Posted: December 18, 2020
North Lindsey College’s Covid management system has been given the highest level of assurance following a recent audit.
The College have delivered a pro-active approach and an on-going commitment to its students, staff and visitors since March, going above and beyond to ensure everyone is safe and adheres to latest government guidelines.
As part of the College’s efforts to manage public health, they were independently audited by RSM Risk Assurance Services this term, who focused on the College’s approach to dealing with the pandemic. The purpose of the review was to assess the level of preparation DN Colleges Group had undertaken ahead of students’ return to College, including the guidance and training given to staff and students in relation to the new Covid-19 procedures.
The audit gave the highest level assurance “that the controls in place to manage the area were suitability designed and consistently applied.”
As part of the College’s response to the pandemic, they have invested over £180,000 in PPE including sanitising stations, face visors, face masks, safety screens, automatic door systems and infra-red thermometers to keep everyone safe.
The College Estates team also instigated increased campus cleaning back in March, with daily door cleaning, classroom and office deep cleaning and Covid wardens to monitor attitudes and support those breaking the hands, face, space guidance.
To ensure students did not fall behind and were able to effectively continue with their studies, North Lindsey College has provided 839 laptops to support students to study online.
A blended learning approach has also been adopted by the College, which sees students study a mixture of online and on campus lessons and workshops. With a whopping 19,714 hours’ worth of online teaching delivered to those studying from home away from campus.
The College’s Covid management system has been in place since the beginning of March, with the popular College’s response to all positive cases following this process:
– Positive case reported via the College’s bespoke online portal.
– Curriculum and relevant staff contacted to identify who has been a close contact.
– Close contact tracing process commences. All those in close contact to the positive case are advised via digital communication, often followed up by a phone call if the individual does not confirm they have received the communication. The communication includes information, advice and guidance they need to adhere to during their isolation period.
– Deep clean of all areas of a positive case.
Transforming local communities through learning is at the heart of the College ethos, with many departments working together to donate food and essentials parcels to those in need within the College and out in the community. Only this week, over 900 free Christmas dinners alone have been provided to students.
Mick Lochran, Principal said: “We’re extremely proud of our collective approach since March, staff have pulled together to ensure our students are at the heart of everything we do. We did not want our students’ learning experience to be disrupted and were determined that everyone felt safe as they returned to campus in September. Our commitment to our students, staff and visitors shows itself in so many ways, from the safety and cleanliness of our campus, to our delivery model, right through to our community response donating PPE to the NHS, food to those in need and laptops to students who would otherwise fall behind.”