Erne Integrated College: New board of governors appointed

Erne Integrated College has more than 350 pupils and about 75 staff

A new board of governors has been appointed at a County Fermanagh secondary school after almost all of the members of the previous board quit.

News that nine of the 11 governors at Erne Integrated College in Enniskillen had resigned emerged in May.

It was described by one teaching union as a "very unusual situation".

No explanation has been given by the school to why the governors resigned but the school's principal described the situation as "temporary".

At the time, principal Jimmy Jackson-Ware thanked the governors for their support and hard work.

A board of nine governors has now been appointed.

They include Kevin Lambe and Ellen McVea, the former principal and vice principal of Shimna Integrated College in Newcastle, County Down, and Eugene Martin, the retired principal of Ulidia Integrated College in Carrickfergus, County Antrim.

Enniskillen Alliance Party councillor Eddie Roofe and Alliance Party local representative Eric Bullick are also on the new board.

Helen Smith is listed as the sixth foundation governor and Lorna McAlpine, an Alliance Party councillor in Ards and North Down, is co-opted to the board.

Two teacher governors complete the new board.

In a letter to parents, Mr Jackson-Ware said the school was "very fortunate" to have a board of governors of "very talented and skilled people".

He said the full board had already met and completed important work, including the appointment of five teachers for the new academic year.

Erne Integrated College has more than 350 pupils and about 75 staff.

Mr Jackson-Ware, who had also announced his decision to retire at the end of August, said safeguarding issues identified in a recent inspection had now been addressed.

Safeguarding

An inspection carried out by the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) in March found that the school's arrangements for safeguarding were unsatisfactory.

The inspection identified areas which must be improved urgently.

They included giving staff relevant training in relation to child protection and safeguarding.

In an addendum to its inspection report, ETI said the school had received support from the Education Authority's Child Protection Support Service to address the areas for improvement.

It said all of the staff had participated in training to raise awareness of how to safeguard pupils.

The senior leaders have also reviewed and updated key policies relating to child protection and safeguarding pupils.

However the inspectors said the absence of a chair of governors and designated governor for safeguarding at the time of their visit meant they would continue to monitor the governance arrangements as part of the school's follow-up inspection which remains incomplete due to industrial action.