Annual Report 2006 - 2007

‘What the child can do in co-operation today he can do alone tomorrow.’

(Vygotsky 1934).

Introduction

It is a pleasure to formally present the Annual General Report to enable you to reflect upon the hard work of our children and staff during the last academic year. I will take this opportunity to thank our parents who have been most supportive and generous in their praise for the work of the  school. However, it would be not be possible to continue without singling out the most significant change in Belvoir.  Our Vice-Principal, Mr Ian McBurney, retired after a long and distinguished teaching career and we wish him well in his retirement. He was a gentleman in every sense of his being and he will always be remembered for his rapier wit but most of all for his love of the children.

Members of the Board of Governors

Pastoral Care

Mr Burney was the teacher responsible for pastoral care and it was his responsibility both to train and vet staff through the appropriate channels. This work was carried out to a high standard with all staff being cleared and staff training being up-dated to comply with the legislation. A full report was given to the governors on the issues related to child protection. The policy was reviewed and altered, wherever appropriate. We are also supported by the NSPCC in the area of pastoral care.

School Events

You already have been made aware of all the major events, visits, trips and residentials the children have enjoyed this year through our newssheet communications. Undoubtedly, the highlight was the visit to meet the Irish President along with our Dissolving Boundaries partner school in Howth.  As ever the residentials were a massive success with the children having a great opportunity to experience various outdoor activities.

The choir was involved in a very successful year’s work and they did exceptionally well at the festival and public performances. The music in school has been enhanced by the visits of a specialist tutor for instrumentation.

The school community were magnificent in their support for the work of charities both here and in the third world. It is by giving that we come to understand the gift of education around the world but much more importantly the precious gift of life manifest in the birth of a child.

After School’s Club & YMCA

The YMCA in conjunction with the school has piloted the launch of a childcare/after school facility in Belvoir. This has been a most successful venture, as has the conversion of part of the canteen into a specialist room for the children. This funding was provided by DENI & the Foyle Foundation in London who were extremely generous in their financial contribution.

As part of our extended school we also offered sport three days per week for children at KS2 after school to support the extensive physical education programme of swimming and gymnastics. Our hockey and soccer teams were very successful in their respective leagues. A specialist IFA Soccer Coach & Playing for Peace basketball coach were in school developing the children’s sporting prowess.

Christmas Events

The support of the parents is most welcome as it added to the success of the church performance, carol services & fund raising events. The children from mainstream, the speech & language department and our nursery classes stole the show with their performances.

Curriculum

This was a very busy year for staff as they focussed on the development of both Mathematics and Literacy in school. The school was singled out for praise by SEELB for its work in Numeracy. Unfortunately, our ICT was restricted by the lack of reliability with our old computer system but we had a state-of-the-art ICT system installed at various times during term 3.

The staff received training in Literacy, ICT, Numeracy, Physical Education, Child Protection & Pastoral Care, Primary Movement, First Aid, Health Education, History, Geography & Science. All staff have been appraised through the Performance, Review, Staff Development accountability scheme implemented by DENI. The teaching was of a high quality, as were the management tasks under review.

Deputy Permanent Secretary DENI Report

With the co-operation of the schools, the Department of Education offers senior officers the opportunity to spend some time in a school to observe education at the sharp end. I had such an opportunity earlier this year and was fortunate to be placed in Belvoir Park Primary School, Principal Billy Tate, in the SEELB area, a school with an integral nursery and speech and language unit. I went to the school to learn and in my three days with the teachers, other staff and children I learned a lot.

What did I learn? The principal, vice-principal, teachers and other staff go about their business in an organised, professional manner. They make a complex organisation look straightforward. The principal, a teaching principal by choice, leads the school and balances a varied set of demands across each day and week by a combination of good planning and responsiveness. He has clear goals for the school formed on a strong theoretical and practical basis, and an appropriate plan for achieving them. He recognises the value of working with the staff, the governors and the wider community in pursuit of changes that are in the interests of the school and its pupils. He is accessible, and thoughtful and perceptive about the problems he faces.

The principal receives the support of both the teaching and other staff. The vice-principal, teachers and classroom assistants have created an orderly atmosphere; they bring their experience, their obvious professional commitment and good common sense to bear during the normal run of the school day and sustain very good relationships with the children.  I was struck often by the pressures they face – balancing whole class teaching, group work and individual support; organising resources; judging the pace of work; offering pastoral care in the classroom. I enjoyed the new experience of the nursery unit and the speech and language unit and appreciated better the constant need for the teachers and classroom assistants to be engaged and to be vigilant. The caretaker, the school secretary, the cleaning staff and other ancillary support staff play their part in sustaining a well functioning school.

I am more aware of the importance of links between school and the community it serves. The principal gives considerable time and thought to how better the school can provide a service to the people of the estate, whether through the youth provision, the better use of the school buildings and grounds and co-operation with community organisations. He sees the benefits as being two-way.

On a policy level I have been able to bring back to the Department a sharper understanding of the process of change within a school and the nature of school leadership; an awareness of the growing importance of special needs provision and especially the need to link health and social care provision more directly to schools – the inter-play of different professionals can bring real benefits; the need for the Department to communicate more effectively with principals and the classroom teachers around the reasons for policy change; the extent of the pressures on schools from the “system”, from parents, from the few more difficult children to teach and from meeting the individual needs of children. These will all be fed into the policy debate.

Like my other colleagues who have undertaken this form of contact I found the three days in Belvoir Park Primary School immensely enjoyable and valuable. I am very grateful to Billy Tate and his staff for making me so welcome and for being so open in their professionalism. I wish the principal and the school every success for the future. I hope that any principal reading this will get in touch with the Department and offer my colleagues the opportunity to learn how things really work in schools. 

Personal Development & Mutual Understanding

The school has worked hard to respect and welcome people from every creed & culture into our family in Belvoir. We are committed to the fostering of good community relations both inside and outside our country. We are proud of our links with Canada, Africa & India and most especially with our sister school in Dublin. The visit of the children to Dublin & the return visit by St Mary’s in Howth is central to our shared sense of space and the governors’ commitment to building-people-bridges.

Finances

The school has had a very restricted budget as the numbers in the Castlereagh area have continued to decline within the SEELB. However, we did manage to carry forward a small surplus of £5K as a result of the principal returning to the class. Whilst our school fund looks promising we have £5K in the school fund account which must be sent to our SEELB budget for crediting, as this money represents grants & YMCA income. The school could not function without the fundraising and parental contributions especially in relation to transport costs. The accounts have been audited by SEELB & Mr Scott and were passed as accurate accounts of expenditure.

Transferring Pupils

The children did extremely well in their leaving exams and all got to the schools of their choice, which is a credit to the staff & children. We wish them well as they start the journey that will lead them finally to university or vocational placement.

School Development Plan

The Governors’ Development Plan is in place and has been forwarded to DENI & SEELB. The Governors are proud of the staff and pupils and we know that the need for brevity precludes us from listing all the successes of the school and our community. We believe that the report from the permanent secretary encapsulates the essence of Belvoir Park Primary School.

Dr Crooks Chairman