COVID-19 Coronavirus School Update 15th April 2020

To all of our current and future students, 

I hope you and your families are keeping safe and well.

Our core focus during these difficult and uncertain times remains the health, safety, and well being of our students, tutors, and staff.  

Based on what is happening in the UK and the rest of the world, it is very likely that the lockdown and social distancing restrictions will be continuing into the end of April or beyond. Therefore, we have had to re-evaluate our course start dates.

The following are our new estimated course start dates for up-coming courses, based on the school being able to re-open between the end of May/ beginning of June. 

We had courses that were running before the lockdown was put into place, therefore those courses will need to finish first before these new dates can begin. 

Again, these are estimated dates subject to confirmation and the latest government guidance. We will review these estimated dates again in May.

We are not canceling any courses, just postponing until the lockdown is lifted. 

We are doing our utmost to ensure our school will be running as normal after the end of the lockdown. These are very difficult and unprecedented times we are living in, and we hope you will continue to remain patient with us.

For further guidance and help during this difficult period, there are a number of organisations that can help:

The latest advice from the NHS:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

For guidance on Self Isolation visit:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-advice/

To find out what the U.K. Government has to say visit:
https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response

To find out what The World Health Organisation has to say visit:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

FAQ’s

I’m a VTCT student and I recently completed my course before the lockdown came into place. How can I get my certificate?

If you had finished your course before the lockdown, it is likely that we have already claimed for your certificate from VTCT.

Due to the lockdown, the school office is closed and VTCT are not in the position to post certificates out to the school if our office staff are not able to accept the delivery and sign for it. Once the school is in a position to re-open, our office staff will be able to accept delivery from VTCT and contact you when they arrive at the school. 

Can VTCT post my certificate to my home address?

No. VTCT do not post to any addresses other than the Registered Centre address. This is due to the nature of how certificates are processed and for security reasons.

VTCT are operating with a skeleton staff due to the lockdown restrictions, and therefore do not have the manpower to cope with sending certificates to individual addresses.

I’m a VTCT student and I have completed my practical assessments and test papers, however I still have assignments/corrections to send to my tutor. What should I do?

You can complete your assignments and email them directly to your tutor for marking. Your tutor will be able to mark your assignments and inform the Registrations and Certification Officer of your completion. Once the school re-opens, we will be able to claim for your certificate and inform you when it arrives.

How long will it take to get my certificate?

If you have completed your course and we have already claimed for your certificate, it is likely that VTCT have processed it already and it is a simple matter of posting out, once we re-open. This may take 1 week.

If you finish your assignments during the lockdown and your certificate is yet to be claimed for, this may take longer due to the possible backlog of claims VTCT may have received during the lockdown period. Usually, there is a turnaround of 4-6 weeks. If there is a large backlog, this could take a little more time.

I haven’t finished my course yet. What will happen to my course?

We are not cancelling any courses that were in progress before the lockdown. These courses will continue from where they left off, once we are in a position to re-open. We ask that all current students keep up their theoretical and practical knowledge, where possible while in lockdown. You can complete your assignments and email them to your tutors for marking.  That way, when we re-open, you will not feel overwhelmed.

My CIBTAC examinations were due to be in May. When will they take place now?

Your May examinations have been postponed. When the school re-opens, your course will continue from where it left off. You will be given the opportunity to refresh your practical skills and do mock exams before you will sit you CIBTAC exams. Our main priority is for you to succeed. We ask that you keep up your theoretical and practical knowledge, where possible while in lockdown. You can complete your assignments and email them to your tutor for marking. That way, when we re-open, you will not feel overwhelmed.

I am studying for CIDESCO. When will my exams be?

Our CIDESCO examinations take place after the CIBTAC examinations have been completed. You can work towards your CIDESCO Diploma during the lockdown period by studying and working on your project and case histories. Your tutor gave you information on the CIDESCO project and practice tests for both CIBTAC and CIDESCO before the lockdown. Your CIDESCO program will continue once CIBTAC examinations have been scheduled. We ask that you keep up your theoretical and practical knowledge, where possible while in lockdown. You can complete your assignments and email them to your tutor for marking. That way, when we re-open, you will not feel overwhelmed.

I went back to my home country due to the lockdown. What should I do or how will I get to finish my course?

Once we are in a position to re-open, we will inform our students 2 weeks in advance. This will give everyone time to return to the UK or to London to continue with the course. We hope that you will keep safe in your home country and return to us when travel restrictions are lifted.

What should I do during lockdown?

We ask that all current students keep up their theoretical and practical knowledge, where possible while in lockdown. You can complete your assignments and email them to your tutors for marking. You can watch the videos of the treatments your tutor demonstrated in class and practice them at home, with the exception of facial and body electrotherapy machines, as many of you will not have access to these at home. That way, when we re-open, you will not feel overwhelmed. 

I am a new student, and I was due to start my course this month. Can I get a refund?

We are unable to offer refunds at this time.

We are not cancelling any courses and will honour each and every student’s contract of enrolment onto our courses. The UK Government brought the social distancing and lockdown into force. We, like other businesses, have been forced to close until it is safe to re-open. Our core focus during these difficult and uncertain times remains the health, safety, and well being of our students, tutors, and staff. 

If you have any further questions regarding our estimated opening date or any courses, please email admin@raycochrane.co.uk