It was great to see so many families and young people today at the various jotter collection points and when delivering to you. I would also like to thank you for adhering to responsible social distancing at each location. Our community is unique within East Ayrshire in two ways. Firstly, we are East Ayrshire’s Catholic Secondary. Secondly, we serve the entire local authority area. I firmly believe that one of the lessons for us all to take from this closure period is the importance of togetherness and identity as a community of faith and learning. Despite the geographic challenges we sometimes face when trying to harness that sense of community, the welcome received by staff and offered to parents/pupils was the same in Fenwick and Kilmaurs as it was in Muirkirk and New Cumnock (and everywhere else in between). Staff are proud to serve every area across the authority and I know our chaplains share that sense of pride in serving you.
I would like to thank Fr. Martin, Fr. Gabriel, Fr. Stephen and Fr. Philip for being with us today and I wish to pass on thanks to those parents/carers who supported us by securing collections points. The interaction with families today was very positive and rewarding, and I know that the staff involved welcomed the chance to see you and your families. I would also like to thank my colleagues who helped out at various locations and delivered to homes across East Ayrshire.
At some point this week, arrangements for a scaled down collection model will be released to allow anyone unable to collect or receive jotters today to do so.
In terms of August, significant work is ongoing in relation to how we will be able to structure our week and adhere to social distancing and NHS guidance. As per government guidance released on Thursday, families may already be aware of the fact that the August model will not be a blanket return for all pupils and will be a mixture of online and in-school delivery, certainly in the initial weeks and possibly months.
Once we are in a position to release specific details we will, but it is likely that this will not be possible until close to summer, particularly given the scale of the task at hand and the number of partner agencies involved (e.g. Transport, Catering, St. Andrew’s Primary, the ECC etc.). I am acutely aware of the fact that in some cases, parents/carers cannot discuss return to work with employers without an awareness of when their children may or may not be in school in August.
Please be assured of the fact that we are working relentlessly to be in a position to provide clarity as soon as possible and are doing so in collaboration with East Ayrshire Council. Senior council officers are working with schools and in various work-streams to best prepare the authority for a safe and well managed blended return to school in August and central communication will follow the work of those teams. I hope you enjoy what is left of the sunshine this evening.
Finally, it was particularly pleasing to see some of our outgoing S6 today. In amongst the busyness of the current term, we are still aware of the unusual end to your time with us and were delighted to see you – albeit briefly – at various locations today.
Kind Regards
Mr Kane
