College principal speaks of Covid-19 changes and challenges to come

When the college's students step back into their classrooms they will find their learning environment has been totally transformed.

Socially-distanced seating, one-way systems, hand sanitiser stations dotted throughout buildings and changes to lesson content are just some of the alterations the further education establishment has had to make to adapt to the Covid-19 era.

The college had a partial re-opening in mid-June for students who had been struggling to access learning online, having previously been open for vulnerable and key workers’ children.

However, with learning planned to continue throughout the summer and young people then going back to classes in September, far more will soon be learning in a coronavirus-secure environment.

Ms Dawe said it has been an enormous challenge, albeit one staff and students alike have responded to magnificently.

However, she said the difficulties were likely to continue for some time and also hit out at the Government over its lack of financial support for the further education sector.

Ms Dawe said: “It has been quite a challenge since lockdown but one the staff and students have responded to superbly.

“If there was ever a test of how far on we are with our digital learning then this is it. It has given us a chance to put it into practice.

“It’s a very different environment to what staff and students are used to and it hits you straight away when you come into the building.

“It runs from the entrance right through the building. There are queuing systems, one-way systems, hand sanitisers. We don’t move around in the way we used to, there are screens up at receptions, social distancing is in place and the numbers are so small.

“This is something we are going to have to get used to. I think it will be with us throughout the whole of the next academic year.

“At the moment we can do two metres in the classrooms because we’ve got space for it, and practical workshops have that spacing anyway for health and safety reasons. That will be possible throughout the summer but it will become more challenging in September.

“We will be working throughout the summer, we don’t have an option.”

Students who have been returning are largely 16-to-18-year-olds doing courses with most practical work and least theory, which have been the trickiest to deliver in the all-online teaching programme put in place when lockdown was announced.

Learning will be carrying on without a break as around 600 students need to be accredited for their qualifications so they can move into their chosen professional careers.

Attention then turns to how the college will provide an education to everyone arriving to study in SDeptember as well as those part-way through their courses.

Ms Dawe could not contain her disappointment at how the Government has dealt with the further education colleges during the pandemic.

She said: “The guidance we’ve had in post-16 education has been somewhat scant and not terribly forthcoming. We’ve had a lot less than has been provided to other areas of the education sector.

“We’ve also not been given additional funding to cope with the response and post-16 students were left out of the funding for year 11 catch-up. Many students will be coming to us to do courses alongside GCSE re-sits and there’s no provision to help with the maths and English they have missed.

“We’re taking the view that the Government guidance is the minimum standard we want to implement. It’s quite a moving thing, though.

“If the requirement changes to one-metre-plus and how that applies is clarified then we would hope we would be able to have all our 16-to-18 students back in college for the majority of their studies, although there will probably be an element of online learning.

“If we can do 100 per cent face-to-face learning then we will aim to do that.

“If things improve after Christmas we might look to take advantage of that, but if we are having to go back into lockdown we would move straight to either the March scenario of full online learning or the whole college on 50/50 timetables.

“We have various versions planned and if we have to change during the year we can.”

Ms Dawe says online learning has been a success, with attendance of around 80 per cent and the college stepping up to provide laptops, WiFi access and other kit to those finding it tough to access online learning at home.

She also spoke of her pride at the college’s response to the crisis, which as well as continuing to study and teach has included making and donating PPE and fund-raising for local charities.

The challenges faced by the college, though, run far beyond the start of next year, as the long-term effects of Covid-19 are felt on the economy and wider society.

At a time when social distancing is dramatically reducing the capacity of indoor spaces Ms Dawe says she expects demand for Wigan and Leigh College’s education courses to grow substantially over the next few years.

She says it is likely that the degree-level programmes will become more popular as students look to go to university or its equivalent closer to home, there will be increased demand for courses among young people who would want to do an apprenticeship but find fewer business taking them on, and that adults will be looking to the college for help re-training and upskilling as they find their old businesses and jobs are no longer financially viable.

Ms Dawe said: “Investment in skills is crucial to responding to this crisis. We are pushing back as colleges and asking the Government to support post-16 education.”