Despite the government changes to legislation in place from 19th July we are continuing to maintain a number of safety measures across our locations.
Our training locations are already open and running some small socially distanced courses and exams for some qualifications. Until guidance changes in Scotland, we will continue to follow all social distancing protocols.
In England, we will gradually allow these to increase to full capacity, and will continue to implement additional measures outlined below to keep the risk of spreading the virus as low as we reasonably can.
- Run fewer physical classes overall to reduce the total volumes in the centre
- Stagger class start times to minimise congestion in shared spaces
- Keep visitors to centres to a minimum and only by prior arrangement
- Ask students to wear masks when moving around the centre but they can be removed when sat in classes or CBE suites
- Tutors to wear face coverings when moving around the classroom and centre
- Keep spaces well ventilated, maintain sanitation stations and additional cleaning protocols and clearly signpost good hygiene practices
- Ask our staff to take regular lateral flow tests
- Display a QR-code for those using Track & Trace apps
Testing
From 9th April 2021, the government made testing kits available for everyone in England, and details of how to access testing kits can be found on the gov.uk website launch, which includes ordering them online or collecting them from pharmacies or testing sites. We recommend that, in line with Government guidance, anyone attending a Kaplan location in England undertake a lateral flow test twice a week.
Face Coverings
We continue to ask everyone attending a Kaplan location to wear a face covering, despite the changes in Government legislation. Face coverings may only be removed when seated at a designated desk. Face coverings must be worn at all other times, including when arriving/leaving and when walking around the location.
We recommend that face coverings remain in place during exams and assessments.
A face visor or shield may be worn in addition to a face covering but not instead of one.
Some people may be exempted from wearing face coverings, for example, if a health condition prevents them from doing so. We will follow the Government’s guidance on face covering exemptions launch.
Track and Trace
A QR code for use with the NHS COVID-19 app will be available for those wishing to use the app to check in to our location. For information on the app, please visit the NHS COVID-19 app site launch.
Cleaning and hygiene
We will continue with our enhanced cleaning regime, which includes:
- Using virucidal cleaning solutions for all hard surfaces.
- Ensuring our cleaning teams are fully trained in infection control.
- Having a deep clean response plan in readiness for any potential future outbreak.
Everyone will be asked to follow safe hygiene and hand washing before visiting Kaplan and continue this frequently while with Kaplan and additional hand sanitising stations will be provided through our locations.
Dealing with suspected cases of COVID-19
Any student or member of staff who arrives on site with symptoms or develops them during the day will be:
- Asked to leave the premises immediately
- Advised to go straight home
- Advised to follow the self isolation guidance issued by government
- Advised to get a COVID-19 test as soon as possible
- Requested to call our student services team to let us know their test results as soon as possible
Nothing further will be done unless the case is confirmed positive for COVID-19.
Dealing with confirmed cases of COVID-19
If a member of staff or a student is confirmed as having COVID-19 and has been in our location within the last 48 hours we would check the very latest official guidance and follow any NHS or public health instructions we were given but the likely steps would be:
- Carry out enhanced cleaning where required (the location may close briefly to enable this)
- Engage with the NHS Test & Trace service
- Identify close contacts who should self-isolate
- Communicate to relevant stakeholders as appropriate
- Consider other steps we should take to reduce the risk of the virus spreading
Based on current government guidance, other than to clean the location it is unlikely we would close an entire centre for a prolonged period.
Safety measures specific to Computer Based Exams (CBE)
We will continue to operate our exams at reduced capacity and slowly increase to full capacity over the coming months.
Additional sanitisation equipment will continue to be available at each workstation.
Safety measures specific to classroom courses
We are now able to open some locations for a limited number of AAT, ACCA and CIMA classes. The details of how we operate our classes and the measures that are in place are as follows:
- Staggered start times have been implemented to limit the number of students arriving at any one time. Students must not arrive more than 15 minutes prior to their allocated start time (CIMA courses 9.15am, ACCA courses 9.30am, AAT courses 9.45am)
- Students will be directed to sit at an allocated desk based upon maintaining a 2m distance between them and other allocated desks so that social distancing is maintained
- Learners will be permitted to remove face coverings while seated at their desk should they wish to do so.Face coverings must be worn upon entry to the building and when moving around the building
- Training locations will close to students promptly after classes finish and the provision of private study rooms will be temporarily suspended.
We will slowly increase the capacity in our classrooms over the coming months.
How to let us know about concerns
Staff/customer concerns
Employees or customers may have concerns about Kaplan’s safety measures.
Students who have any such concerns should contact studentservices@kaplan.co.uk
Clients who have any such concerns should raise them with their account manager or email clientservices@kaplan.co.uk
Enforcing this policy
This policy will only be effective if employees, learners and exam candidates comply with it. If individuals do not comply they will be reminded of their obligation in the first instance but repeated non-compliance will result in action being taken.
Repeated non-compliance by employees will be treated as a misconduct issue and may lead to disciplinary action being taken.
Repeated non-compliance by learners will lead to a three step escalation process being instigated:
- Incident 1 - gentle reminder of the rules and an offer to explain them again if the student is confused.
- Incident 2 - firm reinforcement of the rules and a warning that failure to respect the rules may lead to a student being asked to study remotely or leave the exam.
- Incident 3 - student is asked to study/sit exams remotely from now on.
Repeated non-compliance by exam candidates may lead to the candidate being refused further examination sittings.