We are currently planning to re-open our College campuses from Wednesday 17th June 2020.

We are making careful arrangements to address issues of safety such as hand sanitisers, staggered start and break times and observing social distancing rules, all of which will be explained when entering a College site.

Please be aware that although we plan to open on Wednesday 17th June 2020 for small groups of learners, if the Government guidance changes, we will not open if it is not safe to do so.

We will only be inviting in priority learners who require limited face-to-face support. These learners will be contacted to arrange a date and time.

Dearne Valley College and Rotherham College’s Dinnington Campus are currently closed to students however, Rotherham College’s Town Centre Campus and North Notts College’s Worksop Campus remain open to learners who have EHCPs and those learners who parent(s)/carer(s) fall into the key worker category as outlined by the Government.

Please email execoffice@rnngroup.ac.uk or phone 01709 722897 to find out about how we are supporting these learners with transport to one of our alternative open sites.

No, you are not required to physically come into the College and you can continue to study through the online facilities available.

No you are not required to come into College if you feel you would prefer to continue to study from home using the online facilities that are available.

Yes, if you are eligible for the government funded free college meals you will have already received a payment of £19.28. You will receive another payment on Monday 6^th April for £38.56, which will support meals for the next month.

Free meals are targeted at disadvantaged students. Free meals in further education defines disadvantage as students being in receipt of, or having parents who are in receipt of, one or more of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseekers Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• the guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190, as assessed by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC))
• Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after someone stops qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit with net earnings not exceeding the equivalent of £7,400 pa

If you feel you need reassessing or that your circumstances have changed to reflect any of the above criteria, please send evidence to our Finance team on studentfinancialsupport@rnngroup.ac.uk

The Colleges will remain closed for the majority of our learners until further notice.

We are re-opening to some learners who have been identified as a priority group following Government guidance. If you are in one of these groups you will be invited to come into College at a specified time for a 1:1. The learner will be offered an online session as an alternative.

Online learning will continue and tutors will be sending out further work to help learners prepare for their return to College in September.

We will continue to support our learners during this period of uncertainty. We look forward to returning to College at the earliest permitted opportunity. In the meantime, we will continue to provide further information as we receive it and please monitor the website and social media channels for regular updates.

All prospective learners will be offered a confirmed place, subject to entry requirements, with the college for September. Planned face to face interviews with applicants will be rescheduled and completed by telephone.

Once we receive your application, you will get a call from our learner recruitment team who will schedule a telephone interview with a tutor in your chosen subject(s) area.

Accessing your Google account is really simple! Once you’re signed in, it will keep you signed in on that device for ease. See the Rotherham College, North Notts College, Dearne Valley College or University Centre Rotherham websites for guidance with step-by-step help on how to access Google Classroom from home. This includes how to log in, joining a class, accessing your assigned work and uploading completed assignments.

• Students are expected to continue to engage with learning on a daily basis. This means completing work to set deadlines and participating in online teaching and learning activities as directed by Tutors. (These will take place during normal college opening hours).
• Students will be required to maintain regular contact with their Tutors in order for registers to be marked accordingly. During a period of college closure, normal register marks will apply and therefore in the event of sickness absence or medical appointments, students should notify their Tutor of their absence. Failure to communicate with Tutors could result in negative attendance marks.
• Students will be contacted on a weekly basis, either through their online learning platform or via telephone call.
• For apprentices, work will continue via a combination of Google Classroom and OneFile supported by regular communication and feedback from work-based Tutor/Assessors.

Students who are unable to access computers/the internet from home will be supported via paper-based tasks which will be provided by Tutors. This work will be prepared to support learning for a minimum of 2-3 weeks in advance.

For students who require support with their learning, individualised learning packs are being provided (either via post or student collection in college). Packs will include tasks which students can complete with the support of parents/carers if required, to aid the continuation of learning. Families will are required to support the evidencing of independent learning and this can be completed by capturing photographs of learners completing tasks. This evidence is essential in supporting staff to monitor student progress and mark registers accurately. Tutors will be in weekly contact with families to provide support and monitor student well-being, this will include issuing direct contact information so that the evidence of learning stated above, can be shared easily.

All Tutors are communicating via Google Classroom or for those without access to PC via their College email account.

We will not be making travel payments to learners as the college is closed, if and when the college reopens for this academic year we will ensure travel payments are made prior to the start date.

You will still receive a monthly payment of £38.56 to support with food during this period of college closure. We will not be paying the full amount as that includes support towards travel which is not currently required.

Please email studentfinancialsupport@rnngroup.ac.uk or contact your Progress Tutor/ Tutors and let them know. Please tell us what support you feel you need so we can look at ways to support you.

We are speaking with childcare providers regarding this and will pay fees until the end of the month. We are reviewing this situation regarding childcare and will update both providers and students as and when we can.

Progress Tutors will be in regular contact with you, but for those of you working with a Mentor or Welfare Officer you can contact them too via their emails as below. If you have a safeguarding concern please email safeguarding@rnngroup.ac.uk  or contact Samaritans 116 123 if you need support outside of College hours.

Dan Cornwell dcornwell@rnngroup.ac.uk

June Bacon jbacon@rnngroup.ac.uk

James Davenport jdavenport@rnngroup.ac.uk

Kate Barclay kbarclay@rnngroup.ac.uk

Katie Mitchell kmitchell@dearne-coll.ac.uk

Louise Heap lheap@rnngroup.ac.uk

Lynda Christie lchristie@rnngroup.ac.uk

Debra Jones debrajones@rnngroup.ac.uk

Our students now have access to an online mental health platform called Big White Wall. All you need to do is visit www.bigwhitewall.com and registers as a college student. You will then have access to a host of information and activities that can support you 24/7.

Your counsellor will be in touch to discuss either rearranging the appointment or alternative support that they can offer, please do not attend the college unless this has been discussed  with a member of staff.

Unfortunately, until the government announce the re-opening of salons then we are unable to open ours as we cannot provide the social distancing that is required in salons.

Please do not to worry about any incomplete assessments as we will open over the summer period to accommodate, the awarding bodies are also reviewing their guidelines.

Please note that this is subject to government guidelines.

We are following government guidelines and if you have returned from a country that is currently on the quarantine list, you will be required to self-isolate for 14 days following your return.  You must not attend College until the self-isolation period is over.  You must inform College of your circumstances so alternative study arrangements can be made for you.