Getting in Touch
If you have any questions about the start of year and your course, please feel free to contact the curriculum area that relates to your subject.

AAPSadmin@btc.ac.uk
A Levels, International Baccalaureate, Applied Science, Barbering, Beauty Therapies, Business, Early Years, Computing, Creative Arts, Hairdressing, Health & Social Care

01278 655044 / LBSFadmin@btc.ac.uk
Agriculture, Animal Management, Arboriculture, Catering & Hospitality, Countryside Management, Equine Studies, Horticulture, Sport, Uniformed Public Services

CAEadmin@btc.ac.uk
Automotive, Nuclear, Construction, Engineering

Autumn Term Dates
Monday 6 September – Friday 22 October 2021 (7 weeks)
Half Term: Monday 25 Oct – Friday 29 Oct 2021
Monday 1 November – Thursday 16 December 2021 (7 weeks)

For the full academic year, please see the term dates here.

Don’t forget to look out for emails from us between now and September with details about your course. If you have any questions or concerns, please call 01278 441234 or email info@btc.ac.uk.

Frequently Asked Questions

How will I know when to attend College?
If you accept your offer to study at BTC, you will be invited to enrol online via email. Once enrolled, we’ll email a link to a secure portal called Destination BTC that will include your joining instructions from your tutor and the following details:

• The date and time you need to attend on your first day (this will be different for each course or area).
• The days you will be required to attend during the first week.
• Which coloured area you are in and where you need to go on your first day.
• A campus map with the coloured areas marked.
• Information about any kit you might need.

Can I join Academies before starting College?
Yes, you can either complete the form associated with the Academy of your choice or email the tutor to book your place. Click here to find out more and apply.

Do you have any scholarships or bursaries I can apply for now?
We have various scholarships linked to specific courses that you can apply for. Please click here to find out more information.

For more information about how to apply for a bursary to help with the costs associated with coming to College, please click here.

What happens when I get my GCSE results?
Hopefully you’ll be celebrating and could start on a higher level course than you planned. If things haven’t gone as well as you hoped, it’s important to remember is not to panic. We have a team of supportive staff who are happy to talk you through your options.

Once you have your results, pop into the College to meet a member of the Information, Advice & Guidance team or call our GCSE helpline on 01278 441234. There will be an alternative they can explore with you.

What steps have you taken to ensure I’m safe in College?
Your health and safety is of paramount importance, and we constantly review and follow government guidelines for colleges. Below are some of the steps we are taking to make sure everyone is as safe as possible:

• Teaching is through a blended learning approach. This means that you will be expected to attend College on specific days at specific times and at other times, your lessons will be delivered online through one of the many platforms that we use, such as TEAMS or Google Classrooms.
• We’ve created coloured areas across all the campuses to enable you to remain in your bubble and maintain social distancing. Maps of the coloured areas at our Bridgwater, Taunton, Cannington campuses are available by clicking on these links.
• New signage, hand sanitising stations, information points and protective face-to-face screens have been installed where required.
• Classrooms have appropriate cleaning materials available so that desks and equipment can be disinfected between uses.
• Social distancing measures are in place in all the classrooms, social/learning spaces and corridor use. Please keep to the left and move quickly if you need to travel around the campus. We would also request that you don’t gather in groups so we can maintain social distancing.
• Catering outlets and the timing of breaks have been reviewed so that timings are staggered.

Will I be in a ‘bubble’?
To minimise the contact between students, you will be required to stay within your allocated groups ‘your bubble/s’ at all times. There may be occasions whereby you are allocated to more than one group but it is important you restrict your interactions to these groups only. To do this, the College has been arranged into coloured areas. You will be allocated to one of these areas for your study and access to restaurants etc. It is important that you stay within these coloured areas at all times.

Maps of the coloured areas at our Bridgwater, Taunton, Cannington campuses are available by clicking on these links.

What will the classrooms / workshops look like?
The changes to classrooms and workshops have made to help keep you and our staff safe. Where possible, we aim to maintain social distance of one metre. In addition, all seats will be facing forward so we can minimise face-to-face contact. Where we cannot maintain social distance ie. available space, specialist equipment or practical lessons we will put other steps in place, for example the use of Personal Protective Equipment. If this is the case we will explain how this will work to you.

Will the classrooms / workshops be cleaned between lessons?
We know one of the best ways of reducing the virus is through hygiene. In addition to the additional cleaning regimes we have in place, we would ask you to do a number of things:

• Please wash your hands regularly and use the hand sanitisers provided.
• When you enter and leave a classroom/workshop we would ask you to wipe down your personal learning space or tools.

We will provide the resources for you to be able to do this.

Do I need to wear a mask?
The current government guidelines for Colleges require students to wear a mask in corridors and communal areas. You do not have to wear a face covering in our classrooms, with the follow exceptions:

• Where close one-to-one support is being given.
• In workshop environments where close practical demonstration or supervision is required.
• Where there are specific industry requirements eg. those that operate within our commercial training environments, we must continue to comply with relevant sector guidance.

You are welcome to continue to wear a face covering within the classroom and you will be issued with a sunflower lanyard if you are exempted from wearing a mask.

Do you have uniforms, or can I wear anything I want?
There are no uniforms, but some departments such as sport and automotive have branded clothing and Protective Personal Equipment (PPE) is expected to be work in most workshops.

You will be issued with a lanyard which you must wear on campus for security reasons. It also gives your access to certain areas and you can use it to pay at food outlets.

Getting to and from College
Where possible, we would advise you walk or cycle to College, however we also have a vast network of buses that services all our campuses. Please click here for further information on bus transport.

If I need support at College is it still available?
We will continue to provide access to all our support services. This will be a mixture of face-to-face and remote support. This includes access to our Information, Advice & Guidance team, wellbeing, financial support and counselling, amongst others.

If you are in receipt of learning support, this will continue as normal. We are looking carefully at all situations and activities to make sure they can be managed safely. If this applies to you, further information will come from the ALS department and your teachers.

What happens if I feel unwell at College?
If you feel unwell it is important that you inform a member of staff immediately. There are dedicated spaces to wait until we can ensure that you are able to leave College.

What happens if I am unwell and unable to attend College?
During term time, any student who is unwell or self-isolating should report their absence by informing their tutor.

Are Apprentices expected to continue to go into their workplace?
Apprentices are advised to follow the guidance being given at their workplace and to speak to their line managers about workplace procedures. If they have any concerns, they should discuss them with their line manager or tutors. We are working closely with employers to address any specific concerns. We are also considering specific consequences of time away from an apprenticeship, for example whether adjustments will need to be made to balance out lost apprenticeship hours.

As an Apprentice, will I be expected to attend College?
In the majority of cases, we will visit you and your employers via an online platform. Where it is a requirement for your teaching, learning and assessment we may visit in person. Please be reassured the frequency and quality of your interactions and reviews will not change. The safety of you, your colleagues and our staff is our priority and this approach will positively support this. Your learning will take place both onsite and via a blended learning approach. Your assessor will confirm this via your timetable. We will support you to develop the skills to learn remotely.

Don’t forget to look out for emails from us between now and September with details about your course.

SummerWorks Holiday Activity Programme
From July, we’re offering a range of fun activities for Year 11s as part of the SomersetWorks. The sessions will run across our three campuses and include photography, cyber security, music, website design, tractor driving, animal care and more.

Please click here to read about Summer Works and book your place.