Introduction from Monica Fogarty, Chief Executive, Warwickshire County Council

Hello Everyone and welcome to Heads Up with a slight difference.

Usually, it is Ian Budd who introduces Heads Up but, to mark a year of lockdown, I have asked if I may have the privilege, if only for one week.

I hope that I am familiar to some of you from occasions when I have had the pleasure of attending conferences around education in Warwickshire.  At those events, I have always been struck by the total dedication and commitment that the teaching profession in Warwickshire demonstrates.

The admiration and respect I have always felt has, however, been much magnified in the last twelve months by what I have witnessed both in my professional capacity and as mother to two Warwickshire schoolchildren – one past, one present.

From the day that lockdown was announced, the world of education in Warwickshire went into overdrive and I know you haven’t paused for breath, not even for one moment.

You will not need me to recount your contribution, nor list all that you have done.  This introduction would be far too long. But there is still a place for me to let you know just how valued your contribution is.

I know that you have worked immense hours to ensure that your schools and settings are as safe as they can be.  My colleagues at the County Council and I are so very grateful to you for your professionalism, dedication and commitment to ensuring that the impact upon our children’s education and wellbeing has been minimised whilst they needed to stay away from school.

The joy that we have witnessed in our children as they have been able to return to school has been one of the few bright points of our journey over the last 12 months of the pandemic. We have been delighted to see so many returning, once again, to share their days with their friends and teachers. I have even heard stories of children being disappointed at the prospect of school holidays starting. That is a wonderful tribute to how highly they value you.

I want you to know that we, too, at the County Council value your work immensely and while there is still a long road to travel to make up for the lost time, we are committed to doing all that we can to support this huge task. We are here to support you in any way we can.

We are confident, though, that, in you and your staff, our children are in the best possible hands and that they will receive the best possible education in the coming years as we, as a county, recover.

I know Ian always closes his introductions by asking you to look after yourselves. I will echo that and ask that you do, wherever you can, take some time to get some rest and recuperation this weekend. You have more than earned it.

Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, we will be able to meet again in person and, until that is possible, I would like to say on behalf of all my colleagues at the County Council, as well as myself, a sincere and heartfelt thank you.  You really have been extraordinary.

 Monica Fogarty