interim board of governors school update - Carrickfergus College

iBoG UPDATE INTERIM BOARD OF GOVERNORS SCHOOL UPDATE

Issue 1 - October 2017

Message from the Co-Chairmen Welcome​ ​to​ ​the​ ​first​ ​issue​ ​of​ ​our​ ​Newsletter.​ ​The​ ​coming​ ​year​ ​will​ ​be​ ​a​ ​year​ ​of​ ​significant​ ​ change​ ​in  secondary​ ​school​ ​education​ ​in​ ​Carrickfergus​ ​as​ ​the​ ​current​ ​schools,​ ​Carrickfergus​ ​ College​ ​and Downshire​ ​Community​ ​School,​ ​close​ ​their​ ​doors​ ​as​ ​separate​ ​schools​ ​for​ ​the​ ​final​ ​ time​ ​on  31st August​ ​2018​ ​and​ ​open​ ​as​ ​an​ ​amalgamated​ ​school​ ​on​ ​1st​ ​September​ ​2018​ ​with​ ​ a​ ​new​ ​name,​ ​new  uniform​ ​etc.​ ​More​ ​about​ ​those​ ​matters​ ​in​ ​future​ ​issues!  As your interim Board of Governors (iBoG), we invite you ​​to​​embrace​t​ his​​change​​with​​confidence​​ and enthusiasm​ ​in​ ​order​ ​to​ ​ensure​ ​that​ ​the​ ​new​ ​school​ ​gets​ ​off​ ​the​ ​ground​ ​successfully​ ​and​ ​ meets​ ​the educational​ ​needs​ ​of​ ​young​ ​people​ ​in​ ​Carrickfergus​ ​for​ ​coming​ ​decades. Change,​ ​of​ ​course,​ ​is​ ​always​ ​challenging,​ ​not​ ​least​ ​of​ ​all​ ​due​ ​to​ ​the​ ​uncertainty​ ​it​ ​ creates.​ ​Therefore, our​ ​aim​ ​in​ ​this​ ​Newsletter​ ​(which​ ​we​ ​plan​ ​to​ ​produce​ ​every​ ​two​ ​ months)​ ​is​ ​to​ ​keep​ ​you​ ​informed​ ​as schools,​ ​teachers,​ ​parents,​ ​pupils,​ ​and​ ​feeder​ ​ schools.​ ​We​ ​hope​ ​that​ ​by​ ​giving​ ​you​ ​information directly​ ​we​ ​will​ ​be​ ​able​ ​to​ ​allay​ ​some​ ​of​ ​ your​ ​fears​ ​and​ ​quash​ ​any​ ​rumours​ ​that​ ​are​ ​circulating,​ ​both of​ ​which​ ​often​ ​flourish​ ​ on​ ​the​ ​back​ ​of​ ​change.​ ​If​ ​you​ ​have​ ​questions​ ​or​ ​concerns​ ​we​ ​will​ ​do​ ​our​ ​best to​ ​answer​ ​ them​ ​as​ ​quickly​ ​as​ ​possible.​ ​Please​ ​email​ ​us​ ​with​ ​them​ ​to​ ​either ​email​ ​address:​ ​ [email protected] or [email protected]

In this issue Meet the Interim Board of Governors Appointment of Principal Designate Message from the Principals Split-site school What is the name of our new school?

Meet the Interim Board of Governors

Harry Coulter Co-Chairman

Alan Winsby Co-Chairman

Helen Boyd Teacher

Jim Brown Education Authority

Sam Crowe Education Authority

Gabrielle Farquhar Transferor Rep

Dorothy Kinkaid Transferor Rep

Denise McClure Teacher

Glen McCord Parent Rep

Helen Rankin Education Authority

Glen Rodgers Parent Rep

Joanne Rodgers Transferor Rep

Appointment of Principal Designate

Brian Shields Transferor Rep

Diane Sloan Parent Rep

The​ ​position​ ​of​ ​Principal​ ​for​ ​your​ ​new​ ​school​ ​has​ ​been​ ​advertised​ ​ and​ ​the​ ​Interim​ ​Board​ ​of  Governors​ ​will​ ​be​ ​conducting​ ​interviews​ ​ during​ ​the​ ​second​ ​half​ ​of​ ​November.​ ​We​ ​hope​ ​that​ ​in​ ​our​ ​next  issue​ ​ we​ ​will​ ​be​ ​able​ ​to​ ​introduce​ ​the​ ​person​ ​appointed​ ​to​ ​you.

SCHOOL OPEN NIGHT for P6 & P7 will be held on the

Thursday 4th January 2018

at the Downshire Road Campus between 6.30-9.00pm Message from the Principals As Principal of Downshire Community School, I am fully in support Having taught in Carrickfergus College (High) from 1986, I am of the amalgamation with Carrickfergus College. I realise that it will heavily invested in the delivery of education in Carrickfergus. be a journey full of challenges and will pose some concerns for all I believe that the amalgamation of Carrickfergus College and involved in the process. Downshire School is the best thing for both schools and the local However, we will work tirelessly to ensure everything is in place for community. the new school to open on 1st September 2018. I am completely There will, of course, be anxieties for pupils and parents around this committed to lending my assistance in every way possible to ensure period of change and a phenomenal amount of work for all involved a smooth transition. to ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible. This is now my 12th year as Principal of Downshire and my 35th as I can assure you that all staff in both schools, along with the Interim a teacher in this school. During this time providing the best possible Board of Governors, are putting their best efforts into ensuring that education for young people under my care has been at the centre everything is completed before 1st September 2018. of everything I have done. Their well-being and sense of security is Pupils are at the heart of every excellent school. Consistency is paramount as we move towards amalgamation. also the key to achieving excellence. And both are at the heart of I truly believe that the new school will create many exciting everything the IBOG are presently working on. opportunities for the young people of our town, present and future, and urge you to support both current schools and the new school for Finally, I would urge all parents to take an active role in ensuring the new school is the excellent school Carrickfergus needs and deserves. the good of our most valuable resource – the children. Mrs J E Stewart - Principal, Downshire School

Mr H Webb - Principal, Carrickfergus College

Split-site school

What is the name of our new school?

Neither​ ​school​ ​building​ ​is​ ​large​ ​enough​ ​to​ ​accommodate​ ​the​ ​merged​ ​ school​ ​population​ ​of approximately​ ​1250​ ​pupils.​ ​That​ ​means​ ​the​ ​ new​ ​school​ ​will​ ​operate​ ​on​ ​a​ ​split​ ​site​ ​in​ ​the​ ​interim though​ ​it​ ​will​ ​be​ ​ treated​ ​as​ ​a​ ​priority​ ​by​ ​the​ ​Department​ ​of​ ​Education​ ​for​ ​a​ ​new​ ​state​ ​ of​ ​the​ ​art building.​ ​ In​ ​the​ ​meantime,​ ​your​ ​Board​ ​is​ ​seeking​ ​to​ ​make​ ​decisions​ ​that​ ​best​ ​ facilitate​ ​the​ ​education​ ​of​ ​pupils using​ ​the​ ​existing​ ​buildings​ ​at​ ​ North​ ​Road​ ​and​ ​Downshire​ ​Road.​ ​In​ ​September​ ​2018​ ​pupils​ ​will​ ​be accommodated​ ​at​ ​these​ ​campuses​ ​on​ ​the​ ​following​ ​basis. Pupils entering Year 8 - Downshire Road campus Year 9 - Downshire Road campus Year 10 - Downshire Road campus Year 11 - North Road campus Year 12 - at the school they currently attend Year 13 - North Road campus Year 14 - at the school they currently attend The​ ​Board,​ ​in​ ​agreement​ ​with​ ​the​ ​current​ Principals,​ ​believes​ ​this​ ​is​ ​ the​ ​best​ ​option​ ​to​ ​limit​ ​the  disruption​ ​to​ ​pupils​ ​who​ ​are​ ​taking​ ​GCSE​ ​ or​ ​A-2​ ​exams​ ​in​ ​June​ ​2019.​ ​From​ ​September​ ​2019​ ​all pupils​ ​in​ ​Years​ ​ 12​ ​&​ ​14​ ​will​ ​be​ ​accommodated​ ​at​ ​the​ ​North​ ​Road​ ​campus.

The Interim Board of Governors has launched a competition among pupils and teachers of both schools to identify possible names for the new school. The School councils jointly will select the five best names and submit them to the iBoG for their final decision.

In the next issue (December 2017) we intend • to introduce the new Principal • to have a name for the new school • to give information about the uniform of the new school