Fermanagh Trust Shared Education Programme Tempo Controlled Primary School & St Mary’s Primary School Tempo

Tempo – An Introduction! In musical terms Tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece and we hope you enjoyed our band as you arrived! In the electoral ward 52% of the population are from a Catholic Community background and 48% from Protestant and other Christian community background. 69% of the village is Catholic and 31% Protestant and other Christian community Each live at opposite ends of the village

Prior to 2009 Children from both schools had little contact with each other Disputes often arose on school buses on the way to and from school Staff from both schools met only occasionally at training days run by WELB Schools are located 500 metres from each other but staff rarely communicated

Year 1 Rationale We wanted to have a permanent reminder - in the form of a sculpture - in both schools highlighting our similarities and celebrating our differences The sculptures would represent our theme for the whole project

FROM A DISTANCE WE LOOK THE SAME UP CLOSE WE ARE DIFFERENT

A Curriculum Based Project The P6/7 classes from both schools were involved (50 children) and met every Tuesday morning We decided to begin by exploring ourselves and our community through a series of Art and Design workshops

Work Begins in Tempo Community Hall

Children Came Together Naturally Shared Art and Design classes continued over the next year in both schools and in other local venues Friendships were built in a learning environment After brain storming children then began to design the sculptures

After many hours of exploration we finally reached our goal of having two sculptures in our respective schools They reflect our theme at the outset FROM A DISTANCE WE LOOK THE SAME UP CLOSE WE ARE DIFFERENT

What we Learned Regular meetings worked well Well organised lessons were important Staff commitment was vital Having realistic expectations Be sensitive with parents Strong leadership Celebrate achievements

Vision for Year 2 Whole school involvement – Years Weekly interaction with experiences changing each 6 weeks Normalisation of Shared Education Deepen the educational experience Develop inter school staff relations

Year children participated in Shared Education classes for 30 Wednesday mornings throughout the year Children experienced learning in Art and Design, PE, Music, drama/dance, science, ICT and play Both school sites were used along with leisure centre and community hall

Year 2 Results Staff collaborated on 10 occasions for staff development such as Child Protection and First Aid Staff clustered for curriculum planning Several joint staff meetings were held Shared Board of Governors evening in June 2011

Shared Brass Band

Christmas lights

Lessons for Year 3 Long term sustainability can be achieved by empowering staff through training to continue the programme Identify opportunities where collaborative learning enhances the curriculum Accept that what we have in common is greater than what divides us Accepting that respecting another culture will not undermine our own

Year 3 The majority of classes are delivered by class teachers A move towards embedding Shared Education A clear focus on sustainability beyond the project Addressing literacy and Numeracy as opposed to the arts, PE, etc Staff training days synced to allow for collaborative training

Teachers Embedding Shared Education

Challenges and Risks on our Journey Maintaining a Shared Education programme is not easy! Changing from a comfort zone was difficult Building staff relations was vital to success Building parental approval can prove challenging Maintaining enthusiasm and committing time to the project can be difficult Relationships have to grow, they cannot be forced

Why do we do it? The benefits of Shared Education Enhances and deepens core curriculum delivery Shares teacher/staff expertise and skills and promotes the transfer of learning Supports school improvement Helps develop community and community relations Breaks down barriers, fears and misperceptions within the school and wider community

At times each of our schools are just an extension of the other. We are comfortable with each other. Long may this continue.....