Fife's unsung heroes: Gary Broadway, school support worker

Fife has many unsung heroes who have gone the extra mile to help others during the coronavirus lockdown. They are working hard behind the scenes to make sure that our buses still run, our prescriptions dispensed, and our services all keep ticking over. They deserve their moment in the spotlight as part of our Big Thank You.

Gary Broadway has been working tirelessly through the lockdown to ensure that pupils get all the help that they need.

He has split his time with the school’s Fair Isle hub, and supported children of key workers, and the Viewforth hub which helps vulnerable youngsters.

Gary said: “We have been continuing to support kids and their families throughout the lockdown with learning and their mental health well-being, making sure that everyone is doing ok and no one has any problems.

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“We work hard as a school to build relationships with the kids and their families, and make sure that they have access to learning with all the proper IT equipment.We have also been using all of our links in Kirkcaldy to make sure that we are getting the best for them.”

That help has included giving families mobile phones so they can get support from the school if needed.

Said Gary: “Before we wouldn’t know if they were struggling – now they can contact us directly if they are encountering any problems.”

Gary, from Kirkcaldy, has also been delivering paper copies of schoolwork to families facing connectivity issues during the pandemic.

He said: “We want to make sure that these children are not left behind.

“We will keep improving the way we deliver learning to the kids and when we go back we have planned to set up support teams that the children can dial into to get support if they are back to school part-time.”

When asked if he had any fears about being in the community during the pandemic, Gary said: “I have no fears or worries about being out and about in the community, it is my responsibility to make sure the kids feel safe when they come back to school, I have also been making socially-distanced house visits to help reduce any anxiety that the kids may have.

“I hope that we can get back to normal as soon as possible for the children, it is our responsibility to get them ready for the next part of their journey to college or work, and when they do make this journey we will support them in any way that we can.”

» To nominate someone for our Big Thank You please email [email protected]

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