Children, teachers and the wider school community from Broadbridge and Eglinton Primary Schools have been taking part in a wide range of joint activities in the local community, through Shared Education.
Prior to this, there were good relations between both schools, which have been developed over many years through various types of collaborations. The Shared Education Signature Project allows us to build on the strong foundations that have been etablished and will allow us to develop a more strategic approach.
So far, P5 classes have been involved in Shared activities for World Around Us in their local environment, using the topic of Rivers. The P6 classes also integrate with one another through an Intergenerational Programme, where they attend two local nursing homes weekly to do activities- Longfield and Templemoyle.
Following an ice-breaker day at St. Columb's Park, for the children to integrate, make new friends, get re-acquainted, find common interests and have fun, the P5 classes followed this with two trips - Roe Valley Country Park and Riverwatch. After studying rivers, habitat, food chains and vegetation, the children met for a further 3 sessions to create and design a diorama linked to the theme. The children learned a lot of facts and increased their knowledge of their local environment. This made the project both educational and social. The whole project was very hands-on and practical and the children really enjoyed the experience of being outdoors. During group work the children collaborated and worked productively to provide wonderful dioramas. They learned new art techniques and gained in confidence, having engaged in a valuable and worthwhile experience for all involved.
As one P5 child reported: "Shared education was great because I learned a lot of new things and it showed that religion did not matter to us. Going on trips was so much fun. I hope I see them again."
The Waterside Theatre provided funding which enabled an intergenerational programme to be carried out with P6, through art and storytelling, on the topic of the Titanic, in two local nursing homes. This facilitated a professional artist, Hilary Doherty to come out and do an art project with both homes. Josie Cusack also came out to provide story telling sessions with the young and old, and this has encouraged the pupils and residents to share their own stories with each other. The intergenerational project has great value for the residents and children alike, providing stronger links within the community. Overall, experiences were very positive for both the children and residents. The children developed an awareness of and empathy towards the residents and their needs. The children engaged and interacted enthusiastically with each other and loved reading the stories to the residents, feeling like they had a real sense of purpose and audience. They had a great sense of achievement when they were applauded by residents and their peers. The children learned new art techniques and had the opportunity to use a range of materials, resources and tools. The residents looked forward to seeing the children each week. After an initial ice-breaker day, the P6 programme ran over 8 weeks with both nursing homes.
The SESP also has enabled the Primary 7 children to go to the Ulster American Folk Park together and travel together to a wide range of different sporting events.
Foundation Stage children have come together also to enjoy a trip together to the Waterside Theatre and a Teddy Bear's Picnic in the local park.
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