Coronavirus - adult learning and safety

What's happening in our adult learning centres?

We just wanted to take a minute to let you know what’s happening with our centres at the moment. We would also like to tell you about we’re doing to make sure that you can continue to access our learning and support, while keeping both our learners and staff safe.

We’ve made a lot of changes to our centres over the past few months, and we’re confident that that they’re as safe as they can be for both learners and staff. 

Please note: if you're not coming for a pre-booked course, it's really helpful if you can let us know that you're going to be visiting one of our centes, either by emailing learn@eastriding.gov.uk or by calling (01482) 392844.

Do I have to come to a centre to learn?

No you don't. If you want to get involved with learning without having to visit one of our centres at all then why not have a look at our virtual and eLearning courses? 

On a virtual course you’ll still be taught by one of our amazing tutors, with a small group of other learners, but you can do it over video chat software from the comfort and safety of your own home.

eLearning lets you learn at your own pace, at a time that suits you with our self-directed interactive courses. 

We’re adding new courses all the time, so make sure you keep an eye on our course finder, or why not follow us on Facebook?

What if I want to come to a centre, is it safe?

We've worked really hard to make sure that out centres are safe for our learners and staff. Things will seem different, but our lovely staff are just as great as they've always been, and can't wait to meet you.

Do you provide hand sanitisers?

Throughout our centres, from reception to classrooms, you'll find hand sanitiser stations. We would appreciate it if you use them. If you find one that's empty, or even running a bit low, please let a member of staff know. Regular hand washing is a good way to help prevent the virus spread.

Should I do a lateral flow test?

We’re encouraging all of our staff and learners to regularly conduct free lateral flow tests. Ideally these should be taken the day you’re attending the centre, but if you need to do it the night before that’s fine too.

Please note that if you have any symptoms of Covid-19 – a high temperature, a new continuous cough or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – then you should NOT attend the centre under any circumstances. You should self-isolate and book a PCR test even if your lateral flow test was negative.

You can pick up a box of tests from any of our centres, or from most pharmacies.

Have you changed the training rooms?

Our training rooms have been the biggest change of all. We’ve moved them around to make sure that there’s an absolute minimum of one metre between all learners, with place markers and signs to show where you should (and shouldn’t!) sit. Please do take note of these, and if you’re not sure ask your tutor.  

Mice and keyboards in rooms with computers will be cleaned between sessions, so you don’t need to worry about these. Keyboards now have plastic covers. You might find them a bit odd to use at first but they mean we can clean the keyboards much more efficiently.  

Have you changed the shared areas?

We’ve had to move the furniture from shared areas. We know how much our learners like to socialise before and after sessions, but for now we need to ask you to arrive just before the start of your session so you can go straight in. You can take your breaks at your seat in the training room, or if the weather is nice we’d encourage you to get some fresh air.

Do I have to wear a face covering?

We do ask that you wear coverings while you’re moving around the centre, in corridors and in toilets.  

If you wear disposable coverings, we’d ask that you take them with you to dispose of after your session. We’re asking the same of our staff.

Of course if you're exempt from wearing a covering then that's fine - just let us know when you arrive. 

Are you using Track and Trace?

As part of the council we’re signed-up to the Government’s Track and Trace programme, so we will be logging your visits to our centres.