Author: admin

Croydon College and Coulsdon College welcome students back

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Croydon College and Coulsdon College welcomed students back to the classroom as they embraced the ‘new normal’.

The Colleges have seen a rise in the number of applicants this year, with Coulsdon College now oversubscribed and only accepting students for next academic year 2021/22 and Croydon College also oversubscribed on most courses with just a few spaces left for those still looking to enrol this academic year.

Strict measures have been put in place to make the Colleges Covid Secure, ensuring all students and staff are safe while on site. With the Colleges also prepared to deliver an online learning offer should a lockdown occur again.

Induction videos were also created to allow new students the ability to learn about their new College, before stepping through the doors.

Caireen Mitchell, CEO and Principal, Croydon College: “It has been so nice to see students back in the building and embracing learning. The staff at the College have been exceptional and made sure that we were ready to both welcome students and keep our college community safe. We are very much looking forward to the next academic year and supporting all our students to achieve their potential.

Richard Beales, Principal, Coulsdon College: “We are so excited to be back in the classroom with the students, while offering them a safe learning environment as well as the ability to offer remote learning and support. To have had so many young people joining us this year has been a great pleasure and we look forward to seeing them grow and succeed during their time here.”

With students now back the Colleges are also looking forward to welcoming potential students for the next academic year with their Virtual Open Events taking place on:

Croydon College:

Wednesday 7th October 2020, 4.30pm – 7pm

Saturday 10th October 2020, 10am – 1pm 

 

Coulsdon College:

Saturday 10th October 2020, 10am – 1pm

Thursday 19th November 2020, 5.30pm – 8pm

Students will be able to speak to a variety of teaching staff to help them decide what course is for them with a range of options across the two Colleges including A-level, BTEC, Apprenticeships, Higher Education and distance learning.

To find out more about the courses available still for 2020 and the open days please go to:

www.croydon.ac.uk

www.coulsdon.ac.uk

DEMOC Campaign Update – September 2020

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Getting the message out

The petition is now in and the campaign begins.  The next phase is to get the message out to all of Croydon on why we need a Democratically Elected Mayor.

The focus for now is getting leaflets out in target areas.  We have 4 leafleting sessions over the next couple of weeks in South Norwood/Selhurst.  Please join us in getting our leaflets out.  All sessions will socially distanced and we ask people to come and collect leaflets and maps, then go off in small groups.  We will also ask you to later confirm what roads you completed.

Sessions:
Sunday 20-Sep 11am
Meeting outside: The Clifton Arms  21 Clifton Rd, Selhurst, London SE25 6NJ

Tuesday 22-Sep 6:45pm
Meeting outside: The Clifton Arms  21 Clifton Rd, Selhurst, London SE25 6NJ

Sunday 27-Sep 11am
Meeting outside: The Cherry Tree  32 Station Rd, South Norwood, London SE25 5AG

Wednesday 30-Sep 6:45pm
Meeting outside: The Cherry Tree  32 Station Rd, South Norwood, London SE25 5AG

If you can, please come along and help us get the message out to the people of Croydon that we need a Democratically Elected Mayor!

Thanks for all your support.  Now let’s take our message to all of Croydon!

New Government Measures for Social Gatherings

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  • Social gatherings of more than six people in England will not be allowed in law from Monday 14 September
  • The new rule will apply both indoors and outdoors, and to all ages.
  • Pubs, restaurants, shops and other venues will remain open, but people can only attend in groups of up to six. Venues should also allow for social distancing between groups.
  • Similarly, places of worship may remain open but with a limit of six people attending per group.

Some gatherings of more than six people will be allowed, for example:

  • If your household or support bubble is larger than six
  • Where gatherings are for work or education purposes
  • Weddings and funerals
  • Team sports organised in a way limiting the spread of coronavirus

If you live in a household of more than six you can gather in public or private. However, you will not be able to join with anyone from outside of your household.

Police will issue fines to those ignoring these measures £100 – doubling with each offence to a maximum of £3,200

If you have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), ask for a test to check if you have the virus.

Extra Buses for School Travel

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Transport for London has announced that extra buses will run on many routes from 1st September (until the end of October) to cater for travel by school pupils, whilst still enabling social distancing on-board for other passengers using regular services.

Specially designated buses will be operated in the morning peak (07.30 til 09.30), and will have yellow “School Service” signs in the windscreen. Note that these buses might be in a different livery than usual or may use single-decker buses. Moreover these extra buses might not appear on departure information screens at bus stops and on travel apps.

On these special services it will permitted for all seats to be occupied, so other travellers should avoid using these buses and instead wait for a regular service, where the existing social distancing arrangements will still apply.

Regular services will have red “Non-school service” signs in the windscreen.

School pupils travelling without adults should use the special “School Service” buses rather than crowd onto regular services.

In the Shirley area additional “School Service” journeys will be operated on routes 194, 198 and 466 in the mornings. Meanwhile on routes 119, 130, 356, and 367 overall frequency of the morning service will be increased, but some journeys will be designated as a “School Service”. This means that other passengers may have longer to wait for a non-school bus.

Routes 130 and 367 will also have additional buses in the afternoon school peak (14.30 til 16.30). The existing 689 school bus service to Orchard Park High School (formerly Edenham High School) will have additional buses in both morning and afternoon.

Non-school passengers are asked to avoid travel at school times if possible; those who absolutely need to travel at those times are recommended to allow extra time for their journey.

There is of course the possibility that some pupils who used to travel to school by bus will instead be taken by car, which would increase traffic and delay bus services. However it is hoped that as many pupils as possible will use the extra bus services being provided (at tax-payers expense) or walk or cycle to school, in order to minimise that problem.

Planning Report – September 2020

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To find out the latest news on what is being planned in your local area, check out our latest Planning Report with up-to-date information on Planning Applications including developments in:

  • Ash Tree Close
  • The Glade
  • Land to the Rear of Shirley Inn Public House
  • Orchard Avenue
  • Orchard Park High School
  • Potters Close
  • Sandrock Pub
  • Shirley Road
  • Wickham Road and Woodmere Avenue.

With additional updates on our Planning Complaints; information and useful links for the new Government Consultation – Planning for the Future; what to expect from the next stages of the Croydon Plan Review and an update on the Croydon ‘Parklife’ Football Hubs Project.

Also, take a look at the MORA Planning App, which gives you an easy way to track all the current and recent planning applications within the MORA area. It’s simple to use and free for you to access.