Education and Training Awards 2020

Jun20059 Most Caring Primary School 2020 - Belfast All education facilities have a duty of care to their students, but few managed to deliver it as successfully as the team at Springfield Primary School. This Belfast-based institution has not only adapted to keep with the times, but to meet the needs of the students who go there today. We look more closely at this inspiring school to see what we can learn from its ways of working. The best learning is achieved in a safe environment, where people are willing to ask questions and to discover new information. At Springfield, this attitude is clear from everything that the school does. Each child is inspired to reach their full potential, as well as develop a positive self-image that can be carried through to the next stages of their lives. With a history that goes back 110 years, it’s hard to imagine an institution more modern in its outlook, with impressively high test results and demand for spaces that just keeps on growing. At the heart of the school’s success is its students. While some institutions focus on getting results, Springfield focuses on enjoying childhood. While some schools try to create uniform success, Springfield embraces individuality, culture and heritage. In these essential early years, their memories of school are happy ones, which only go to encourage further learning in the future. One of the things that sets Springfield apart from other schools in the area is its pioneering approach to positive wellbeing and mental health. A counselling room was opened in 2018, operating as a sensory, safe place and complementary therapy room. Counselling is offered to all staff throughout the EA, with services offered to parents and children who need help with their families. While the focus is naturally on the children, the counselling room has become a community hub for mental health and wellbeing. The success of this room has been astounding and shows how much need there is for an open space. To this end, a Complimentary Therapist service has been provided for children and staff during 2019/20 and this will be continued in 2020/21. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the team intends to assess the impact on children and staff using our PASS Assessments and are already looking to offer support for mental health and wellbeing needs. This amazing innovation is doubly impressive when the area in which Springfield is located is considered. With high unemployment, low academic attainment and one of the poorest areas in Europe, the provision of a counselling room that is open to the community at large is not the first move one would think about. In fact, what makes this achievement, and the award that the school has received, even more impressive is that the school was on the brink of closure just fifteen years ago. In just fifteen years, it has transformed its fortunes, is oversubscribed and has a long waiting list for each class. As a result of this major achievement, the school has plans for expansion, with larger school grounds to meet the needs of students across the board. The next few years will see the school spread its wellbeing approach even further, developing play areas and walkways into a therapeutic experience and an Art Therapist on site. The new School Development Plan for the next three years is appropriately titled “Inside, Outside!” The challenges of COVID-19 are not yet fully understood in the teaching sphere, and the advent of online learning has been a new experience for staff and students. Of course, there are benefits to be had from this way of working, and when school is back to normal, the intention is to apply these techniques wherever possible. Springfield has achieved its caring status by proactively working to help those who need it most. In a world where mental health is becoming more important, it instils the values of selfcare and wellbeing from an early age. This sort of work isn’t happening in other primary schools. It should be the norm. Perhaps, others will follow in Springfield’s footsteps when they learn of its incredible success. Company: Springfield Primary School Name: Steven Osborne Web Address: www.springfieldprimary.com Education & Training Awards 2020