The government must provide colleges with the financial support to pay for PPE, including face coverings, the Association of Colleges has said. 

Yesterday, the government announced that face coverings were to be worn in colleges which were in “high-risk” areas of the country. And this morning, education minister Nick Gibb announced that each college was set to receive 10 at-home testing kits and a “small supply” of PPE. 

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However, Julian Gravatt, deputy chief executive of the Association of Colleges, said that the government should “provide colleges with financial support, as they have done for schools, which recognises the exceptional costs of cleaning and PPE.”

He said: “The safety of staff and students is top priority of every college. Observing WHO advice on the use of face masks in communal areas makes sense, especially if it means that more in-person learning can safely take place. Many colleges had already put these arrangements in place but as ever we advise leaders to make decisions based on what is right in their individual contexts.

“Colleges are already having to pick up significant additional costs in order to support the return to in-person learning in September. As the government is calling for every college to now also have a supply of masks available for staff and students, we would urge them to provide colleges with financial support, as they have done for schools, which recognises the exceptional costs of cleaning and PPE.“

University and College Union general secretary Jo Grady said: “The government’s own advice is that people wear face coverings when mixing with people they do not usually mix with. Where face-to-face interaction is unavoidable, colleges should ensure that face coverings, or the appropriate industry standard, are worn by staff and students.”

Larissa Kennedy, NUS President, said that more needed to be done to ensure everyone felt “confident about campuses reopening in September”. 

She said: “We welcome any measures that prioritise the safety of students and staff. Given that the advice for the World Health Organisation is that all people over the age of 12 should wear face coverings, we are glad that the government has opted to ensure that students in colleges wear face coverings in communal areas.

“Colleges need greater clarity from the different UK governments about how they should be maintaining student and staff safety, and students need to understand what to expect so they can make the right decisions for them. While this is a step in the right direction, more needs to be done before everyone can feel confident about campuses reopening in September.”

And Union’s head of education Jon Richards said that there was still a “confusing picture”.

He said: “The focus on learners is understandable but the government has already admitted staff face the biggest risk. In further education institutions that risk is even greater as staff tend to be older. The unique conditions in FE colleges - where some learners also spend part of their week in the workplace - mean bubbles won’t be effective. 

“Colleges should recognise these issues and allow those who want to wear coverings to do so. But it’s the government that should be taking the lead on this, not passing the buck to individual college heads. 
There must also be a clear explanation of why the government’s view of the science seems to be different to the other nations of the UK.”