Update Tuesday 19 April 2022
Please read our updated position statement on supporting pupils and learners at Ambitious College.
Update Monday 14 March 2022
Please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Update Friday 25 February 2022
Please read our updated position statement on supporting pupils and learners at Ambitious College.
Update Wednesday 9 February 2022
Please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Update Thursday 3 February 2022
Please read our updated position statement on supporting pupils and learners at Ambitious College.
Update Tuesday 18 January 2022
Please read our updated position statement on supporting pupils and learners at Ambitious College.
Update Friday 14 January 2022
Please read our updated position statement on supporting pupils and learners at Ambitious College.
Update Tuesday 11 January 2022
Please read our updated position statement on supporting pupils and learners at Ambitious College.
Update Tuesday 4 January 2022
Please read our updated position statement and risk assessments on supporting pupils and learners at Ambitious College.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Update Monday 6 December 2021
Please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Update Thursday 2 December 2021
Please read our updated position statement on supporting pupils and learners at Ambitious College.
Update Monday 1 November 2021
Please read our updated position statement on supporting pupils and learners at Ambitious College.
Update Tuesday 19 October 2021
Please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Update Friday 10 October 2021
Please read our statement in support of proposed use of the 16-19 tuition fund.
Update Wednesday 22 September 2021
Please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Update Wednesday 1 September 2021
Please read our updated position statement on the return of learners to Ambitious College in September.
Update Thursday 26 August 2021
Please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Update Friday 16 July 2021
Please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Update Thursday 10 June 2021
Please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Update Friday 15 May 2021
Please read our updated position statement and risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Update Wednesday 28 April 2021
Please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Update Wednesday 31 March 2021
Please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Update Thursday 4 March 2021
Please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Update Wednesday 3 March 2021
Read our updated position statement on supporting pupils and learners for March 2021.
Update Thursday 18 February 2021
Please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Update Monday 15 February 2021
Please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Update Friday 12 February 2021
Read our updated position statement on supporting pupils and learners for February 2021.
Update Wednesday 3 February 2021
Read our updated position statement on supporting pupils and learners for February 2021.
Update Monday 25 January 2021
Please read information for parents about remote learning.
Update Thursday 7 January 2021
Please read our latest risk assessments following the government’s national lockdown announcement.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Please also read our latest position statement on supporting pupils and learners following a national lockdown in January 2021.
Update Monday 4 January 2021
Following the new COVID-19 variant please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Please also read our updated position statement on supporting pupils and learners for January 2021.
Update Wednesday 16 December
Please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Update Wednesday 9 December
Please read our updated position statement on supporting pupils and learners for December 2020.
Update Monday 7 December
Please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Update Thursday 19 November
Please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Update Friday 6 November
Please read our updated position statement on supporting pupils and learners for November 2020.
Update Tuesday 3 November
On Thursday 5 November, England is entering a new four-week lockdown. This lockdown will not affect Ambitious College which will remain open to both young people and staff. However, we know many will be feeling understandably worried and anxious about rising COVID-19 infection rates and what this could mean for loved ones.
I want to reassure you once again, that as we have done throughout this pandemic, we are continuing to follow the guidance and ensure our settings are as safe and secure as possible. We have robust risk assessments in place at our setting which are continually reviewed and updated. We also continue to follow comprehensive social distancing rules.
Our advice to parents remains the same:
- If your child is unwell with Coronavirus symptoms (or someone else in the household has Coronavirus symptoms) or has been directed to self-isolate (e.g. through NHS track and trace), they must not come in.
- If your child develops Coronavirus symptoms or is unwell at school or college, you must collect them as soon as possible;
- Pupils and learners who are of compulsory education age (aged 5 to 18 years) must attend their education settings during term-time and it’s the legal duty of parents and carers to ensure they attend.
Please read our updated risk assessments for CONEL, West Thames, The Whittington and Bernie Grants Centre.
Should any parents have any concerns, questions or worries following the latest Government announcement, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us. Our door is always open and we want to support all families at this very challenging time.
Thank you again for your cooperation and support.
Update Friday 16 October
Please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Update Friday 2 October
Please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Update Monday 21 September
Please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Update Friday 11 September
Please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Update Thursday 27 August
Please read our updated risk assessments for our West Thames College and CONEL campuses.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Position Statement August 2020
Update Friday 10 July
On 2 July the Government published guidance about all children and young people returning to education in September 2020. In response we have updated our position statement outlining our key principles and approach.
Position statement on the return to school and college for September 2020.
Update Wednesday 10 June
We have carried out detailed risk assessments across all our settings to make sure everybody is safe. This includes risk assessments for each site, and for visitors and contractors when visiting our sites which can be viewed here. This formed part of a comprehensive wider risk assessment process for individuals and groups.
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - CONEL
Ambitious College Risk Assessment - West Thames
Risk Assessment for visitors, volunteers and contractors
Whittington Hospital Risk Assessment
Update Friday 22 May
The Government have announced that they will not make a final decision on the viability of school and colleges taking a phased approach to returning pupils and learners to settings until Thursday 28 May. In light of this, and the reasons set out below, we have taken the difficult decision that we will not start to phase the return of additional pupils and learners until at the earliest Monday 8 June, and only then if the Government advice is that it is safe to do so.
Our reasons for this are based on the principle that the safety of our pupils, learners and staff is paramount and that the operation of our schools and college is dependent on our ability to keep them resourced and safe.
We need additional time to make sure that we have:
- Completed thorough risk assessments for individual pupils, learners and staff, for groups of staff and for each individual building. This is a significant piece of work and is also ongoing as we adapt to any further guidance or people’s health conditions change.
- Put in place any additional individual or site-specific safety measures following the risk assessments, which includes determining if we have enough staff able to attend on site to operate a safe service.
- Put in place measures to support social distancing on the basis of the physical ‘space’ available in each of their sites. Whilst we cannot guarantee social distancing, we will do everything we can. For example, removing and storing furniture, clearing areas to allow for more thorough cleaning, visibly marking up floor space in dining rooms, corridors and staircases, and instituting one-way entry and exit points.
- Secured additional cleaning throughout the day on all sites, and a schedule of regular deep cleaning.
- Secured sufficient Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), whilst unfortunately operating on the basis of receiving no Government advice for our sector on its use. It is a key tenet to support effective infection control and we have worked with the guidance issued to social care settings. Across our schools and college, we have always used disposable aprons, gloves and hand sanitizer to support personal care, medication and food preparation.
- Trained all staff in any new safety measures and protocols, for example on the use of face masks and eye goggles (where they might be needed in very rare cases); and prepared young people through the use of social stories.
- Put in place transport arrangements, alongside a transition back to school or college plan for each pupil and learner.
We are committed to working in partnership with both parents and local authorities to ensure that we are meeting the best interests of the children and young people we support. This must put their safety at its heart. We have stayed open for children/young people of key workers and some of our most vulnerable children/young people, and we are continuing our learning at home offer.
I understand that you will feel frustrated and I apologise for that. I ask that you please bear with us. We miss our young people, and like everyone else, we want a return to normal for them (and us!).
Update Thursday 21 May
Ambitious College’s statement on Staying COVID-19 Secure.
Update Monday 18 May
On 11 May 2020, the Government set out its roadmap for coming out of lockdown, this included how schools and colleges might, at the very earliest from 1 June, take a phased approach to bringing some of their pupils and learners back into their settings. When taking account of this guidance, our first consideration is the safety and wellbeing of our staff, pupils and learners.
There was clear advice published on 12 May to special schools/specialist colleges indicating they ‘should work towards welcoming back as many children and young people as can be safely catered for in their settings.
Our schools and college have developed a set of principles to work to in order to support our decision making:
- The safety of our pupils, learners and staff is paramount
- The operation of our schools and college is dependent on our ability to keep them resourced and safe
- We have considered the maximum number of children, young people and staff we can have on site to allow for social distancing
- We are following Government guidance and keep our position under constant review
- Each child and young person has an individualised Covid-19 risk assessment, that is updated as needed
- Whilst social distancing is difficult for some of our children and young people to understand and practice, we will do all that is reasonably practicable to enable it
- We will also do what is reasonably practicable to support staff to socially distance within an education setting
- If a child or young person has a pre-existing medical condition that places them on the clinically extremely vulnerable list, they must remain at home. If a child or young person has a pre-existing medical condition that places them in the clinically vulnerable category and the local authority’s risk assessment says they are safer in school or college, we will need medical evidence to confirm this
- We will work in partnership with placing local authorities and parents and carers on an ongoing basis
We have updated our detailed approach to supporting pupils and young people in our educational settings during the Coronavirus pandemic, which can be downloaded here.
For those pupils and learners not accessing learning at school or college we will continue to support them to learn at home. This can be through home learning packs and/or through our virtual learning platform. As per Government guidance, we will work with local authorities to monitor the welfare of vulnerable children who are not attending school or college and will keep in touch with other pupils and learners for safeguarding purposes.
Please stay safe when accessing materials online. The following resources may help:
Internet matters - for support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online
London Grid for Learning - for support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online
Net-aware - for support for parents and careers from the NSPCC
Parent info - for support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online
Thinkuknow - for advice from the National Crime Agency to stay safe online
UK Safer Internet Centre - advice for parents and carers
We have put together new resources for families during this time. Read our information sheets on managing health anxiety and managing more time at home, as well as our other Coronavirus resources on health and well-being, education and legal support.
We will continue to plan further and will communicate any changes if we hear more. Please look out for emails, texts and this website. If you have any questions, please contact Head of College Linda Looney 020 3873 2201.
Thank you for your patience and support at this difficult time.
