City and Islington College has joined local universities in closing its doors to students, as fears over coronavirus continue to grow.
The sixth form college, which has campuses across Islington, announced today that it would be speeding up its transition to online teaching.
In a statement from Group Chief Executive Roy O’Shaughnessy, the college said it aimed to move the “majority’ of teaching online by Thursday 19 March, though exactly which classes will remain in-person is currently unclear.
“Staff and student safety is our main priority, so with that in mind we are supporting all staff and students to ensure they are as comfortable as possible to teach and learn from home,” Mr O’Shaughnessy said.
The statement said that students would be emailed centrally, as well as being informed by their teacher, as to what the changes would mean for them. However, exams and assessments would be going ahead this week.
It also addressed the mounting fears around the economic impact of coronavirus on those from lower income backgrounds. The statement assured students on bursaries that these would continue to be paid, and that free school meal allocations would be added to their bursary payments as cash.
For those who may struggle to work at home, the statement said that “other arrangements” would be made.
The decision came in response to Tuesday’s briefing from Prime Minister Boris Johnson, which called for an increase in social distancing, and “growing concern from our students, staff and parents”.
Updated guidelines on social distancing recommend that people avoid the non-essential use of public transport, work from home where possible, and avoid large gatherings.
Prior to today’s announcement, the majority of the college’s support staff were already working from home, with meetings being held digitally.
Following the decision to close the college, the government announced that all schools and colleges in the UK would close on Friday until further notice and GCSE and A Level exams have been cancelled.
