St Patrick's College: Teachers in Dungannon raise concerns

As a result of concerns raised, the union has issued a survey to its members (stock image)

A teaching union has said that a number of its members at a County Tyrone school have raised concerns about working conditions and wellbeing.

The Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) is carrying out an anonymous health and wellbeing survey at St Patrick's College in Dungannon.

Most of the teachers are in INTO.

But the Council for Catholic Maintained School (CCMS) said the school leadership is "well placed to be able to deal with any significant issues".

As St Patrick's College is a Catholic maintained school, CCMS has responsibility for its management along with the school governors.

It is a non-selective school with over 700 pupils aged from 11 to 18.

Following a meeting between the union and CCMS, INTO informed CCMS and the governors that it would be conducting an anonymous health and wellbeing survey of its members.

That is a relatively unusual move and is used by the union to ascertain opinions and experiences of a range of issues.

'Significant number of members'

In a statement to BBC News NI, INTO official Paul Groogan said that "a number of INTO members in St Patrick's College have raised concerns relating to working conditions and wellbeing at their place of work".

"In order to quantify the extent of the concerns and to identify the issues raised, INTO have issued members in the school an anonymous health and wellbeing survey.

The survey is a relatively unusual move

"The distribution of such a survey is a practice that has been adopted by INTO where a significant number of members raise similar concerns, and decisions around the deployment of the survey is not taken lightly.

"We take the concerns of our members very seriously and where concerns are raised INTO will endeavour to deal with the issues in a professional and conciliatory manner."

The survey of INTO members has been taking place over the past week but its findings are unlikely to be presented to the school governors and CCMS until August.

'Take a well-earned break'

Eugene O'Neill, the director of workforce planning and governance at CCMS, told BBC News NI that he looked forward to receiving the outcome of the survey "in due course".

"St Patrick's is a unique and highly prized school that caters for children, the vast majority of whom are newcomer children," he said.

"We are confident that the school's governors, leadership, teachers and other staff are devoted to giving their best for every one of these children.

"We know too that the leadership and management of the school is well placed to be able to deal with any significant issues that might be identified and we look forward to working constructively on this.

"In the meantime, we urge all staff to take a well-earned break and not allow this development to spoil their holidays."