The PCI Moderator opened his weeklong tour of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland’s Presbytery of South Belfast at Lowe Memorial Presbyterian in Finaghy. This is where he worshipped with his family from the 1970s. Rt Rev Dr Richard Murray then paid a visit to Fane Street Primary School, where coincidently, his late mother attended. He described the school as “one of the most diverse and unique schools in the city.”
Dr Murray spent the morning with the principal and chair of the school governors, where 89% of the children attending the primary school come from overseas, speaking 47 languages (including English) and 75% of those are classified as ‘Newcomers’. Situated off the Lisburn Road, the Moderator was welcomed on his arrival by a choir who sung two songs for him.
Speaking about his visit, Dr Murray said, “I had a wonderful and very special welcome from one of the most diverse and unique schools in the city. In our resolutions to our General Assembly over the years, we have often praised the work of schools and encouraged their teachers and governors across this island, especially during and after Covid. The dedication and care of the staff at Fane Street for the children, many of whom, through no fault of their own, have been uprooted from their homes and all that which was once familiar to them to come to Northern Ireland, was a joy to see.
“It was a very happy place, but not without the problems and issues that other schools face, and some that are unique to it. I was astounded to discover that in any one year, there is roughly a 50% turnover in children due to the transitional nature of their families’ circumstances.”
During his visit, Dr Murray was accompanied by Cecil Graham OBE, LVO, Fane Street’s chair of governors for the past six years, who like the Moderator’s late mother, was a pupil at the school in the early 1940s. The principal, Hilary Cunningham also gave him a tour of the school where he met teachers and children in a number of classes.
Mrs Cunningham, who has been principal for the past 10 years thanked the Moderator for coming and explained that at the moment the school had 296 children, a figure which can fluctuate depending on the status and circumstances of the children’s families.
She also explained that the figure could go down to 200 or up to 350, due to a number of factors, from parents leaving Queen’s University where they had been studying, or working, to return home with their children, to families who are seeking asylum being moved to other accommodation, or Roma families whose lives are traditionally transient. “While we face many of the challenges that other schools face, in many respects we are a very unique school, with unique challenges.
She continued, “We have a long tradition of educational excellence here at Fane Street and our vision is not just to care for our children, but to care pastorally for the families as much as we can. Every morning myself and the vice principal, Mr Nicholl, meet the children at the front door, as we want them to arrive happy and leave happy. In the teaching of English, we are very strategic and have a synchronised approach, which we try to make fun. For example, the children who have limited or no English, are taught separately during the time their friends in class, who are more advanced, are being taught, and it works. Afterwards they all come back together again.”
Talking about the school’s pastoral approach, Mrs Cunningham said that they try to support the whole family, and one important support mechanism is the recently appointed Family Co-ordinator who supports families to get others to listen, be it the immigration service, or health service, or directing them to clothing and foodbanks. “Some of the children have experienced considerable trauma in their journeys here and need additional, patient support. It hasn’t been an easy year, and I am very proud of my staff team who are resilient, and our children too, especially after what happened during the summer,” Mrs Cunningham said.
As a controlled school, Mrs Cunningham told Dr Murray that they were open to all, and welcome children of all faiths and none. “We are a richly diverse and inclusive school, with a Christian ethos, which is important. Like other schools, we have just had an assembly for the Hindu festival of Diwali, we had one for Muslim festival of Eid, and we are looking forward to celebrating Christmas with a whole range of activities.”
Thanking Mrs Cunningham and her staff for their warm welcome, the Moderator said, “Today has been a great experience. I sit on the board of two schools near Ballymoney as a governor, and the challenges that we face are similar, but at the same time, worlds apart. I really want to commend the work, not just the teaching that is being done at Fane Street, but the Christian heart of the school in being so welcoming, supporting and nurturing of the children, and their families, in such a diverse environment.”
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