5 March 2021
All of our 16-18 students will have now had a specific slot for them to attend their college, have the opportunity to take a test and have a reorientation slot on one of the days in the week beginning 8th March 2021. These sessions will last around 2 hours and at them you will receive information on your timetable for the next few weeks.
Some Higher Education students are also returning next week and arrangements have been shared with them. Following government guidance these are students that require access to specific equipment but we are also in the process of informing all students, including adults on leisure courses, when their courses will restart with many scheduled to being again from 15thMarch.
Yes. We will strictly follow new government guidance that says all students and staff must wear face coverings while on campus. This includes corridors, communal areas and in classrooms and workshops. If you have a medical exemption, then you do not have to wear a covering but, for under 18s, we will be asking for parent confirmation that an exemption is required. More detail on this is available here.
For 16-18 year old students, some adults and apprentices you will you will be offered three COVID tests, three to five days apart during the first three weeks, at our on-site Asymptomatic Testing Site (ATS) on each campus.
Testing is voluntary but encouraged. You will be asked to self-swab at the on-site ATS, and after 30 minutes, you will know your results.
For the first week every 16-18 class has been issued with a specific test time that and information on where to go to take this test.
If you test positive for COVID at our test centres then we will support you to safely get home and, for under 18s, will inform your parent/carer. You will need to self-isolate in line with the stay-at-home guidance.
If anyone in your household develops COVID symptoms, then you should also let us know and follow the stay-at-home guidance. You can inform us via this campus specific webform.
The government plan to provide tests after Easter to all students and staff so that they can self-test at home and send the test to the NHS to determine the results. We are awaiting more information about this process and will update the FAQs and inform students, parents and carers as and when we have more detail on this.
If you (or your family members) are consider clinically vulnerable, you should have been sent a letter asking you to shield until at least the 31st March. We don’t expect you to come into college but you will need to have copies of this letter to make alternative arrangements for college work to be set for the three weeks from 8th March.
Your lessons will be like traditional face-to-face lessons in classrooms and workshops but with specific social distancing measures in place. We expect all students to adhere to these measures. Everyone will need to wear a face covering, your tutor will maintain a 2-metre distance where possible, and you should avoid close, prolonged, face-to-face contact with anyone during and outside of lessons. We will also ensure that all teaching spaces, as well as indoor and communal areas, are well ventilated at all times.
If you are in the clinically vulnerable category we will arrange for alternative work to be set for you and this may include online learning options and workbooks. We are aiming to have 100% of lesson delivery available on campus as quickly as possible. But for the first few weeks we may retain some online learning. More details have been shared at a course-by-course level and you will receive your timetable in your reorientation session from Monday 8th March.
Yes. We will be doing everything we can to reduce the spread of the virus. This will include regular deep cleaning at all campuses, one-ways systems, and we will encourage you to wash your hands and use hand sanitiser regularly. Our simple return to college guide and this poster provides more detail on the range of safety measures we have in place to protect everyone.
Yes. Our canteens will be operating a takeaway service with a limited amount of seating. We're encouraging you to enjoy some fresh air outside while you take a break or have lunch - as long as it isn't raining! If you can, bring a packed lunch and drink from home, along with your own cutlery.
Staff are here to support and assist you so please do ask us any questions or raise any concerns with your tutor. If you feel that additional support could be needed to help you return to college, then our Wellbeing team is there to support you. Full details on the services can be found on our Wellbeing page.
Top Tips
COVID-19
Click image to view full size poster (PDF) and see them all on campus.
23 February 2021
We are getting ready to welcome you back during the week commencing 8th March.
18 January 2021
Ofqual, the exams regulator, is seeking student and parent input into proposed awarding arrangements for GCSE, A Levels and vocational and technical.qualifications.
5th January 2021
As you will be aware the government announced last night that all schools and colleges should move to online learning from today until the February half term at the earliest.
5th January 2021
Given the latest lockdown announcement last night East Sussex College has taken the decision to cancel all Assessments that were due to take place from today.
4th January 2021
We are aware that over the break, there has been an upsurge in cases in the local areas. Students should not attend campus unless in specific groups identified below.
11th December 2020
We have today received news of a confirmed student case of Coronavirus at East Sussex College at our Lewes Campus.
2nd December 2020
We have today received news of two confirmed cases of Coronavirus at East Sussex College at our Eastbourne Campus.
25th November 2020
We have today received news of three further confirmed student cases of Coronavirus, two at our Eastbourne Campus and one at our Hastings campus.
23rd November 2020
We have a confirmed case of Coronavirus at our Hastings and at our Eastbourne campuses over the weekend.
20th November 2020
We have a staff confirmed case of Covid 19 at our Hastings campus.
16 November 2020
Three Eastbourne students (one A Level, one BTEC and one Hair & Beauty) have tested positive for COVID 19, but have not been into the campus since the 13th November.
3 November 2020
Following on from yesterday’s email about our approach to the new lockdown measure I wanted to write to you again to outline our progress on planning with some key messages.
2 November 2020
Schools, Colleges, Universities will remain open and I wanted to assure you that we are working on plans to prepare for this once England goes back into lockdown on Thursday.
21 October 2020
We can confirm that a staff member at Lewes delivering English at the campus has tested positive for Coronavirus, and we have informed all of our staff, students, parents and carers about the confirmed case.
30 September 2020
East Sussex College has been allocated funding to meet the ‘catch-up’ needs of students most affected by the disruption of the COVID-19 lock down from March- September 2020.
29 September 2020
We can confirm that a student at the Station Plaza Hastings campus of East Sussex College Group has tested positive for Coronavirus, and we have informed all of our staff, students, parents and carers about the confirmed case.
The new NHS COVID-19 app, now available to download for free in England and Wales, is the fastest way to see if you're at risk from coronavirus. The faster you know, the quicker you can alert and protect your loved ones and community.
The app has a number of tools to protect you, including contact tracing, local area alerts and venue check-in. It uses proven technology from Apple and Google, designed to protect every user’s privacy.