Primary School in Belfast Question...:)

nozzadamozza

Hello Peeps

I was wondering if anyone knew if there was anything online that provided information on primary schools (rankings / reviews) in Belfast or indeed if anyone knew of any primary schools worth recommending?

Hubby & I are in the process of saving our deposit to buy our first home and with a young baby, we think it would be good to live relatively close to a relatively good primary school- also I am unable to drive, so proximity would be a factor for us:)

When i say relatively good, i mean somewhere that wont shove catechism and religious hocus pocus down the kids necks, where the teachers dont just wait for the weekend to come (shock horror, they actually enjoy their job) and where creativity, arts, music, reading are encouraged

Maybe a lot has changed from my day (back in the late 70's) but i want to make sure nozzadamozza jr doesnt encounter what i encountered

I know the link to moneysaving is tenuous but we dont want to buy somewhere that has no close primary and dont really want baby to end up in some hellhole-and i am definitely not some hyacinth bucket wanting my son to be terribly pooooosh, just want him to be happy!

We are happy to move to any part of belfast to make our home - so if anyone has any reccomendations, it would be a great starting point for me

thanks for help in advance and hope that makes sense

nozzadamozza:)

travelling_light

My 4th child attends Forge Integrated Primary School. I find it a warm friendly environment, where the quality of education is good and teachers are very committed. My experience so far has been of a very open and balanced educational environment. Parents views are welcome and there are good links between staff and home. My advice is to do your own research over time... look out for events advertised in local schools eg Christmas or summer fairs... car boot sales etc... look at articles in local papers about them. Attend.. it is amazing what you pick up about the relationships between pupils, staff and parents and can get a "feel" for the place that an open day doesn't quite give. Also attend a range of open days - start a year in advance and then compare the next year. Integrated schools tend to have avery wide catchment area. Look at the stats for schools - in terms of growth as many schools in Belfast are shrinking as numbers fall... no point moving somewhere and the school being closed! Look up the web site and also ring to see round - no school should refuse you even if it's not for an imminent arrival in P1. foregips in your search should get you to my childs school. Hope it goes well... above all listen to everyines opinions and views but make sure you are happy with your choice.

jenny-wren

Cairnshill Primary (Four Winds/Newtownbreda). Went there myself, mother taught there, know lots of people whose kids go there and a few parents who are involved in school activities.

The new housing built from the 80's onwards brought an influx of pupils to the school from both sides of the community and it's a nice area. I used to walk to school every morning and it was an easy and safe journey. From what I know it's still a highly regarded school even after the 20 (+VAT!) years since I left.

vincennes_2

I would recommend Strandtown. It is very big but a great school. They only start from P4 but there are 3 feeders schools which are great too: Greenwood, Belmont and Dundela. There are very good grammar schools in the area too and one of the few oversuscribed secondary school (Ashfield). All in all in a walking distance if you live in Belmont/Ballyhackamore. I have lived in South and North Belfast but I much prefer East Belfast. It has a real community feel.

nozzadamozza

thank you travelling light- that is great advice- i had no idea where to start, jenny-wren and vincennes- ta as well, this has been really helpful to me:)
I have a big map on my wall of belfast (hubby says room looks like a war room i think they are called) and am gonna tag the schools that i like (there prob an easy way to use google maps for this but my brain is too sore)

I live of the belmont road at moment vincennes and would like to live up here but it seems noone wants to price their houses at a reasonable figure!!

We were looking at a house in Finaghy and there was a really good school nearby, but the house was in suburban hell (with a grassy patch being used by young uns to hang around!!)

Willyk

Have a look at Orangefield Primary and in my opinion excellent. Also takes them from P1 to P7 rather than swapping half way through. Why not ring any school you are interested in and go have a tour round. Also a park etc nearby and will be on the edge of the Connswater project.

nozzadamozza

thanks willyk, will check it out:)

leftieM

I haven't found 'bad' schools yet - I've been in a number and I must say that they all have something to offer, depending on what you think you want.
For instance, Finaghy Primary School is very academic - its catchment area is such that they feel that they serve the children best this way. It is a State school so mainly Protestant and this is reflected in its intake and its religious teachings.
Forge Integrated is small and cosy. Integrated schools can be quite religious and, as you might imagine, particularly appeal to people in mixed marriages. Integrated schools tend to be feeders for integrated post-primaries so think about where you might want junior to end up after primary.
St Brides is a large Catholic school and has that ethos. It tends to feed to Methody and Rathmore and is high attaining. I like its Foundation level teaching - they have embraced the new curriculum of learning through play and the children don't even realise they are learning. In my opinion it's the best of those mentioned for Foundation stage.
Stranmillis Primary is my personal favourite. It's religiously mixed without being integrated, it's got a very relaxed feel to it and the teaching is of a high quality (as it has been everywhere I've been - i haven't yet seen a primary teacher who wasn't really into it.) It's very light on the religion too.
I think your best option is to have a chat with the Principal of all the schools and ask them questions related to what's important to you. You'll get a great idea of the school's ethos and how you, as a family, might fit in.
Also don't be misled by league tables of outcomes in the KS2 tests or whatever. The more 'middle class' the school, the better the results. You'd imagine that the results from a school on the Shankill would be worse than one from the Malone, but they may do very well with their intake.
If you've read to the bottom of my very long post, well done!

chicksy

I second WillyK's post. My son attends Orangefield Primary and absolutely loves it. He has settled in so well and is really happy to go to school which for me is a good sign. His teacher is great.

I called in one day with no appointment just to ask for a prospectus and the Headmaster came out to meet me and talk to me about the whole ethos of the school etc.

I have to say I was very impressed and dont regret my choice in any way.

All schools have different things to offer but you wont know unless you take a look for yourself.

Good luck I know its such a difficult decision to make, hopefully you will find one you are happy with.

angela90

It's a bit of a minefield isn't it? We're starting to think about our own Dd's schooling. You need to think about whether you'd consider State, integrated, catholic, whether you'd like single gender (there are still some around) or co-ed, whether you'd like a strongly achieving academic environment or if your child has a particular interest in arts, drama, sport etc (it seems sad to be thinking about those things but the school ethos will be very important and they have different strengths. Another thing you might want to think about is how important the diversity of the school population is for you - do you want a mix of religions, genders, race etc?

School size and class size might also be things to consider. This link gives a lot of statistics on primary schools. http://www.deni.gov.uk/index/32-statisticsandresearch_pg/32-statistics_and_research_statistics_on_education_pg/32_statistics_and_research-numbersofschoolsandpupils_pg/statistics_and_research-school_census_documentation.htm

If you want a 'league table' idea of school academic achievement you could ask about how many children achieved Grade A in the last 11+ which was held in 2008. This link shows the average http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7223591.stm

Hope this helps,

Angela

nozzadamozza

thank you leftiem, chicksy and angela90 for taking the time to reply- its really appreciated.

We would like our son to go to a school of mixed religion / gender - hubby and i went to religious schools for all our acedemic life, both primary and then grammar, and feel that religion was shoved down our throats (and as a consequence we have no religious leanings whatsoever)- when i think of the useful things we could have be taught!

Am away to do some reading:)