Annual Report 2008-09

The school year 2008/09 has been another very busy one with the Revised Curriculum and training of staff to implement the changes has continued to dominate life in school. All staff have now completed their training/preparation and from September all children will be taught in line with it.

Of course education continues to be dominated by the controversy of Transfer Procedure and I think none of us know a lot more than we did at the start of the process. The Minister of Education and my employers the North-Eastern Education and Library Board tell me that I must not spend an undue amount of time preparing children for the various Grammar Schools test.

In this last year of Transfer Procedure ten of our pupils opted to take part. Two children got As two got Bs or Cs and that is roughly the same percentage as for the whole of Northern Ireland. I can say with total certainty that all of the children are going to really good schools in September for we are truly blessed with the quality of our local post-primary schools.

The Extended Schools Initiative continued to run throughout the year and in September we introduced a Breakfast Club. This offers a healthy and nutritious breakfast from 8.30am every morning, provided by Jane McConaghie and her staff and supervised by Marie and Hayley. The children who come along enjoy the breakfast and the play so why not take advantage of what is on offer.

The After-school clubs continue to be popular, this year John Faul and Mervyn Greer supplemented what the girls offered with sports. Table Tennis, Rugby and Hockey were very popular and of course we always love Football.

Also through Extended Schools the P1 & 2 got some extra reading and were taken into Waterstone’s in Coleraine where they got some free books. Extended Schools is an excellent opportunity for all our children so I hope it keeps running.

For the first time this year the P5 & 6 children took part in the Formula 1 racing competition. In this the class did work on speed and timing and then made a model racing car. They created a presentation on the process and then six of us travelled to Ulster Transport Museum were we competed against other Primary Schools from all over N Ireland. We raced the car and delivered the presentation to a panel of experts. In the races we won our three races for speed and two of the races for reaction time. This in spite of the fact that we were one of the younger teams taking part.

Many of you will have attended the two excellent Christmas Shows that the children put on.

Children in P5 and 6 took part in the computer generated INCAS assessment process in the first term. This was only the second year of the process and early results are most encouraging.

We have continued to provide Spanish classes for all of the children from the Nursery to P7. In March the process was inspected and found to be very good, so well done to Shirley Rogers our Spanish Teacher and all the boys and girls. It was not to be the last we saw of Inspectors for at the end of May Dr Nick Todd, our District Inspector, Assisted by Mr Mark Keown and Mrs Joan Henderson carried out an inspection of the school and Nursery Unit. The report may be accessed from the DENI website

We have again benefited from working with the Ulster Scots Agency which provided a series of After School Clubs this term. Earlier the P7 worked with John Bustard and the National Trust on a project about the Causeway legends.

In the summer term the P5 & 6 co-operated with the NEELB; C2K Learning NI, schools computer system; the National Trust and Omagh County Primary School on what was a UK first with a Video Conference link, including outside broadcast from the Causeway to Omagh. This project was really on the edge of schools technical ability using computers, video conferencing equipment, radio and satellite links and was a great success with many valuable lessons being learnt by everyone involved.

All of the Primary School Classes carried out school trips, this year with a maritime theme. P1 to 4 travelled to Belfast International Airport where they saw some planes take of and land, rather mysteriously for everyone who met them as they were all dressed as pirates. The reason became obvious later when they crewed a pirate ship on Lough Neagh. A great time was had by all and no one had to walk the plank.

The older children were also on water but this time it was the sea as we travelled to Rathlin Island for the day. We met some seals and saw thousands of birds, including puffins. We heard tales of ghosts and visited a school with only six pupils. It was another great day which we all enjoyed thoroughly

Throughout the year we supported various good causes including Age Concern with £82.65 after the Harvest Celebration, £112.50 plus shoeboxes to the Samaritan’s Purse, £69.70 to the Black Santa Appeal and £45 to Red Nose Day. We didn’t do a ‘Big Appeal’ this year leaving that to the Nursery Unit, who raised an amazing £835 for Asthma UK.

One of our final activities was our charity sale on the 11^th June. This sale of toys books and delicious buns and pastry was to raise money to get one of our teachers out of Jail. Mrs McAllister was taking part in the Jail and Bail event in Coleraine. Organised by the ‘Caring Caretaker’ Davy Boyle MBE, well known for his Christmas Charity Sit Outs, the event was raising money for Muscular Dystrophy, Hospice and Chest Heart and Stroke.

Of course I must take this opportunity to thank the many people who all help to make this school what it is, the teachers and classroom assistants, my frontline forces, David and Christine who keep everything so spick and span, Myrtle, Ivy and Margaret, our dinner supervisors, Daniel or other lollipop person, Bartley who looks after our grounds, Jane and her team in the kitchen. The Alisons, by whom I mean my two secretaries who do such an excellent job in keeping me right. Alison Bucklee is of course on maternity leave she had twin boys earlier this month. Alison Smyth is doing a truly excellent job.

As well as my frontline and invaluable backup staff, I must also thank the members of the Board of Governors for all their support and especially for all the extra work they did in appointing our new Vice Principal. Mr Robert Smith will take up the post in September.

Gareth Hamilton has been the school’s Link Officer with NEELB for the past two years and has been a brilliant support to me and the rest of the staff. Gareth is returning to his own school in Larne but Gareth you will always be remembered and appreciated by all of us.

Things all continue to change with our Special Needs and Principal Relief teacher Mrs Jean McDonald deciding to retire from this role. At the same time Mrs Evelyn O’Neill, Vice-Principal since 1991 has decided to retire from this role and give up full-time teaching. In 2009-10 she will take on the role of Special Needs and Principal Relief teacher.

PROTECTING OUR PUPILS

The whole of the Bushmills Primary School and Nursery Unit community, that is the members of the Board of Governors and everyone who works or helps in the school, whether in a paid or voluntary capacity, is fully committed to the welfare and safety of all the pupils.

The Child Protection Policy is part of our commitment to the Pastoral Care of the pupils and should be read in conjunction with the other documents that make up our Pastoral Care Portfolio; Pastoral Care Policy, Discipline Policy, Anti-Bullying Policy and Anti - Drugs Policy all available online at www.bushmillsps.org.uk .

Reference should also be made to ‘Area Child Protection Committees’ Regional Policy and Procedures’.

Designated Teacher for Child Protection: Mr Jack Gault, who is also the Principal

Deputy-Designated Teacher: Mr Robert Smith, who is also the Vice-Principal

Chairman of Board of Governors: Reverend S Carson

The Designated and Deputy Designated Teachers will attend regular refresher courses provided by NEELB, Northern Health and Social Care Trust, NHSSB or any other appropriate agency. The Designated Teacher will ensure that everyone who works, or helps in a voluntary capacity, in the school is kept up-to-date on child protection issues. Child Protection will be an agenda item for the Board of Governors at least once a year. All persons who work or help in the school will have gone through appropriate screening.

What a parent should do if they have a concern about any child.