Figures released by the Department for Education today show that 94 per cent of further education colleges are “fully open”. 

That measure means they are delivering a planned combination of on-site and remote delivery. However, if the remote delivery has been implemented as a contingency response, colleges do not meet that DfE criteria and therefore cannot declare themselves “fully open” - that was the case at 5 per cent of colleges on 1 October.  

Just over 85 per cent of colleges responded to the DfE and 99 per cent of these were “open” at that point.

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Colleges across the UK spent the summer preparing for the return of face-to-face classes, introducing social distancing measures to campus and redesigning classroom spaces to fit with guidance. 

In guidance issued by the government at the end of August, colleges were told to revisit and update risk assessments, consider additional risks and control measures to enable a return of all students from the beginning of the autumn term, including those who may be at more risk of an adverse outcome if infected. 

Meanwhile, in Scotland, colleges are open to students, but where possible, blended-learning is the preferred mode of delivery.