As a College we are committed to ensuring your son or daughter continues to enjoy an outstanding academic experience and makes progress towards their goals, while ensuring their health and wellbeing in these unusual times.

Over recent days we have seen a number of Creative Industries and Computing (CIC) students and Tutors receiving precautionary advice via the NHS Test and Trace app to self-isolate to help stop any potential spread of Covid-19 within the wider community. This has meant that, in many classes, there has been an increase in students accessing their learning remotely while others remain in College. As a College we pride ourselves on the excellence and consistency of our teaching and learning experiences, which allow all students, at all times to excel and fully immerse themselves in their subjects.

We feel that to ensure we can maintain this exceptional teaching and learning experience in the short term we must make a temporary full time switch to our established and successful remote teaching and learning protocol in all CIC subjects from Monday 2 November 2020 until 9am on Monday, 9 November 2020 (this return date, of course, is subject to any additional Government restrictions introduced). Please be aware that if your son or daughter is due to sit any GCSE exams during this period they will still need to come in to College as instructed for these examinations.

Please be assured that our lecturers have planned for the eventuality that they can support practical learning in a remote format, with an array of engaging activities and support mechanisms in place for learners. Throughout lockdown our learners were supported practically through a 3 month remote learning plan, and all went on to produce amazing practical work and achieved outstanding results in our practical creative subjects. We know that this level of outstanding teaching across all subjects will continue in exactly the same way throughout this short period.

Throughout lockdown, Burnley College was recognised nationally as an effective and innovative leader in delivering remote learning to CIC students at all stages of their academic journey and have a proven track record of delivering high-quality teaching and learning in which students can:

Immerse themselves in their chosen subjects
Make sustained progress towards their ultimate goals
Complete all assignments and submit their work electronically for assessment
Receive feedback from their Tutors on their work
Engage in collaborative work with their peers (currently restricted on Campus due to Covid-19 measures)
Take part in subject-related discussions and debate to enhance their learning
Access one-to-one support from their Tutors

Many students already tell us they value the opportunities that remote learning gives them to develop and enhance the essential skills that will prove invaluable for university-level study or the workplace.

Of course, Tutors alike will be available to offer the individual support that your son or daughter values and which forms an integral part of the Burnley College experience. Access to all support services – including our outstanding emotional health and wellbeing services and IT support – will also remain in place.

If you have any queries about this switch to remote Learning, please do not hesitate to contact me personally, Curriculum Manager for Burnley College Sixth Form Creative Industries and Computing subjects, on

[email protected]

In the meantime, I look forward to supporting your son or daughter in this period of remote learning and welcoming them back into College in early November.