When you accepted your role as Compliance Manager, what did you expect it to be like? I was excited for a new challenge as the restructuring of the houses was due to take place. I had previous experience with compliance within boarding and knew what was expected to ensure we remain compliant. This job role was a slight change from my previous job role as I was to ensure compliance across the whole site rather than just the boarding house. What has it actually been like!?
We spoke to our busy Compliance Manager, Laura Clewley, who has managed the compliance of the school through Covid (and has spent many an evening catching up on the latest government guidance!), about her role during the last 18 months. Laura, who was previously Ruddle Housemistress here at Shebbear College, started in her new role in February 2020 and thought it was going to be primarily dealing with compliance within boarding...and then the pandemic hit!
Little did I know at the time of accepting the job role, everyone’s lives were about to change dramatically due to the Coronavirus Pandemic! Over the summer I came in to assist with setting up the school so that we were following Covid-19 guidance and to make the school Covid secure by putting in systems of controls. This initially started with me preparing the boarding houses and signing up for the BSA Covid safe charter but soon developed across the whole site. It was a challenging time with guidance changing on a daily basis. A lot of time was spent writing risk assessments and putting procedures in place for the start of the new academic year. This has continued throughout the year and I am constantly checking guidance and then adjusting and implementing risk assessments as guidance changes. I consistently monitor and ensure we are all following the current procedures in place. Being a compliance manager during a global pandemic can’t have been easy - what have been the biggest challenges you have faced? I would say that the biggest challenge initially was writing the whole school Covid-19 risk assessments and then keeping on top of reading and understanding all of the government guidance which has changed on a daily basis at times.
P100
THE SHEBBEARIAN 2021
