Return to face to face teaching – hooray
Massage schools have received the green light to start face to face teaching, and we are so enjoying seeing QM students in person again, and welcoming new students to their massage courses. For sure, with Covid-19 and the new (not so) normal, things are a bit different in the delivery of massage training and will be for a while. We’ve adapted and are going with the flow because massage therapy has such an important role to play in enhancing health and well-being. Maybe even more so after the last few months when many people have been deprived of touch.
We’ve been busy
Like most sectors, we’ve been getting used to the changes and challenges that Covid-19 has brought. Once lockdown was implemented in March, we shifted all our Diploma courses online via Zoom. We had videos of practical techniques, tutorials, discussions and slides to help with the theoretical aspects of the courses. Some of the Holistic Massage, Sports Massage and Anatomy & Physiology students even took their exams online in July. Not something we could have imagined before. But it worked really well and…they all passed which was fantastic news.
Upcoming diploma courses
A lot of people have been asking if our courses are open for enrolment. Please check here for available upcoming courses, including the Holistic Massage Diploma. More dates will be added as soon as we can. For now, all new Diploma courses will be a blend of online and in person classroom teaching/learning. The online course sessions are live with a tutor. We are committed to maintaining the depth and quality of the training you receive, a high level of care and support, and preparing you to be confident, knowledgeable and skilled therapists. We’ve had months of experience delivering courses online, so in the event of another lockdown, we have lots of resources already prepared. We’re good to go.
Get in touch
Email or call us (020 8527 5024) and we’ll get back to you quickly. At the moment we’re not able to see visitors to the school in person, but can easily set up a meeting with you on Zoom, Skype, FaceTime or WhatsApp, to have a chat and answer all your questions.
Minimising risk
As you’d expect, there are a lot of regulations in place to enable us to meet in class, to minimise the risk of spreading the virus and to make the experience as safe as possible for our students and teachers. Of course, we can’t guarantee that there is no risk, but we have developed protocols and procedures that decrease the risk. Social distancing, ventilation, hand hygiene, and wearing masks are top the list. In addition, when we’re massaging (either giving or receiving), we’ll use PPE alongside other hygiene protocols. We have completed an overall Risk Assessment which you can take a look at here.
How do in person course days run?
1. BEFORE YOU COME TO CLASS
We email everyone to screen for Covid-19. Anyone with symptoms won’t be able to attend that day and we’ll look at ways of arranging for a catch-up session another time. We’ll let you know what to expect from the day. Practical things such as arrival time, what to bring with you, teaching/learning content, use of PPE for massage, who you’ll be working with that day, bubble groups, hygiene and distancing protocols.
2. ON THE DAY
We will have prepped the classroom ready for your arrival, such as ventilation, cleaning, spacing of chairs and tables and so on. Once you arrive, wear your mask, keep social distance, wash hands, remove shoes, get changed into indoor clothing for massage, store your belongings and take a seat. Masks will be required when we’re not able to social distance in the room.
3. WHEN WE’RE MASSAGING
Students and tutors will be in full PPE when giving massage and those receiving massage will wear a mask. You’ll be working in pairs and have supplies of cleaning and other equipment at your massage station. Everyone will bring their own drapes. We’ll cleanse hands regularly and sanitise the massage table before switching from giving to receiving massage. There will be bins to dispose of used PPE, couch roll etc.
4. TOILETS AND HANDWASHING FACILITIES
Wear a mask when going to the toilet and in communal areas in the building. There’s plenty of soap in pump or sensor dispensers, hand dryers and/or paper towels. We’ll have cleaning wipes to open doors and wipe hard surfaces in the toilet area and sanitisers will also be available.
5. BREAKS AND LUNCH
You can either bring your own lunch/snacks and drinks for the day or pop out to buy lunch in the nearby supermarkets or coffee shops. You are welcome to eat lunch in the training room and remain socially distanced. We’re not able to provide any light refreshments for the time being.
6. END OF DAY
We’ll wipe down and clean all the equipment and set down the room. There will be a closing circle as usual with Pete (he’ll be wrapped in wipeable plastic to keep him nice and safe) before leaving with all our belongings, keeping social distanced as we go. If you haven’t met Pete before, here he is. He does a bit of a star turn at the end of most course sessions.
Hope you’ve found this helpful and that it gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect in class. You can check out our courses here.
Dympna and Doreen 
Tutors and co-founders of QM