A message from the Principal
Office of the Principal
Covid-19 update: National lockdown and continuation of online teaching
Dear student
Recently, the UK Government announced a new period of national lockdown issuing new Government guidance and putting ICON College under tier 4 restrictions instructing all higher education students not to return to campus. At ICON College we want to ensure your continued safety and in this respect your studies will continue purely online until further notice. As you are probably already aware the College has considerable experience of delivering courses online and many of you have experienced our online learning methods and tools.
We will continue to make every effort to ensure your studies will be of the best quality we can provide with as minimal disruption as possible to your learning and assessment. Please be assured we monitor the pandemic situation on a daily basis through our recently established COVID 19 Advisory and Action Group (C19AAG). This team will work to keep all staff and students fully briefed with the latest information and will deal with all matters relating to COVID and provide advice on: a) any changes to programme delivery, b) facilities availability and c) mass test and trace
The College also has a COVID Plan, in liaising with the Director of Public Health, Tower Hamlets and has undertaken a COVID Risk Assessment, which will be monitored and evaluated regularly by the C19AAG in order to keep everyone and the environment safe and secure. At the same time, we have entered into a partnership with Falmouth University and the College will soon hope to offer a range of undergraduate programmes thus sharing best practice with our new partner as we manage your education and safety during the pandemic.
As Principal, I am passionately committed to ensuring you get the highest quality educational experience possible and this includes when the College is in lockdown. There is no clear path, as yet, to end lockdown and it may be that restrictions become even tougher. We all know the vaccination programme is going to play a major part in relieving all of us from the grip of this awful pandemic. Rest assured, that as soon as Government announces an easing of restrictions, we will take steps to move towards blended learning thus enabling a safe and planned return to the College. Your safety is paramount to both myself, and the team (Vice-Principal [Academic], Vice-Principal [External Affairs]) and Secratery to the Board of Governance. Be assured that we will never compromise your safety and will work tirelessly to enable you to return to a safe environment as and when the time comes.
Learning and Teaching
Student Consumer Rights
Campus Facilities
Student support
Keeping everyone informed
Professor Nurun Nabi,
MBA (Henley at Oxon), PhD (Lond), Cert. in SBM (Harvard), FInstLM, MPDSE
Principal: ICON College of Technology and Management
Updated on 10/11/2021
WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!
FINAL REMINDER
The College’s specialist Covid 19 virus advisory group committee meets every ten days to consider what is happening both in the College and in the community in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. The meetings are chaired by the College Vice-Principal (External Affairs), Professor Alan Jones. At the group’s meeting held on the 8th November it was noted that nationaldaily rates of people contracting the virus don’t appear to be going down and approximately 1,000 people per week are dying in hospital through COVID-19 related problemsl!
The College needs your assistance NOW to help cut the rate of infections. The government’s Minister of State for Higher and Further Education has issued a letter (29 October 20321) imploring everyone to get vaccinated so as to protect ourselves and the people with whom we come into contact on a daily basis. In her letter, the Minister specifically states:
….please encourage all…to take up their second dose of the vaccine and all staff to take up the offer of a booster vaccination when they become eligible, unless they are exempt.
It is crucial for staff (teaching and administrative) to consider taking up the offer of a vaccine jab, unless medically exempted, so that we don’t have a major outbreak of the virus in the College that could result in College closure. In addition, please wear a mask (unless medically exempted) when on the College premises, including when attending class. .
The full text of the Minister’s letter can be found on the College website under ‘Principal’s Message’ and ‘Covid 19’.
The College is developing contacts with a wide range of external bodies and these contacts are increasingly requiring people to meet up face-to-face .This means we are duty bound to ensure we do not take the virus into premises being visited and, likewise, we need to be protected when visiting other organizations.
TO ENABLE THE COLLEGE MANAGEMENT TO HAVE A CLEAR VIEW AS TO STAFF PARTICIPATION IN THE VACCINATION ROLE-OUT PROCESS, IT WIL BE APPRECIATED IF YOU WILL SEND A COPY OF YOUR NHS VACCINATION STATUS TO :COVID19@ICONCOLLEGE.AC.UK BY FRIDAY 19NOVEMBER 2021. It is the case that some external organizations will require ICON College staff entering premises to be able to show their NHS vaccination status prior to being granted admission. The NHS pass can be obtained in writing (go to the website) or as a downloadable app.
Anyone wishing to raise any matter relating to the virus, vaccinations, and related activities, can email the Covid-19 advisory group chair at: alan.jones@iconcollege.ac.uk
(Professor) Nurun Nabi
Principal, ICON College of Technology and Management
10th November 2021
Updated on 25/06/2021
The College C19AAG (COVID-19 Advisory and Action Group) met yesterday and, in light of the Prime Minister’s announcement on the 14th June, decided that all protocols currently in place when staff and students are physically attending the College campus, will remain in place (washing of hands, wearing face masks {unless exempted for medical or other agreed reasons} and social distancing) for the time being.
The Borough of Tower Hamlets health team have issued a notice directly to students regarding the need to be tested at least twice each week and the notice urges everyone to present themselves for vaccination unless medically exempt. The notice is provided with this memorandum.
The Borough of Tower Hamlets, in which the College is located, remains an area in the UK with one of the lowest take-up rates of people receiving COVID-19 vaccinations. The College urges all staff and students to present themselves for vaccination as and when called to do so unless they are exempted for medical or other reasons. It is also important to remember that even after full vaccination it is possible to become ill with COVID-19 (especially the new Delta variant) and/or have the virus without realising it (asymptomatic) and be capable of passing it on to others.
To protect ourselves, and those with whom we come into contact, it is crucial for us all to maintain the protocols advised by central government, the NHS and the College.
Frequently Asked Questions for HE students on Covid-19 vaccinations are now available at COVID-19 vaccination FAQs
Updated on 10/05/2021
The College had intended to start with some face-to-face classes next week (starting Monday 17 May) but information received from the local health authorities in the last twenty four hours has highlighted a significant rise in Coronavirus-19 cases (Brazilian and South African variants) in the Borough of Tower Hamlets where ICON College is located. For safety and health reasons, the College’s C19AAG (College Covid Advisory and Action Group) met this afternoon to consider all the available data available to it and determined that, for staff and student safety, classes should be postponed for at least one more week and possibly begin week commencing 24 May. Further updates will be posted, so keep looking here!
Updated on 19/04/2021
FREE coronavirus (COVID-19) rapid lateral flow tests for staff and students
Our staff and students can now order free coronavirus (COVID-19) rapid lateral flow tests at home, directly from the NHS. This free door-to-door service is for anybody who
• does not have coronavirus symptoms
• lives in England • is 18 or older
• has not been told to self-isolate
• Cannot get tests from their work, school, college or university.
One box of 7 tests comes in the post at one time. The results are instant within 30 minutes of taking the test. Staff and students can order for themselves as well as members of their bubbles. https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests
Alternatively, there is also the possibility for households with cars to drive to NHS Testing Centres and pick up to 4 boxes (depending on the test centre) per car at one time. Once at the testing vaccination centre, it takes 1-2 mins for the tests to be dropped into the car. This is a drive-thru system with no pre-registration. Most of them have an 8-13.00 pick-up slot 7 days/week. https://find-covid-19-rapid-test-sites.maps.test-and-trace.nhs.uk
Pharmacies provide tests too and can be located via this link, during their opening hours: https://maps.test-and-trace.nhs.uk
Updated on 08/04/2021
The College COVID-19 Action and Advisory Group (C19AAG) is made up of both staff and students. C19AAG normally meets every ten days, or sooner if circumstances so dictate. The C19AAG sifts through external notices, advice ,recommendations and requirements issued by a wide range of organizations including the Department of Education (DfE), the National Health Service (NHS), the local health and safety executive et al. At its meeting held on the 7th April 2021, the C19AAG considered the measures that need to be put in place for any re-opening of the College campus to facilitate a return to face-to-face teaching, as and when this becomes possible and recommended by the DfE/NHS. The College has engaged fully qualified and experienced external expert health and safety consultants to undertake a risk-assessment analysis of the College facilities and their advice will dictate what the College needs to do in terms of making the premises as COVID-19 secure as is possible prior to any re-opening for general face-to-face teaching. The consultants are due to visit the College towards the end of April. Further advice to staff and students will then be provided on the College website as soon as the assessment report is received and the recommended measures have been put in place.
Updated on 09/03/2021
The College receives, on a daily basis, numerous messages from central government, the Department for Education (DfE), the Office for Students (OfS) and other local health care agencies relating to the COVID-19 situation. The messages are often complex and detailed but the College considers what is of importance for students to know. In a recent letter dated 25th February 2021 the Minister of State for Universities indicated that institutions should be putting in place measures that staff and students can understand regarding making the physical campus environment COVID-19 secure. ICON College is in the process of undertaking a risk assessment of the College physical facilities to enable staff and students to return to formal classroom teaching as and when it is safe to do so. The assessment is being made with the co-operation of the local health authorities. In addition, in her letter of the 25th February, the Minister indicated that students and staff will be advised about the return to campus by the end of the Easter holidays. Decisions will take account of the then current virus data and the DfE will give institutions one week’s notice.
