During COVID, the school worked tirelessly with the Minister of Education, the Education Authority, HSC Public Heath Authority, the trades unions, the press, CCEA and a host of local services and support groups. Here are just some samples of the correspondence going in each direction to and from the school throughout COVID.
The Minister, Peter Weir, had so many decisions to make as to when schools needed to lock down and when they could take the risk of opening up. It was important to recognise the level of responsibility the Minister had to shoulder, and also to keep him informed about conditions in school.
As vaccines became available, and COVID prevention measures were implemented, the Minister provided guidelines to meet the concerns schools had raised.
Re-opening school depended on everyone being willing to share information when infection broke out.
Our local papers kept everyone informed and frequently asked for a statement as to how the school was managing.
Our local papers kept everyone informed and frequently asked for a statement as to how the school was managing.
The trades unions in school worked closely with the principal to ensure that the concerns of staff were taken into account when arrangements were put in place for COVID.
CCEA, the examinations board, had an enormous task to ensure that students were able to access qualifications and that teachers would be able to set work accessibly that they would then be able to mark and grade accessibly.
Risk assessments in particular took on a whole new significance during COVID.
Our original risk assessment captures a moment in time early on in COVID.
As time went on, more and more aspects of school life were taken into consideration and planned for.
The risk assessments for school trips and visits had to be adapted to take into account COVID consideration.
The school always operates a Critical Incident Policy, and COVID related incidents became a central feature of policy and practice.
The board of governors retained their oversight role during COVID, and, particularly when meetings were not possible or had to be held online, correspondence became all the more important.
This report from early in COVID shows how the board of governors managed to carry out their responsibilities, with the principal keeping all governors informed of the work of the various committees.
The Estates Committee of the board of governors carried a heavy load of additional responsibility as the school building was COVID proofed and premises staffing and routines re-organised to keep everyone safe.
This very short example of an Update, shows the level of meticulous planning that had to go into every aspect of school life.
With support from the EA, schools were all reminded of the importance of continuing good governance during COVID, and this paper shows the kinds of governance issues which arose.
Leading by example in Integration is also a core responsibility of governors, and even while meetings had to take place online, the principal provided Integration sessions for the full board.
School finances are a core governance responsibility, and audit procedures had to be negotiated to ensure financial stability even during COVID.