Outwood Family Catch Up Series...Seana Rice

As part of our new feature, we are talking with members of the Outwood Family and finding out how life has changed for them since the wider reopening of the secondary academies.

This time we chat with Seana Rice, Principal at Outwood Academy Bydales. 

Read on to see how Seana and the team at OA Bydales dealt with the wider reopening of the academy to students.

[Outwood.com] Hi Seana , thanks for taking the time to chat with us. We appreciate you’re busy, so let’s get to it! Things have been turned upside down recently, for reasons we are all too aware of. So, as we begin to enter a new ‘normal’, how were you feeling prior to the academy reopening?

“Hi, thanks for asking me to take part, it’s great to speak with you. Well, prior to the wider reopening we were all super busy, securing the safe reopening. 

“However it was a magnificent thing to see how all our wonderful staff worked together, bending over backwards to ensure every nook and cranny was covered. 

“Having the security and support of the many tools at our disposal to secure every angle was covered took an element of panic out of the process, it allowed for much more strategic and operational planning.”

Sounds like you and the Bydales team really came together to help smooth out the process. I am sure it still had its challenges though, what was the most challenging aspect for you?

“Well the situation was, and still is, very fluid. We thought we were over the line and ready but then the government issued new guidance which meant we had to make changes at the last minute, but I am proud of the team coming together to meet that challenge.”

As you should be! So more positively, what surprised you most about the whole wider reopening process?

“Well it’s not so much a surprise but just the absolute joy of seeing teachers teaching and children learning in the building, even if it was small numbers in the beginning, and the building does look very different, the sight and sound of learning puts a skip in my heart.”

What a delightfully positive note to end this quick chat on. Thank you for your time, Seana.