem accessing remote learning from home, including connectivity issues should contact their pastoral mentor.

Currently government guidance states that external exams/assessments scheduled to take place in January are going ahead in college, as planned but, we understand that there is a possibility that this could change before tomorrow (Wednesday 6th January). We will communicate any changes as soon as possible.

Students due to take an exam this month should follow the instructions sent prior to the Christmas break.

Please note: students must not attend college for exams if they have any of the symptoms of COVID-19, have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 10 days, or are required to self-isolate due to being a close contact. Please email exams@blackpoolsixth.ac.uk with full details if you are unable to take an exam/assessment.

Summer exams/assessments will not happen as planned.
The government has announced that they will work with the exams regulators (Ofqual) to put in place alternative arrangements. We are, as yet, unclear on what this means for our students so we will provide further information once we have more detail. In the meantime, it is important that students continue with their online learning as teacher assessments may be one of the methods used to award qualifications.

What do I do if I have any concerns?
Please contact your teachers via email if you have any concerns about your learning. If you have any other concerns then please contact your pastoral mentor in the first instance via email and they will be happy to help.

There is further information on the college website about what to do if you are worried about your safety/wellbeing or the safety of others outside of the usual college opening hours. See https://www.blackpoolsixth.ac.uk/information/safeguarding/ for more details. There are useful contact numbers for external agencies and advice about a range of issues such as mental health and how to stay safe online.

And finally…
Of course, we all hoped this wouldn’t happen again, but will get through this together. It is understandable that you will be feeling anxious but please be assured that we are very well prepared for this scenario and are confident that we will continue to deliver high quality remote learning for all of our students.

We will keep students informed of any development via their college email address but please check this page on the college website regularly because this is where we will post any significant new information relevant to all students.

We look forward to welcoming all our students and staff back to college once this situation has passed. In the meantime, look after yourselves and follow the government advice  to ‘stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives’.

Yours faithfully

Stuart Ormson
Assistant Principal – Student Support

Update: 18.12.20

Reporting Positive Covid-19 Cases over the Christmas break
If a student develops Covid-19 symptoms within 48 hours of last being in college and then tests positive for Covid-19 they, or their parents/carers, must report this to the college so that we can inform anyone you have been in contact with that they must self-isolate. The only way to do this during the Christmas break is by emailing covid.alert@blackpoolsixth.ac.uk, you will then be sent a link to a Google form to complete.

The college building and phone lines will be closed from 18th December to 4th January so please do not email enquiries or any other member of staff to report a positive Covid-19 case as the message will not be seen.

Please note: the covid.alert@blackpoolsixth.ac.uk inbox will be checked daily between 9:30-11am from 18th to 23rd December. The inbox will not be monitored after 11am on Wednesday 23rd December

What happens if a student is identified as a close contact of a positive case?
A text alert system will be used to inform students if they have been in close contact with a person testing positive for COVID-19 in college.

The text will come from ‘BPLSixth’ and go to the student’s contact number we have on our systems. The text will prompt students to go to their college email, where there will be an email with full details and dates of isolation. This email will also be sent to parents/carers using the email addresses we hold.

Any student who is identified as a direct/proximity contact as a result of a positive case reported during this time will be notified and informed that they are required to self-isolate for 10 days in line with government guidelines.

Positive Covid cases after 23rd December
If a student tests positive after the 23rd December, then you should follow contact tracing instructions provided by NHS Test and Trace.

Reporting that you are required to isolate at the start of term in January
If you are required to isolate at the start of term in January because you/someone in your household has tested positive for Covid-19 during the Christmas break then please email your pastoral mentor from 4th January onwards.

Start of the new term in January
The first week back at college will be a remote learning week. This will give the college leadership team a chance to assess the situation before all students return for face-to-face lessons the following week. Please note: some students will be invited to attend revision sessions in college ahead of external January exams.

Week beginning Monday 11th January – all students return to their full timetable of face-to-face lessons in college.

We will, of course, keep the situation under constant review and will let you know of any changes with at least one week’s notice, unless we need to act swiftly due to new guidance from public health or the government.

I would like to thank all students and parents/carers for your understanding and support during these unusual times.

Take care, stay safe and make the very best of the Christmas break.

Jill Gray,

Principal

Update: 13.10.20

Important message to students and parents/carers: change to a rota model timetable after October half term

We have been communicating regularly with you to keep you up-to-date with the protective measures we are taking in college.  You received an important message at the end of September outlining the extra measures that we are taking in college due to the local and national rise in Coronavirus cases.  An important, additional measure we are taking to protect our college community is a variation of our current timetable that will start directly after October half term.

Cases of COVID-19 in the region are continuing to rise well above the national level. On September 25th, Blackpool was escalated to an “area of intervention”, in line with the rest of Lancashire. ‘Areas of intervention’ have increased restrictions in place because of the significance of the spread of COVID-19. ‘Area of intervention’ is the highest of the three ‘escalation’ categories, the others being ‘area of concern’ and ‘area of enhanced support’.

The situation now in terms of the spread of COVID-19 is very different to the situation at the end of August. At that point, there were very few confirmed of COVID-19 in Blackpool

We have reviewed the measures we have in place and made the decision to move to a rota model timetable after half term for the majority of students. This is an effective measure to be considered in ‘areas of intervention’ as stated in the government’s COVID-19 Contain Framework. The rota model combines on-site face-to-face lessons with remote education. This one-week-on, one-week-off rota, means that some students would be on-site for one week and then learn from home the following week.

We strongly believe that the move to the rota model is an important step to take at this time to further reduce the risks whilst continuing to deliver effective teaching and learning. We continue to enhance remote teaching to provide our students with the best possible academic experience. When students are learning remotely from home, there will be a combination of live lessons using Google Meet and other remote learning such as videos and tasks set using Google Classroom.

The move to a rota model will enable the college to implement existing protective measures even more effectively. For example, having fewer students in college will reduce the chance of ‘bubbles’ mixing during the college day.  The increased use of remote learning allows more time at home for symptoms to present and students to self-isolate and avoid spreading the virus to others at the college. This is an important way to reduce the risk to students, their families and the staff, both in college and in the local area.

We anticipate that the rota model will run until Christmas, however, we will keep it under constant review and intend to switch back to the current timetable if the prevalence of the virus decreases and the ‘escalation category’ in the local area is reduced. We will let you know of any changes with at least one week’s notice, unless we need to act swiftly due to new guidance from public health or the government.

Timetable variation from 2nd November 2020

From 2nd November 2020, the timetable will function on a week 1/week 2 cycle for the vast majority of students.   In week 1 some students will be in college for face-to-face lessons as normal and other students will be studying remotely from home.  The students in and out of college will switch in week 2 and this will rotate week by week.

Please note the following:

• GCSE Maths and GCSE English classes will always be face-to-face teaching in college every week.

• On occasion, some students may be asked to attend college more often to enable them to access specialist resources, practical work or additional opportunities; their teachers will agree this with them individually.

COVID-19 – Return to college guidance for students and their parents/carers (September 2020)

In line with the government guidance we are planning our return to college for all students in September 2020.  There will, however, be additional measures in place to reduce the risk of transmission and to ensure the safety of all. 

PLEASE NOTE: This information reflects our current plans which, of course, could change if there is a change in the government’s advice or advice from the local public health team. We will endeavour to give as much notice as possible of any changes.

• We have liaised with the  Local Authority, the Department for Education and Public Health, as required, to ensure we meet the government’s guidelines.
• A rigorous COVID-19 risk assessment has been completed. The risk assessment includes all classrooms, learning areas and all other spaces. 
• Adaptations have been made to rooms to support distancing. This includes moving unnecessary furniture out of rooms to make more space, considering desk layout to maximise social distancing. 
• Classroom/office doors will be opened to ensure corridors are not used to queue and door handles do not become high touch points.
• Protective screens are in place across college where it has been risk assessed as being a requirement.
• The premises have been deep cleaned before reopening and enhanced cleaning, including cleaning frequently touched surfaces, is in operation.
• Good respiratory and personal hygiene will be promoted, including cleaning hands thoroughly, more often than usual and promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach.
• Hand sanitisers are available in all classrooms and offices.
• Additional sanitisation equipment is available in all toilets.
• Measures are in place to minimise contact between individuals and maintain social distance. 
• Measures are in place to discourage staff and students from gathering in groups, including exclusion zones in place in some areas across college (marked with hazard tape).
• Movement around the college will be minimised with everyone being asked to keep to the left and walk in single file at all times on corridors and stairs. 
• Personal use of face coverings including masks and visors is expected in all communal areas. It is not mandatory to wear face coverings in classrooms but some students and staff may choose to wear them.  Please note that unless the face-covering is a college requirement, e.g. for a science practical, it is expected that staff and students will provide their own.
• Measures are in place to minimise contact with individuals who are unwell by ensuring that those who have coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms, or who have someone in their household who does, do not attend college.
• Measures are in place to respond effectively in situations where someone displays symptoms whilst in college (see below for further details).
• Staff, students and parents/carers will be reminded regularly of the expectations and standards of behaviour relating to social distancing and reminders of expectations are visible throughout college.

Answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What are the main symptoms of coronavirus:

• 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

See the NHS General coronavirus guidance  for more information.

What do I do if I have symptoms?

Do not come to college and …

• Let your pastoral mentor know immediately via email. The email to your pastoral mentor must include full details of the reason for absence.
• Get a test to check if you have coronavirus as soon as possible. Tests can be booked via NHS UK or by contacting NHS 119 via telephone if you don’t have internet access.
• Follow the stay at home guidelines until you get your test result – only leave your home to have a test. Anyone you live with, and anyone in your support bubble, must also stay at home until you get your result.
• Let your pastoral mentor know the outcome of the test as soon as possible, via email. If the test is negative, you feel well and no longer have symptoms similar to coronavirus, you can stop self-isolating and return to college.
• If the test is positive, you must self-isolate for at least 10 days from when your symptoms started. You can stop self-isolating and return to college after 10 days if you only have a cough or loss of sense of smell or taste, as these symptoms can last for several weeks after the infection has gone. After 10 days, if you still have a temperature you should continue to self-isolate and seek medical advice.

What if I don’t have symptoms but need to self-isolate?

Do not come to college and self-isolate if:

• you’ve tested positive for coronavirus – this means you have coronavirus. If you are not experiencing symptoms but have tested positive for COVID-19 you must self-isolate for at least 10 days, starting from the day the test was taken. If you develop symptoms during this isolation period, you must restart your 10-day isolation from the day you develop symptoms.
• you live with someone or someone in your support bubble has symptoms or has tested positive. You must self-isolate for 14 days. A support bubble is where someone who lives alone (or just with their children) can meet people from 1 other household.
• you’re told by NHS Test and Trace that you’ve been in contact with a person with coronavirus. You will be asked to self-isolate for up to 14 days.

Read more about self-isolating here.

Please email your pastoral mentor as soon as possible if you need to self-isolate.  Give full details of the reason and when your self-isolation first started and is due to end.

Do I need to self-isolate if I am returning from a holiday abroad?

When you arrive in the UK, you will need to self-isolate for 14 days unless you’re arriving from an exempt country. Please see the list of exempt countries.

Should I continue to work whilst staying at home due to self-isolation?

If you feel well enough to work at home (and would ordinarily be in college with the symptoms you are experiencing), then please do so. Please stay in touch with your teachers via email during this time. 

What happens if I start to show coronavirus symptoms in college?

If you start to show any symptoms of coronavirus whilst on the college site then please tell your teacher or other member of staff immediately and, if it is safe for you to do so, you will be asked to go home and self-isolate. The member of staff will inform your pastoral mentor who will contact parents/carers and amend registers accordingly. 

If you display symptoms and need to wait in college, you will be taken to the medical room to wait whilst arrangements are made to get you home safely.  

What happens if someone in college has tested positive?

Any positive cases will be reported to the local health protection team and we will be advised on appropriate steps to take from there.  We will communicate with all staff, students and parents/carers as soon as we have clear guidance.

Will my attendance be affected if I have to self-isolate?

If you are required to self-isolate, your absence from college will be authorised for the appropriate length of time as long as you have reported the details of your absence and the outcome of any test to your pastoral mentor via email.

I or a member of my household is in a high risk group due to a pre-existing medical condition, should I be attending college in September?

The government’s guidance for individuals who have been shielding changed on 1st August.  In England, the risk of getting coronavirus is now low enough that people at high risk are no longer advised to shield. Anyone in this group is able to attend college as long as they maintain social distancing. Click here for more details of who is at higher risk of coronavirus.

Some students who are no longer required to shield but who remain under the care of a specialist health professional may need to discuss their care with their health professional before returning to college in September. Please contact the additional learning support team on learning.alert@blackpoolsixth.ac.uk if you have a pre-existing condition that means you are at high risk from coronavirus.

When does the Autumn term start?

Induction days are on Tuesday 1st to Friday 4th September. All Lower Sixth and Route3 students will attend a 2-3 hour induction session in college on one of the four induction days. You will be informed of the day/time of your induction session once you enrol at college.

Normal timetable for all students starts from Monday 7th September.

What are the arrangements for travelling to and from college?

Government guidance is that we should limit use of public transport where possible. Please consider all other forms of transport before using public transport – choose to walk, cycle or drive to and from college, where possible and only use public transport when no other option is available. 

You are reminded that it is the law that you must wear a face covering when travelling on a public bus, college bus, coach, train, tram, or other forms of public transport, as per the safer travel guidance for passengers. Transport providers will determine what appropriate protective measures will be put in place on transport and you must comply with any requirements set.

Please contact a member of the student services team on student.finance@blackpoolsixth.ac.uk if you have any questions about travelling to or from college

What is happening to minimise contacts and promote social distancing? 

The overarching principle is to reduce risk of transmission by limiting the number of contacts between individuals and maintain as much social distance from others as possible. 

The timetable will be organised to keep students and staff in class-sized groups (bubbles) each day. This will limit the number of people in contact with each other to only those within the group. Maintaining distinct daily groups will also make it quicker and easier in the event of a positive case to identify those who may need to self-isolate, and to keep that number as small as possible.

For example, a student studying three subjects will be required to attend college on three days per week. The other two days per week will be study days and students will work from home completing independent study and tasks set by their subject teachers. Some students, for instance those taking GCSE Maths or English alongside three other subjects will attend college on four days a week with one study day.

The use of class-sized bubbles will reduce the risk of transmission, however, we will maintain distance, where possible. 

You should avoid face to face contact with others, touching others, sharing equipment/belongings and keep the time spent within one metre of anyone else to an absolute minimum.

Although passing briefly in corridors is low risk we will still be operating a keep left, single-file policy when moving throughout the building.  You will be required to move directly to and away from the room you are using – don’t congregate in any area of college, including at entrances, in corridors, or dining areas. Rooms will be kept open, so there is no need to queue before your lesson starts. You must adhere to the instructions on the signage around college.

If you smoke/vape, you must only use the smoking/vaping area, but stay apart from others..

Will college be taking temperatures of staff and students?

The advice from Public Health England is that routinely taking temperatures of individuals is not recommended as this is an unreliable method for identifying coronavirus, therefore, the college will not be taking temperatures of staff or students.

Do I need to wear a face-covering or face mask in college?

After considering the government’s latest guidance and the guidance from The World Health Organisation, the college now requires all staff and students to wear face coverings in communal areas. This means that students will be expected to have a face covering on when they enter the college and keep it on until they get to their classroom. Face coverings do not have to be worn in classrooms  but some students and staff may choose to do so, and that is fine. 

Face coverings will need to be worn when travelling on corridors and when in other communal areas of college, such as the dining areas. Students can, of course remove face coverings when eating/drinking in the dining areas but they must put their face coverings back on once they have finished eating/drinking.  We believe that it is the right protective measure in our particular circumstances.

Please note that unless the face-covering is a requirement for a specific activity, e.g. for a science practical, it is expected that students will provide their own. Public Health England has made available resources on how to make a simple face covering.

It is vital that face coverings are worn correctly. Clear instructions will be provided to students on how to put on, remove, store and dispose of face coverings as part of induction, to avoid inadvertently increasing the risks of transmission.

Some students may be exempt from wearing face coverings due to a health reason or a disability. If you are exempt, please email  rebecca.taylor@blackpoolsixth.ac.uk with details of the reason for your exemption and a member of staff will contact you.

Am I able to wear a visor instead of a mask?

Yes, this is absolutely fine.

What are the plans for students at break and lunchtimes?

The seating arrangements in the catering outlets have been reviewed to introduce social distancing measures and lunches/breaks will be staggered to avoid too many students using the catering facilities at any time.   

Students will also be able to stay in their classroom (unsupervised) during breaks and lunches and eat packed lunches or pre-packaged food/drink bought from the college catering outlets.

Are visitors allowed in college?

Visitors should only attend college with a formal appointment and must report to reception on arrival.

I am anxious about returning to college or have additional concerns, what do I do? 

It’s natural to feel anxious at this time. The coronavirus epidemic, the extended time out of education and coming out of lockdown is likely to lead to increased levels of anxiety, even for people who don’t usually feel anxiety. YoungMinds gives lots of advice and guidance, including steps you can take to help reduce anxiety. There is a useful section on the YoungMinds website with advice for parents.

If you have any additional concerns please raise these with your pastoral mentor in the first instance or contact a member of the additional learning support team by emailing learning.alert@blackpoolsixth.ac.uk  

What is the college’s response to social distancing?

We have followed all the guidance provided by the Department for Education in the document – Further education (FE) autumn term guidance (last updated 7 September 2020 as well as guidance provided by Public Health England.

From this autumn, colleges were asked to resume delivery so that all students benefit from their education in full. Whilst following a system of controls, to minimise the risks of coronavirus (COVID-19).

A summary of actions in the guidance:

1) Minimise contact with individuals who are unwell 

2) Where recommended, use of face coverings in FE settings.

3) Clean hands thoroughly more often than usual.

4) Ensure good respiratory hygiene by promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach.

5) Introduce enhanced cleaning, including cleaning frequently touched surfaces often, using standard products such as detergents.

6) Minimise contact between individuals and maintain social distancing wherever possible.

The guidance stated that we “must do everything possible to minimise contacts and mixing whilst delivering a full programme of study.” There is no requirement to make classes smaller than normal class size.

“The overarching principle to apply is reducing the number of contacts between students and staff. This can be achieved by maintaining the distance between individuals, where possible and keeping groups separate (in ‘bubbles’). These are not alternative options and both measures will help, but the balance between them will change depending on the feasibility whilst offering a broad programme of learning”

The guidance strongly recommends that, as a minimum, we plan to keep year groups or cohorts of students separate from each other during the day. 

Maintaining social distance

In the guidance, it says maintaining social distance “where you can, and even doing this some of the time, will help.” We have, therefore, put in place control measures to maintain social distancing where possible whilst delivering a full study programme to all students. We have done this by:

• Maintaining a maximum distance between people whilst inside and minimising the amount of time they are in face to face contact
• We have changed the layout and seating arrangements in classrooms and other spaces to avoid close, direct face to face contact 
  • In classrooms, students side by side and facing forwards in classrooms rather than face to face 
  • We have reduced the capacity of dining areas, changed seating to allow social distancing. 
  • Additional outdoor covered seating has been put in place  
• Students have been asked to stay in consistent small groups, staying in the same social areas during breaks/lunch
• We have supported students to maintain distance and not touch their peers by providing guidance, giving regular reminders and ensuring staff monitor/challenge and educate in common areas.
• We have made the decision to recommend the wearing of face coverings for students and staff in the communal areas because it is more difficult to maintain social distancing when staff and students are moving around the premises. 

Keeping students separate (in ‘bubbles’)

When staff or students cannot maintain distancing, e.g. in classrooms and some communal areas we have reduced the risk by keeping students in the smaller, ‘class-sized’ groups (or ‘bubbles’) during the majority of the day and in department groups (or ‘bubbles’) during breaks/lunch.

• We have altered our timetable so groups (or ‘bubbles’) are kept apart and movement around the college is kept to a minimum. 
• • Normally we have about 2,200 students on-site each day. We have reduced the number of students on-site by about 45% each day.
  • Start times, break times and lunchtimes are staggered (9 different groups based on curriculum department) so groups of about 130 students form a wider “bubble”.  This avoids creating busy corridors, entrances, exits and dining areas and limits mixing.

The guidance explains that the two approaches of creating “bubbles” to minimise mixing and maintaining distance are not ‘all or nothing’ options and will bring benefits even if implemented partially. 

The two broad measures of keeping “bubbles” separate, minimising contacts between students reduce the network of possible direct transmission.

What if I see or become aware of someone not adhering to the rules?

If you see someone not adhering to the social distancing rules, please report this to a member of staff. This will be followed up and appropriate action taken.

 

 

 

Update: 26.05.20

Dear students and parents/carers,

I hope you and your families continue to remain safe and well.

I am writing to provide you with an update on the potential phased reopening of Blackpool Sixth during the summer term.

For now, our position remains the same as it has since we moved to on-line learning back in March. However, we are currently working towards a potential phased reopening from Monday 15th June, at the very earliest.  Obviously, this will depend on the national Covid-19 situation as well as the progress made in securing a safe learning and working environment.  I can assure you that the health and wellbeing of our students and staff continue to be of the utmost priority and therefore we will only consider reopening the college when we are confident it is safe to do so.

When we do return, the offer will be very different from the normal way of working. It is likely to involve a very limited number of students, different start and end times, and small group and one-to-one work with teachers, pastoral mentors, and support staff. We plan to limit the need to travel to and from the college, we will enforce rigorous social distancing across the college at all times and ensure a rigorous cleaning regime. Over time, we will extend our offer in a safe and phased way.

We are very much looking forward to welcoming our students and staff back to Blackpool Sixth but only when the time is right. In the meantime, please take care, stay safe and look after each other.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Jill Gray

Principal

Update: 12.05.20

Dear students and parents/carers,

I hope you and your families remain safe and well.

Following the government announcement yesterday, the college is preparing its plans in response. This may include some year 12 (lower sixth) students accessing face-to-face support at the college from 1st June, at the earliest, where this is appropriate and possible. Where available, this support will supplement (not replace) their current on-line learning. How this will look is still being determined and further information will be shared once the plans have been finalised; it is likely that this will be early next week. 

Please note that students will not be returning to college full time for the remainder of this academic year, i.e. before the summer break. 

In the meantime, please be assured that the safety and wellbeing of our staff and students continue to be of the utmost priority and, therefore, stringent social distancing measures will be fully implemented before anyone is welcomed back to the college, even if this means starting later than the suggested date of June 1st.

The updated guidance, which can be found here, provides further government information on the plans for the phased re-opening of educational settings.  You can also still access the government’s guidance for parents and carers, here.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding.

Kind regards,

Jill Gray

Principal

Important information for current Blackpool Sixth students

Updated 23rd April

Please scroll down to the section relevant to you based on your study programme

Route3 students

Students on the Route3 programme studying Level 2 BTEC or finance are no longer required to complete any work for their courses.

If they have a very small amount of work to complete for a resubmission and/or retake and doing this will mean a unit is fully completed and can be securely graded, we are happy for them to complete and submit this for marking should they choose to. They should only do this if they are confident that this can be done to their normal standard. This is not a requirement, and no student will be disadvantaged by not doing this.

Students on the Route3 programme studying GCSE courses should continue to complete the work set by their teachers, if they are able to.

GCSEs are essential qualifications that will be needed when applying for jobs in the future. All students are required to continue studying them until they achieve at least a grade 4. 

Although we hope students will achieve grade 4 this year some may not and will, therefore, need to continue studying this next year. It’s important that they keep learning and developing skills and don’t lose what they have learned this year.

GCSE teachers will be setting some work/activities to complete and it would be very helpful if students could complete this and keep learning.

If any student needs support we are here to help. 

Look after yourselves, make sure you follow the government advice – ‘stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives’ – and keep in touch.

Lower Sixth Combined Programme Students

Students studying BTECs in lower sixth (L6) need to continue learning and completing work until the end of the year. The focus will be on learning content, study skills including revision for external assessment (where relevant) and completing practice assignments.

Students studying A levels in L6 need to continue learning and completing work until the end of the year. The focus will be on learning content, developing study and revision skills, completing any key assessments set and working towards preparing for external exams at the end of the second year of study.

Students in L6 studying a GCSE also need to continue learning and completing work.

If any student needs support we are here to help. 

Look after yourselves, make sure you follow the government advice – ‘stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives’ – and keep in touch. 

Lower Sixth Vocational Programme students

Students studying BTECs in L6 need to continue learning and completing work until the end of the year. The focus will be on learning content, study skills including revision for external assessment (where relevant) and completing practice assignments.

Students also studying a GCSE need to continue learning and completing work for this too.

If any student needs support we are here to help. 

Look after yourselves, make sure you follow the government advice – ‘stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives’ – and keep in touch. 

Lower Sixth A Level Programme students

Students studying A levels in L6 need to continue learning and completing work until the end of the year. The focus will be on learning content, developing study and revision skills, completing any key assessments set and working towards preparing for external exams at the end of the second year of study.

Students also studying a GCSE need to continue learning and completing work for this too.

If any student needs support we are here to help. 

Look after yourselves, make sure you follow the government advice – ‘stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives’ – and keep in touch. 

Upper Sixth Combined Programme students

Upper sixth (U6) students are no longer required to complete any work for their A level, finance or GCSE subjects. 

They are no longer required to complete any work for BTEC or CTEC subjects either. If they have a very small amount of work to complete for a resubmission and/or retake and doing this will mean a unit is fully completed and can be securely graded, we are happy for them to complete and submit this for marking should they choose to. They should only do this if they are confident that this can be done to their normal standard. This is not a requirement, and no student will be disadvantaged by not doing this.

Students should now focus on preparing for their next steps, which may be attending university or moving into employment.

If any student needs support we are here to help. 

Look after yourselves, make sure you follow the government advice – ‘stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives’ – and keep in touch. 

Upper Sixth Vocational Programme students

Upper sixth students are no longer required to complete any work for their BTEC, CTEC, finance or GCSE courses. If they have a very small amount of work to complete for a resubmission and/or retake and doing this will mean a unit is fully completed and can be securely graded, we are happy for them to complete and submit this for marking should they choose to. They should only do this if they are confident that this can be done to their normal standard. This is not a requirement, and no student will be disadvantaged by not doing this.

If any student needs support we are here to help. 

Look after yourselves, make sure you follow the government advice – ‘stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives’ – and keep in touch. 

Upper Sixth A Level students

Upper sixth (U6) students are no longer required to complete any work for their A level or GCSE subjects. 

Students should now focus on preparing for their next steps, which may be attending university or moving into employment.

If any student needs support we are here to help. 

Look after yourselves, make sure you follow the government advice – ‘stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives’ – and keep in touch.

 

Further update on grading of A levels and GCSEs 

20th April 2020

Dear students and parent/carers,

I hope you had a peaceful Easter.

In line with the government guidance on 2020 summer grading, we are now commencing the process of calculating students’ grades for A level and GCSE qualifications; we will also do this for our vocational subjects once the full government guidance has been issued. 

Please note that we have until 29 May (at the earliest) to carry out the grading exercise.

Please could I politely request that students and/or their parents/carers do not contact individual members of staff requesting information about grades as we are not able to provide this under any circumstance. Making these requests puts unnecessary pressure on our staff and could also hinder the process.

Please be assured that we have rigorous quality assurance processes in place to ensure the process is fair and robust.

Please note that students who were due to complete their studies this summer are not required to complete any further work towards their current qualification/s unless the work is directed towards their next steps, e.g. to support progression onto university. Lower sixth students should, however, continue to complete the work set by their teachers as this is critical to their success next year.

Although Upper Sixth students are no longer required to complete any further work towards their current qualifications, they will remain as Blackpool Sixth students until the end of the summer term to allow them access to all the teaching, learning and support services e.g. pastoral support, careers guidance, progression advice. We acknowledge that this support is likely to be given remotely but, nevertheless, we believe students will feel reassured to know we are still here if they need us.  This will also apply to any Route3 students who are not intending on continuing their studies with us next year.

The Department for Education has now confirmed that the 2020 results days will remain as originally planned, therefore students will find out their results on the following dates:

• Thursday 13 August – A level and vocational qualifications
• Thursday 20 August – GCSE

Further details of how we will celebrate results days at Blackpool Sixth will be issued in due course.

Thank you for your support and understanding during these unprecedented times.

Kind regards

Jill Gray

Principal

Update on grading arrangements for students and parents /carers

7th April 2020

We have had a few queries about whether we will still be sending out progress review grades as originally planned after the Easter holidays.  In line with the government announcement last Friday whereby it states, “It is important schools and colleges do not share provisional grades, nor rank orders, with students or parents and carers before final results have been issued’, the progress review grades will no longer be made available.  Please read the full government guidance detailed below if you haven’t already as this reinforces this message and also explains how grades will be allocated for A levels and GCSEs this summer. As yet, there has not been any guidance provided relating to the grading of BTEC or other vocational qualifications. We will, of course, share this information as soon as we receive it.

We hope you are all safe and well and that you have a restful Easter break!

Best wishes,

Jill Gray

Principal

Important information on the grading of A levels and GCSEs in summer 2020

Updated 3rd April 2020

Last month the Secretary of State for Education announced that the 2020 exam series in England would be cancelled to help fight the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).  You will find in the links below further information from the government about how GCSE and A level grades will be awarded this summer.  There is a guidance document for students, parents, carers and teachers and an open letter to students.  Please do take the time to read this information.

Guidance for students, parents, carers and teachers

Letter to students

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Online and Home Learning – Important Information

Dear Blackpool Sixth students and parents/carers,

Following the government’s announcement yesterday, Blackpool Sixth will close to all students (except vulnerable students and those whose parents/carers are key workers who need to be in college) at the end of the day on Friday 20th March to support the fight against the coronavirus.  We will be moving to on-line and home learning on all of our subjects from Monday 23rd March until further notice.  

Students (other than those identified above) should not attend college premises but are required to continue their studies from home after the end of the day tomorrow (Friday 20th March). Students with planned work placement will not be required to attend.

Students who are children of key workers should let us know via this link if they feel they need to be in college to work by Friday 20th March at 1pm.  Parents and carers need to check how their son/daughter/ward has responded.  We will contact vulnerable students directly. Please note that there will be no face-to-face classes; this is simply so that those students can work on their online studies here at college.

Online learning will take place through Google Classroom.  Students can access Google Classroom through https://classroom.google.com and providing they are logged into their Google account they will be directed to their subject “classrooms”. If students find themselves locked out of their Google account they should email passwordreset@blackpoolsixth.ac.uk from an alternative email account and you will receive further instructions.

We will communicate with students and parents/carers via email.  It is essential that students check their college emails each day.  We have most parents’ emails, however, if you have not yet provided this or any contact details have changed students are able to update/add further information through the student portal.  

Log into student portal. On the opening screen click ‘update my details’ (left), this opens ‘basic details’ which includes contact details. Click on the pen to add or update, then click the green button (bottom) to submit changes.

Please also regularly check the college website messages, because this is where we will post any significant new information relevant to all students.

Our staff will, of course, do their best to continue to teach students during the coming weeks, but, understandably, it is unlikely that they will be able to provide the same levels of service as usual.

The government has also announced that exams and assessments will not take place this summer. This announcement will cause many of you concern. We are, as yet, unclear on what this means for our students so we will provide you with further information once the government has provided some clarification.  In the meantime, students on all courses (GCSEs, BTECs/CTECs and A levels) must continue with their online learning as teacher assessments may be one of the methods used in order to award qualifications to students.

We realise that the extraordinary circumstances caused by the coronavirus will be making some of you anxious. If you are feeling unwell, either mentally or physically, you should seek medical advice via NHS 111 or your GP.

The health, wellbeing and safety of all of our students and staff continues to be our key concern, so please do follow the government advice provided during the days/weeks ahead. And please find ways of staying in touch with your friends and family, even if you are required to self-isolate.

We look forward to welcoming all our Blackpool Sixth students and staff back to college once this situation has passed. In the meantime, let’s support each other to remain safe and well.

Yours sincerely

Jill Gray

Principal