There was much concern about students going back to face to face education, but at Bournemouth & Poole College an on-site study has been declared a success.

Over 3,400 rapid COVID tests have been carried out since 8 March and only one positive case was identified. The asymptomatic individual isolated immediately, with the College quickly identifying a small bubble which also required to self-isolate, in line with standard protocols. No further transmission related to this case has occurred to date within The College.

The latest OFSTED progress monitoring report hails Bournemouth & Poole College as achieving ‘significant improvement’ – an accolade only achieved within around 12 per cent of monitoring visits.

Diane Grannell, principal of the College, commented, “I am proud of the efforts that have been made to roll out a complex onsite testing facility in a short amount of time, ensuring the safety of our students and staff. Throughout lockdown, our staff worked extremely hard to support our students and ensure that they continued to get the most of out of their college experience.”

Continuing student safety remains a high priority for the College, with social distancing regulations, mask wearing, and enhanced hygiene remaining in place until further notice. On-site testing by arrangement will remain in place to serve new enrolments, with the College now issuing home testing kits to current students.