2 minute read
Returning to work
from Insight Issue 15
by ACT
On 3rd June, Kirsty Williams, Minister for Education, held a briefing in which she outlined some changes for schools, colleges and universities.
The announcement gave details of schools reopening on Monday 29th June, with restricted class sizes, summer term extended by one week and autumn half term becoming two weeks.
What this means for ACT?
We will not be rushing with the process of bringing everyone back to work. We will do what is appropriate for our staff, learners and stakeholders. However, we are of course keen to start bringing back some face-to-face learning where we can, particularly for vulnerable groups of learners, those in need of practical assessment or tests/exams and learners struggling to engage with online delivery.
How our decisions will be led
As you are aware we deliver a number of different types of provision and the pace at which face-to-face delivery will start to return and how, may differ for each of these programmes. We will be working closely with delivery teams in each of these areas to prioritise which groups of learners will need to return first, whilst of course following government guidelines and looking at individual circumstances of staff, health and safety requirements and social distancing guidelines. Louise Williams, Operations Director, continues to head a group of key team members who are working carefully through the guidelines, carrying out reviews of working environments and developing policies and procedures to allow us to start to return when it is safe to do so. The feedback from Louise’s team, will also inform which groups of staff and learners can return over the summer and how we will do this.
What we are doing now
Alongside all of this, we are still working, teaching, supporting and progressing learners online and we will continue to support the majority of our learners this way throughout the summer. Many of these delivery techniques will continue to remain an integral part of our curriculum.
Support for you
We appreciate that for some of you discussing an eventual return to centres may be very welcome, whilst for others this may spark anxiety. Please be assured we will continue to keep you involved and updated with developments as they happen and we encourage you to keep talking with your line manager and to support one another. Our People and Development and Care, Support and Guidance teams are also available for support.
