UPDATE: 28/09/2020:

Following a student at our Princes Road campus confirming they have tested positive for Covid-19, we have telephoned students and staff who may be affected to advise them to self-isolate for 14 days.

All processes and procedures have been followed according to advice from Public Health England and the Department for Education. Chelmsford College follows the class bubble system to minimise contact within the College and reduce the risk of the virus spreading across the wider College community.

We believe this is an isolated incident which has only affected this particular bubble. In view of this we are confident that students and staff who are not part of this affected bubble can remain in College at this time. We are closely monitoring the situation. The health, wellbeing and safety of students and staff remain our number one priority.

The campus and College remain open. Updates will be posted on our website as and when available.

Here is a reminder of What to do if you develop symptoms of Covid-19:

• You must not come to College and should remain at home for at least 14 days from the date when your symptoms appeared.
• Anyone with symptoms will be eligible for testing and this can be arranged via www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.
• All other household members who remain well, must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. This includes anyone in your 'Support Bubble'.

Further information is available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance

• The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.
• Household members should not go to work, school, college or public areas and exercise should be taken within the home.
• If you require help with buying groceries, other shopping or picking up medication, or walking a dog, you should ask friends or family. Alternatively, you can order your shopping online and medication by phone or online.
• Household members staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community
• If you are able, move any vulnerable individuals (such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions) out of your home, to stay with friends or family for the duration of the home isolation period.

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of coronavirus (Covid-19) are recent onset of:

• a new continuous cough
• a high temperature
• a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

For most people, coronavirus (Covid-19) will be a mild illness.

If you, your child or anyone in the household does develop symptoms, you can seek advice from NHS 111 at www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/check-if-you-have-coronavirus-symptoms/ or by phoning 111.

How to stop Covid-19 spreading

There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with Covid-19

Do

• wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
• use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
• wash your hands as soon as you get home
• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
• put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards

Further Information

Further information is available at www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

UPDATE: 10/09/2020: Welcome to Chelmsford College 2020

We are really looking forward to seeing you in the college as we start our new academic year. In order to make sure that you know what to do when you arrive at the college, please watch the short film ‘Welcome to Chelmsford College 2020’ on our website.

UPDATE: 25/08/2020: Exam Results update for EAL students.

Following the Government’s announcement that A Level and GCSE students are to receive Teacher Assessed Grades, we have received a further update from EAL who have confirmed that they are continuing to work closely with colleges through the pandemic to make sure that the awards protocols and processes are conducted in a fair and timely manner. Awards will continue to be released between now and the end of September 2020 for all EAL students.

We are committed to ensure that no student is disadvantaged by any delay in certification, and no student will be limited by internal progression due to late certification. We appreciate this will cause additional uncertainty for students and we are sorry about this. Our priority is to ensure fair outcomes for EAL students and that no student is disadvantaged.

If additional assistance is required for students progressing with other providers, employers or apprenticeships please contact our post results service team at postresults@chelmsford.ac.uk or call 01245293031.

UPDATE: 20/08/2020: Release of Level 1 & 2 BTEC grades postponed and review of Level 3 grades for all students nationally

Following the Government’s announcement that A Level and GCSE students are to receive Teacher Assessed Grades, Pearson have reviewed the impact this would have on BTEC students and taken on board feedback from teachers, schools and colleges. As a result of this Pearson have taken the decision to postpone release of Level 1 & 2 BTEC grades and to review Level 3 grades for all students nationally.

This means they will now be regrading all the following BTECs - BTEC Level 3 Nationals, BTEC Level 1/2 Tech Awards, BTEC Level 2 Technicals and BTEC Level 1/2 Firsts.

BTEC qualification results have been generally consistent with teacher and learner expectations, but there is concern about unfairness in relation to what are now significantly higher outcomes for GCSE and A Levels.

Although Pearson generally accepted Teacher Assessed Grades for internal (i.e. coursework) units, they subsequently calculated the grades for the examination units using historical performance data with a view of maintaining overall outcomes over time. Their review will remove these calculated grades and apply consistency across teacher assessed internal grades and examination grades that students were unable to sit.

Pearson have assured us that they will work urgently with us to reissue these grades and we will update you as soon as we possibly can. Pearson have stated that they want to reassure students that no published grades will go down as part of this review.

We appreciate this will cause additional uncertainty for students and we are sorry about this. Our priority is to ensure fair outcomes for BTEC students in relation to A Levels and GCSEs and that no BTEC student is disadvantaged.

UPDATE: 05/08/2020: Exam results update.

The last few months have been unsettling and we appreciate the mixed emotions you might be feeling about not being able to sit your exams this year.

Special arrangements were put in place to ensure that the majority of students could receive calculated grades so you could continue to further study or employment as you’d planned. The grades you receive this year will carry the same value as any other year so you can compete on a level playing field with students from previous and future years.

For further information please read this handy student guide which explains more or watch the youtube video.

At Chelmsford College you will receive your results as soon as we have them. For BTEC Level 3 programmes it will be no later than 13th August either by post or your student email account. For BTEC Level 1 and 2 programmes and GCSE results it will be on 20th August via your student email account.

The Careers Advice Zone team are ready to support you with any queries you may have about your next steps. Please contact us on postresults@chelmsford.ac.uk or call us on 01245 293031. We would love help you with your future.

UPDATE: 08/07/2020: Our aim is to welcome all students (returning and new) to the College in September.

We want all our learners to enjoy a full, high quality College experience.

We continue to follow guidance from Public Health England and Government directives and have put in place a number of protective measures to ensure our environment is as safe and secure as possible.

As a College, we’ve taken all reasonable steps to protect learners, staff and others from coronavirus (COVID-19) within our college education setting.

These include smaller group sizes, meeting over a staggered timetable, online delivery of some of your study programme, practical use of College spaces (one-way systems, spaced and socially-distanced use of key areas), hand-sanitising stations, temperature checks and extra support whilst in College to remind, maintain and raise any concerns regarding the protective measures in place.

We continue to monitor the situation and assess our arrangements both for the prevention and the response to any future possible infections.

We are also aware of the mental impact the coronavirus has had on our students, parents and other stakeholders this year and so we are putting in place extra staff who will support students with any concerns when they arrive in September.

We look forward to welcoming you to Chelmsford College in September.

UPDATE: 26/06/2020: Supporting students and parents during COVID-19 | From Cindy Rampersaud, Senior Vice President - BTEC and Apprenticeships

We understand that this has been an unsettling time for you, with the news of school/college closures and the cancellation of this summer’s exams/external assessments. We wanted to write to you to reassure you about how your BTEC results will be calculated this year. Read More

UPDATE: 10/06/2020: Reopening the college latest news

The college has continually followed guidance from the Department for Education on the procedures we must adhere to during lockdown. Most recently the government have announced that from the 15th June students from specific year groups should receive some face to face support from schools and colleges as part of a phased reopening.

This announcement is quite clear that Year 12 students or those studying a Level 3 qualification in their first year are to be welcomed back to receive support from their teachers. This would also apply to our Advanced Apprentices who attend college.

The college has been carefully planning how we safely invite our students back into college in very small groups whilst adhering to strict health and safety regulations. As part of this planning we have put in place strict social distancing measures and signage throughout our campuses. Next week beginning 15th June both college campuses will undergo deep cleaning to ensure that we have done everything to minimise any risks associated with COVID-19 before we invite you back in.

Week commencing 22nd June we will start to invite our students back into the college. Students will be contacted individually by their course tutors and dates and times arranged for face to face support and guidance. When students arrive on campus, they will be asked to undergo a temperature check as part of our risk assessment processes.

Alongside our year 12 students we may also need to invite a small group of students in to complete practical assessment in order to finish their qualifications and be awarded a certificate. Awarding Organisation guidance dictates who we invite in to carry out these assessments. These students will also be notified individually by their course tutors of when and where these assessments will need to take place.

UPDATE: 05/06/2020: Higher education and other options. Information for Level 3 students at Chelmsford College

This week the Careers Advice Zone Team would like to share their guide to Higher Education and Alternative Options. The guide is aimed at those students who are already taking or considering taking a level 3 course.

The booklet talks about all the options available to students who have completed their level 3. This includes Higher Education, Degree and Higher Apprenticeships, Gap Year Opportunities and Employment. There are many useful websites listed throughout the booklet. For the next few weeks the Team will be posting more information about higher education, apprenticeships and job seeking.

Download | Higher education and other options.
Information for Level 3 students at Chelmsford College

UPDATE: 13/05/2020: Following recent Government guidelines regarding educational establishments starting to support specific year groups, we are now in the process of considering how we will reopen our college to our Level 3 first year students who are the equivalent of Year 12 students in a school setting. Students, Parents and Carers should keep checking the website as further updates will follow regarding this.

UPDATE: 04/05/2020: SUPPORT AVAILABLE DURING COLLEGE CLOSURE

We recognise that during the College closure, extra strain may be put on you and/or your family. Please see below for a number of places you can access different types of support, including wellbeing support if you feel you or your family need it.

Download SUPPORT AVAILABLE DURING COLLEGE CLOSURE

UPDATE: 28/04/2020 : Consultation regarding assessment and awarding of Vocational and Technical Qualification

Following on from the last update where we detailed proposals that Ofqual laid out for awarding other general, vocational and technical qualifications in Summer 2020, they are now consulting further on what they outlined.

On Friday 24th April Ofqual published the consultation on the assessment and awarding of vocational and technical qualifications. I know that clarity on this issue is of great importance to all our students and parents alike, and this consultation will provide the clarity on how your results will be issued in these extraordinary times.

In the consultation Ofqual is seeking views from all stakeholders in education on several features of these new arrangements which will allow them to:

• provide a framework for qualifications that, depending on their purpose, sets out how an awarding organisation should calculate results or adapt or delay assessments
• allow awarding organisations to provide clarity to schools, colleges and training providers about what evidence they should gather and consider, and what evidence they will submit to the awarding organisations, where required to calculate a grade
• allow awarding organisations to make clear which learners should receive a calculated result (and how it will be awarded), or be required to complete an assessment
• enable awarding organisations to access, adapt, or build the systems needed to issue results this summer and adapt assessments where this is necessary

Ofqual are hopeful that, through these arrangements, the majority of students who planned to take exams and assessments this summer, for progression to either further or higher education, apprenticeships or employment, will receive a result calculated by awarding organisations or be able to take an adapted assessment.

The consultation will run for 2 weeks from 24 April 2020 to 8 May 2020 and the results of this will provide the framework of how the college will react to provide all our students with clarity of how your qualifications will be assessed and enable us to carry out these instructions to be able to give you the results you need for the next step in your careers.

We would like to reassure our students and parents that as we receive further information, we will update you as soon as possible.

To read further information regarding the proposals that Ofqual are suggesting and details regarding the consultation please click here.

UPDATE:17/04/2020: A message for all students due to take Vocational and Technical qualifications this college year.

Earlier this month the Secretary of State for Education announced exams and assessments would be cancelled this summer to help fight the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

We have recently received further correspondence from the government which was issued to Ofqual which sets out how they expect vocational and technical qualifications to be assessed and awarded in the coming weeks and months.

The government have recognised students taking qualifications, alongside or instead of GCSEs, AS and A levels, to progress to further or higher education urgently need to know what arrangements will be put in place for them. They have worked closely with the Department for Education, awarding organisations and regulators to develop an approach and have confirmed that these qualifications will be awarded a calculated result.

Calculated results will draw on a range of evidence, depending on the structure of the qualification. They may be based in part on trainer or tutor judgements of the result each student would most likely have achieved had they been able to complete their assessments in summer 2020.

The awarding organisation offering the qualification will use college assessment grade, combined with other relevant information (such as marks for completed assessments in some modules or units), to determine the most appropriate calculated result.

Ofqual are working with awarding organisations to finalise a list of qualifications that are in scope for learners to receive a calculated result. It will include many BTEC Nationals, Cambridge Technicals, and UAL Diplomas and qualifications included under the umbrella term 'Core Maths’.

The aim is for students to receive results alongside outcomes for GCSEs, AS and A levels reassuring them that results will be issued fairly and in time for them to move on as planned.

The college has been advised that it will be provided with detailed information regarding the qualifications in the coming days and weeks and we would like to reassure you that we will advise our students as soon possible after this point.

UPDATE: 06/04/2020: A message for all GCSE, AS and A level students this summer

Download | Letter to Students - Summer 2020 Grading

UPDATE:24/03/2020: In the interests of safety, we now have no option but to close our buildings | Moving to a full remote teaching model to support our learners and apprentices.

Following last night’s announcement by the Prime Minister which asks all people to stay at home except for shopping for basic necessities, daily exercise, medical needs and travelling to and from essential work, the decision has been taken to move to a full remote teaching model to support our learners and apprentices.

In the interests of safety, we now have no option but to close our buildings. The Princes Road campus will be closed by 11am this morning; the Moulsham Street campus will be closed by 2pm this afternoon and Dovedale Nursery will close from 6.00pm this evening.

We want to thank all our staff, learners, apprentices, parents, carers and employers for all your support over the last few weeks.

Our online learning model is now up and running successfully across the whole College so that learners and apprentices can be supported remotely. Learners in receipt of free school meals have been sent meal vouchers which will cover them for the next two weeks.

Further clarification on the situation with exams and controlled assessments has been issued. It is an emerging picture and not all questions have clear answers at this stage. The latest information about GCSEs and A' Levels can be found HERE. The latest information about vocational and technical courses can be found HERE.

Finally may we take this opportunity to wish you and your families well over the coming weeks. We are fully aware that for many, this is an anxious time and the last thing on your mind could be work or learning. Please remember we are here for you. Work colleagues and fellow students can be a source of support as well - stay in touch and look after each other as you would when you come into College every day.

UPDATE:19/03/2020: Supporting vulnerable students and those whose parents are key workers | Online resources to support the guided home learning model.

In light of Government announcements yesterday, we’re working through the implications and will endeavour to support both our vulnerable students and those whose parents are key workers.

For the foreseeable future, both campuses will remain open with reduced staffing, and we will endeavour to maintain some level of food provision. We intend to keep our student facing areas open, albeit on a reduced model.

We are working with the Government, Awarding Bodies and other national organisations to review the implication for students and apprentices currently studying for their qualifications and exams.

We continue to develop our online learning model to support our students and apprentices.

College staff will spend the rest of the week developing online resources to support the guided home learning model.

We ask all students and apprentices to continue studying remotely towards their qualifications, and will provide further information as soon as it is available.

Please remember to check your student emails to receive information from your Tutors with further instructions regarding how to access resources and continue your learning. To ensure we can continue to support part and full-time students and apprentices remotely, we have implemented Microsoft Teams for all classes. This means we can have clear communication with staff, students and apprentices and we can maintain continued learning and support.

All staff, students and apprentices will already have a Microsoft account to access teams as part of their College student/staff account. To gain further information students are required to login to their student email account. Full information on this can be found from the link below, or by clicking the “remote” tab at the top right of the College website.

UPDATE:18/03/2020: From Monday 23 March 2020 the College will move to an online learning model for the foreseeable future.

In light of the Government’s advice to limit social contact we are taking practical steps to keep our students and staff safe.

The remainder of this week will allow us to enable our move to online learning and learners and apprentices will be able to come into College on Thursday 19 March to talk with staff, collect their belongings and ensure they have everything they need.

On Friday 20 March the College will be closed to learners and apprentices, so that staff can put plans into action.

From Monday 23 March all face-to-face education and training delivery will be suspended and the College, as a whole will begin delivering teaching and learning via an online learning system instead. Workbased Tutors will also suspend employer and apprenticeship visits and remain in contact via other communication channels.

We want to be clear that this is not a College closure, there are clear expectations for learners and apprentices to continue to engage with their learning via the online systems and alternate communication channels which have been put in place.

We will continue to use an online learning delivery model for the foreseeable future and will update all learners, staff, parents, carers and other stakeholders through information posted on our College website.

If you are a learner or apprentice, and are scheduled to sit an exam during the period before Easter your Tutor will advise you of the latest updates.

We appreciate this is a very challenging time for our community and want to assure you that we remain fully committed to supporting you.

What this means for students:

Thursday - ask any questions, collect your belongings

Friday – self-directed study day (at home)

Monday 23 March - connect online to continue your studies and remain in contact with staff

Stay up-to-date by checking information on this page and via your student email address.