School of Belonging is a pilot project hosted by Laois Education Centre, in response to the rapid changes in regional and national demographics. It comprises 20 cross-sectoral schools within Laois Offaly and addresses themes of intercultural understanding and inclusion. We are fortunate to have the support of our board of management and the senior leadership team to engage with this pilot programme. We successfully completed module 1 focused on newcomer families and received a plaque. In 2022 we secured funding for €500 to improve welcoming features of our school building and now enjoy a visual display of flags representing over 40 different nationalities comprising our school community.
Student feedback confirmed that students experienced benefit in hosting the intercultural day. 92% found it to be beneficial, with many commenting on the value of learning about different nationalities and cuisine. 94% would recommend hosting a similar event in the future.
In September 2023 we also held a Carboot Sale for our students and community. We raised €240 from this event which went towards funding our International Day in May 2024.
This year we also secured another €500 grant from PPLI which will go towards books/games for our school library.
