Important Message for Our Students – 12th March

An Important Update for Students from Andrew Kaye, our Principal and Chief Executive.

 

Dear Student,

Firstly, I’d like to say how pleased all the staff at Fareham College have been to welcome you back to our campuses this week and thank you for participating in the Lateral Flow Testing to help ensure a safe return to college. Since we started testing returning students last Wednesday, we have completed nearly 3,000 tests and had only one positive case. Local case rates of COVID-19 are at the lowest point since October and with the vaccine being rolled out quickly we can be hopeful that an end is in sight.

 

However, it is important you do continue to support our COVID-19 secure protocols, so please do continue to wear your face mask when inside all college buildings, including in lessons.

 

Now that most students have had three Lateral Flow Tests on site we will be asking you to take part in home testing. We have started issuing these home testing kits to Full Time students ONLY; if you have not yet received yours, please ask your lecturer in the first instance. These kits are easy to use and you are asked to test yourself twice a week. Every time you complete a test we ask you to please record the result here College Test Result Tracker.

Starting from Monday 15 March, if you are a Full Time student and you have received your home testing kits, you will be asked to do two tests a week at home, three days apart, we suggest Monday and Thursday.

 

If you have not yet received a home testing kit, or you are unable to undertake at test at home, please follow this guidance:

• Please call reception on 01329815200 or email info@fareham.ac.uk to book a test appointment
• Please only book an appointment if you are unable to carry out Home Testing
• The Test centre will be open for a limited amount of time so please arrive a couple of minutes before your allocated slot and wait in the queue. Please wear your face mask and maintain social distancing.

 

Performing the Test

1. Carry out your test first thing in the morning before you eat or drink
2. Follow the instructions provided and ensure you give yourself 10 minutes to set up and carry out the test the first time. Once you have done it once, it will become quicker
3. Make sure you do the test the right way round, throat then nose 😊
4. Make sure you swab the tonsils four times on each tonsil without touching teeth gums, cheeks or tongue
5. Insert the swab up your nose until you feel resistance. It is uncomfortable and may make your eyes water, but should not be painful. Rotate the swab for 10 rotations
6. Place the swab in the vial, give it a good squish for 15 seconds, remove the swab and dispose of it, close the lid
7. Place 2 drops in the section marked S on the lateral flow device. Keep hold of the vial until you record your result
8. After 25 -30 minutes record the result. Do not leave it more than 30 minutes
9. One line indicates a negative result and two lines indicate a positive result.

 

Recording the result

• Log the result at www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result
• If your test is positive, you and your household must self-isolate. Follow the instructions from any email or text message you receive from NHS Test & trace. You may be required to take a PCR test to confirm the result
• If your test is negative you may come into College but please maintain social distancing guidelines and good hygiene
• If your test is void log the result but open another lateral flow device and repeat steps 7-8 above. In the unlikely event this result is also void, log the result and also send a message to COVID@fareham.ac.uk (Subject: Second Void Test Result)
  • In this instance, do not arrive into College before 8.30am and when you do arrive, go straight to the Sports Hall testing centre to be re-tested. Please let your lecturer know that you need to be retested before attending your class
• You must also log your result in the College Test Result Tracker so that we have a record of test results.

 

Overall student attendance at College has been good this week and I’d like to reiterate the importance of maintaining high levels of attendance. Your qualification grades are being assessed in different ways this year and in some cases we are still waiting on guidance from the Awarding Organisations as to exactly how your final grades will be determined. It is really important your teachers have as much information about your progress as possible to make the final judgement on the Teacher Assessed Grade you are awarded this year.

 

Additional Information for Apprentices, Part Time and Higher Education Students

At this stage we only have sufficient home-testing kits for our full-time students; Apprentices, Part Time and Higher Education students are encouraged to book into the Fareham Borough Council community testing centre on site, if not able to attend the College’s testing centre when it is open.

 

From Monday 15 March, the Bishopsfield Road campus testing centre located in the Sports Hall, is open Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 10:30 and from 13:00 to 14:00. The CEMAST campus testing Centre is open as per the schedule which is on the homepage on the website.

 

Fareham Borough Council’s Community Testing Centre, located at the College’s Bishopsfield Road campus, also in the Sports Hall, is open Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00 and you will need to book your test at least 24 hours in advance. To book an appointment please use using this booking portal 

 

Best regards Andrew Kaye, Principal and Chief Executive.