Eamonn Moore: Pride as St Oliver Plunkett Primary School shortlisted for illustrious award

Eamonn Moore has been principal of St Oliver Plunkett Primary School since 2018 and his pride in the whole school community is immediately evident.

“I worked under former principal Brian McLaughlin for a year and was appointed principal when he retired,” said Eamonn.

“There have been some major developments here in the last seven years,” he added. “We began by ensuring the correct structures and procedures were in place to ensure the children receive the best of everything. 

“As a school, we are very much focused on the needs of the children. We live that out every day. 

“We are a nurturing school with a dedicated Nurture Unit. We also employ nurturing approaches in every classroom. All of our teachers have been extensively trained in nurture strategies and those are delivered every day, in every class.

“Every class has a nurture corner as well, so, if a child is a feeling a little overwhelmed or needs time and space to regulate their emotions, this is available in the classroom. Lots of children with particular sensory issues utilise these spaces can go there if they need and our staff are skilled at recognising when children may benefit from this provision, thanks to the extensive training they have received. 

“A few years ago, we took the decision to re-paint the school in pastel, neutral colours because we became aware that the previous brighter colours on the walls were unsettling for some of our sensory children and some of our autistic children. We have removed the school bell for the same reason,” said Eamonn.

St Oliver Plunkett PS was also the first school in the North to build a bespoke outdoor sensory pod, at a cost of £24,000.

“All of our pupils benefit from the sensory pod,” said Eamonn. “It is a sensory room. All children with a diagnosed sensory issue utilise the room regularly through timetabled slots. In addition, we ensure there is availability for any child, who is feeling particularly distressed to access this facility. It contains activities and elements to help children to regulate their emotions. There is light. There is touch. There is feel. And, while all of those elements are available, it also completely blacks out to assist children who may be over-stimulated. 

“On top of that, we have opened our Key Stage One (KS1) SPIM (Specialist Provision In Mainstream) facility. It is designed for children with an ASD or Autism diagnosis whose needs are deemed more extreme than those which could be dealt with in a mainstream classroom. 

“St Oliver Plunkett PS was one of the first to incorporate this provision into its school. We felt it would benefit the school. 

“We have undertaken a lot of autism training over the time we were doing it. We were working towards becoming an autism friendly school. Through the training we had undertaken, it became clearer and clearer these sensory issues were more of a trigger for people,” Eamonn reflected, who added, “Part of what we learned very quickly was, what is good for a child with autism is good for all children”. 

Proof positive St Oliver Plunkett PS is on the right track is the fact in the whole of last year there was not a single incident of bullying. 

“Touch wood, it has been the same this year so far,” smiled Eamonn. 

“When visitors come into the school,  they comment on the behaviour of the children. We had our fun day on Friday  and the men who were working the inflatables commented again on the behaviour of the children. 

“This year also, we opened our Key Stage Two (KS2) SPIM provision for children from P5 upwards. 

“I was concerned our children who were coming to P5 did not have a pathway and any child with autism, finds change very challenging, so I thought it was very unfair for them to have come here, settled in and got used to everything and then be told a few years later they had to start over somewhere else. We opened it mainly for them but also for any other child who needed a place. 

“By this time next year, the entirety of the top end of the school will be designated a SEN area. It will comprise two classrooms (KS1 and KS2), a breakout room and a further sensory room, to go with the outdoor sensory pod. This sensory room will be only for the children in the SPIM. We also have a washroom and shower room in as well, just recently completed,” said Eamonn, who added that play therapy was another new and successful initiative introduced to St Oliver Plunkett PS.  

Eamonn said he made a point of standing at the gate every morning to welcome each child into St Oliver Plunkett PS.

“I want every child to start the school day knowing we are genuinely happy to see them in the morning and we are,” he added.

“I would also like to praise the fabulous work which our Pupil Council and their supporting teacher, Miss Thompson, put in to have St Oliver Plunkett PS shortlisted for the NAACE ‘National Nurturing School Award’. The winner will be announced on October 10 and we are all very excited. I am really delighted for the school because we are in the final five and we are the only primary school in Northern Ireland which made it that far. 

“It was great the children had the belief and wanted to go forward with the nomination. We do encourage them to have a voice and to express themselves. We want to make sure the children here have the same opportunities everybody else has. Another example was our Eco Council which received the School Green Flag last year.

“I definitely want to acknowledge the staff at St Oliver Plunkett PS. The staff in this school are genuinely the most caring staff I have ever come across. I can honestly say that. 

“I say to all P1 parents, ‘Yes, we promise your child a good education and safeguarding and they will be well looked after but the one thing I will absolutely guarantee is that they will be loved here’. We really look upon those children as our own.”