Principal's Reflection 2025-26

As I complete my first year as Principal of Strabane Academy, I find it a good time to pause and reflect on my year.

When appointed to the position in June 2025 I was filled with a wide range of emotions, but what was most prevalent was a deep sense of honour to be entrusted with the opportunity to lead such a special school.

In my first year I was clear on a number of priorities, most notably building strong connections within our local community and recognising areas of strength within the school, while also identifying areas to prioritise for improvement.

I am conscious of the challenges I have faced this year. As I begin my tenure as Principal,  I do so at a time of profound change. Our education system is going through a process of reform in all key areas, including curriculum and assessment. Schools in Northern Ireland are also significantly underfunded, which poses another significant challenge for many. On a personal level, I struggled in those initial months as it took time to get to know the pupils. I have always enjoyed the direct interaction with the young people and deeply value the relationships I have with them. Upon reflection, I was not prepared for how this would affect me in those initial weeks. However, I can genuinely say the pupils at Strabane Academy have made me feel very welcome and very quickly I feel I have established strong relationships with them. I may be biased, but we have the best pupils. Their achievements are too numerous for me to recount, but more importantly, their character is what has struck me, and I cannot stress enough the immense pride and affection I have for them.

I am also deeply thankful for the support I have received from the staff and the wider school community.  The dedication I have witnessed to our pupils is a delight to see and my words won’t do justice to the gratitude and appreciation I have for the commitment the staff have to the school and the support they have shown to me this year.

As we look forward, which is essential, we now enter the first year of our newly developed 3-Year School Development Plan. Our focus for the next 3 years will be to continue to demonstrate a commitment to ongoing professional development, knowing this is the best way of providing our pupils with the most meaningful learning experiences. We will also have a strong emphasis on developing our careers curriculum, guidance and provision alongside developing a strategy to support student and staff wellbeing.

My vision for the school has not changed, nor waivered. As a past pupil, from the community, I am deeply passionate about seeing Strabane Academy reach the potential it has to set a high standard  in education across Northern Ireland and being a place of where they ‘Belong, Learn and Achieve’.