To ask the Minister of Education to detail (i) any contingency plans in place for schools and pre-schools in response to weather warnings issued by the Met Office; and (ii) whether the Education Authority will complete a review of their communication policy following Storm Amy.

The Education Authority (EA) have a range of materials to support contingency planning within schools and pre-schools. These include contingency arrangements for schools to access Emergency Maintenance Support, Guidance on Managing a Critical Incident and a Critical Incident Helpline, Severe Weather guidance, and Emergency Planning guidance. This is further supported by adverse weather risk assessments. In addition to these resources the EA has a Severe Weather Protocol to support schools in periods of severe weather.

The EA, as standard practice, will complete a full debrief and review following any emergency incidents responded to, and communications will be a part of this process. I have also commissioned an internal review following Storm Amy to consider the communication methods used by the EA and to assess the decision-making processes that were utilised.