Important Message for Our Students – 2nd March

After the recent communication we sent to you on Friday regarding your return to the College, we would like to provide some additional information.

 

Apprentices and Part Time Students

You will be asked to take a test at the lateral flow testing centre at either campus, depending on where you are based, upon your return to the College. You will not be allocated a specific time slot, so please report to the appropriate testing centre when you arrive at the College before going to your lesson. If you attend an evening class, you will be able to take a lateral flow test in the Community Testing Centre based at the Bishopsfield Road campus in the Sports Hall. Please remember to complete the consent form before attending your lateral flow test. Please contact your lecturer should you have any questions.

 

Higher Education Students

For HE students, you will continue to learn remotely until week commencing 22 March, when you will be asked to come in to attend a lateral flow test in the either of the testing centres at each campus depending on where you are based. Please remember to complete the consent form before attending your lateral flow test. Please contact your lecturer should you have any questions.

 

Subsequently, the plan is to issue all students with home testing kits. More information regarding this will follow when we know more.

 

I am a Full Time student, what happens if I am unable to attend my allocated COVID-19 Lateral Flow Test time slot?

By now you should have received an invitation via your page on Microsoft Teams to attend a COVID-19 lateral flow test between Wednesday 3 and Friday 5 March. If you are unable to attend, to rebook your test, please contact your lecturer, who will liaise with the Faculty Director to advise when you can attend instead.

 

I am Full Time student; how will I attend my Lateral Flow Test?

You will attend your allocated time slot in your Faculty bubbles, to minimise the spread of the virus. You will be asked to wear your mask (unless exempt) and markers on the ground indicate where to stand when queuing to maintain social distancing.

 

How do I access the Consent Form?

Before you attend your test, we are required to obtain your consent. If you have not already done so, please click on the following link and complete the form before your scheduled test consent form.

 

Where will the testing take place?

If your normal place of study is at the Bishopfield Road Campus, then you will take your lateral flow test at the Bishopsfeld Road campus. If your normal place of study is at the CEMAST or CETC campuses, then you will undertake your lateral flow test at the CEMAST campus.

 

What type of test is it?

The lateral flow test is a throat and nose swab test. You are required to swab the back of your throat for ten seconds and then swab the inside of one of your nostrils for ten seconds.

 

How do I register my Test Barcode?

You do not need to download the NHS Test and Trace app. You can use your smartphone or a computer to access the registration website. You will find the QR code on your registration card – make sure you scan this or visit gov.uk/enter-lateral-flow-test to register your barcode with NHS Test and Trace. Once you have accessed the website, you will be asked a series of questions including your barcode, which you will find at the top of your registration card and the Centre Code of the testing Centre where you have undertaken your lateral flow test. The Centre Code is FTCG. Please answer all the questions and then once your result has been logged, you will receive a text message and an email from NHS Test and Trace confirming your result. Please register your barcode within 24 hours of taking the lateral flow test.

 

Is wearing masks mandatory in classrooms?

Government guidance states that masks must be worn inside when people are unable to socially distance themselves from one another. Therefore, the College is making the wearing of masks in classrooms where it is not possible to social distance, mandatory for all students, unless exempt. Please always remember to bring your mask to the College with you and to wear it inside all buildings, as per the Government guidance. Please also remember to adopt good hand hygiene and always maintain social distancing.

 

I am already taking part in a Lateral Flow Testing Programme; do I need to take part in the College’s testing programme?

Even if you already take part in a lateral flow testing programme, perhaps for work purposes, you will still be required to take part in the College’s lateral flow testing programme to continue to keep the college community safe.

 

I am self-isolating because of coming into contact with a positive COVID-19 case, I am not positive myself, however I am unable to come into the College to be tested, what should I do?

If you are currently self-isolating and are unable to come into the College to take your lateral flow test before returning to the College week commencing Monday 8 March, please continue to self-isolate and let you lecturer know when you plan to return. Please ask your lecturer to ask your Faculty Director to book you in for a lateral flow test upon your return.

 

I am currently shielding, what should I do?

Please continue to learn remotely at home until the end of this term (Wednesday 31 March). You will not be required to come into the College to take a lateral flow test before the end of this term.

 

I have had COVID-19 in the last three months, do I need to take part in the College’s Lateral Flow Testing programme?

You will not be required to undertake a lateral flow test at the College as this will give a false positive result.

 

What if I already take a lateral flow test outside of college for work purposes?

We have now updated the guidance regarding whether we will accept test results from lateral flow tests taken elsewhere, e.g. in the workplace. We will now accept COVID-19 lateral flow test results from students who are required to take these tests outside of the College.

If you are taking a lateral flow test elsewhere and not in the College’s lateral flow testing centre, please record your test result using the College Test Results Tracker. The link to this is below:

College Test Result Tracker

 

I have further questions regarding the Lateral flow testing centre programme, who should I ask?

Please contact your lecturer regarding questions about returning to the College and when to attend a lateral flow test. For any other queries, please email covid@fareham.ac.uk

 

Please remember:

• Do not come into the College if you have any COVID-19 symptoms – high temperature, persistent cough, or loss of taste / smell
• Wear a face covering at all times indoors – including in lessons

Maintain your social distancing and keep good hand hygiene.