Nikki Townsend Dean of Students
MANAGING THE RISK OF COVID-19 on the wellbeing of students at St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School in 2020 Risk involves uncertainty about the effects of a variable with respect to something that people value. This could be health, wellbeing, education, wealth, property or the environment. Risk often focuses on the negative and unwanted consequences. Legislation requires organisations to have Risk Management policies in place and rightly so.
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Knowing that although these feelings are usually a normal part of growing up, how students respond will determine the impact it will have on their future happiness. As adults, we needed to remember that we all have a lot of choice regarding how we respond to these feelings. All of these emotions should be considered healthy, positive and essential to a young person’s emotional, intellectual and social development. Therefore, staff and parents were briefed on the importance of how adults could assist students and manage their emotions by recognising that their feelings are real and encouraging them to look at the problem objectively.
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Independent School Queensland (2020) states: ‘Risk is an integral part of the daily operations of a school and it is critical that school governors understand their roles and responsibilities in shaping the risk culture of the school. Boards who understand this facilitate effective risk management which supports better decision making.’ Despite this legislative requirement, were schools across the world ready to deal with and manage the risk of COVID 19 outbreak that swept the globe? Within minutes of Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s school lock down address on 28 March, St Margaret’s had taken action. The preparation was made easier as the Educational Leadership Team had been pre-planning the path ahead for nearly a month beforehand. This article will outline how St Margaret’s managed students’ wellbeing throughout the COVID-19 crisis.
In a matter of weeks, the Coronavirus had turned our community upside down. This impacted people differently. Not only was the severity of the outbreak difficult for adults to comprehend, but our young people were also affected, leaving many feeling confused, overwhelmed and disappointed. The global pandemic had a profound impact on our adolescents with many being forced to miss out on so many rites of passage. Some were disappointed, others were becoming anxious or depressed, all of which was completely understandable given the unforeseen situation.
