‘It really is a melting pot': Belfast primary school where 17 languages are spoken wins international award
Such is the diversity at Cliftonville Integrated Primary in north Belfast.
But the school has risen to the task of providing an education and integration in a changing social landscape and has now been rewarded with the British Council's International School Award 2024-2027 – the only recipient in Northern Ireland.
The UK-wide award scheme celebrates schools that bring the wider world into the classroom, creating a safe and welcoming environment for all pupils, fostering a culture of inclusion and celebrating diversity.
Bill Fletcher is principal of Cliftonville Integrated Primary, which has over 400 pupils and is already a designated school of sanctuary.
He said that while the vast majority of the children are from the home nations, they do have kids from all over the world.
'There are challenges in the sense that if you have children coming in who have no English, that's difficult for the teachers. There's very little support from the Department of Education or the Education Authority. I think that's a strategy they need to look at,' he said.
Without that support, it's something the school provides for itself, with a member of staff as a dedicated international coordinator. Parents and pupils with English as an additional language (EAL) can also benefit from English classes with the school's dedicated EAL teacher.
Mr Fletcher added: "We need to do more across the board to help families when they come here, maybe through something like a six-month intensive programme in English to help them integrate into society.
'It's far better for their children, though the children always tend to pick up English very quickly.
'We have six designated school ambassadors in the school, pupils who help to integrate new children regardless of where they're from. We have about 16% of children in the school who would be classed as coming from an EAL background.
'They may have been here for a number of years and may be fluent in English, but there are some who have arrived in the last year to 18 months who need some help with the language. It's quite a diverse group, but we're absolutely delighted at the recognition for the work we do. It's something we've been doing for quite some time.'
The British Council chose Cliftonville Integrated Primary as the location to launch its language trends report 2025. It showed Spanish as the most popular language studied in Northern Ireland schools, but also found a reluctance among pupils to carry language studies through to qualifications level.
North Belfast MP John Finucane recently collected the award on behalf of the school at Westminster and was delighted to present it on Wednesday morning.
'It's fantastic to see that they've been honoured for the amazing work they do,' he said.
'It's not just a one-off, they live this and practise this on a daily basis. It's a school that embraces all cultures and diversities. They make children not just aware of that, but increase their curiosity, increase their learning and I think increase their kindness through the exposure to lots of different cultures.
'I'm a big fan of bilingualism, even multilingualism in schools. It's wonderful for the development of children, their learning and their capacity to embrace different subjects as they progress their academic life.
'It's not necessarily just about making them fluent in lots of different languages. It's about that exposure to different cultures, different parts of our world, and to embed that in our own curriculum is something that would be celebrated. We don't need to look any further than Cliftonville Integrated Primary School to see how that can be done really well.'
Central to everything the school does, though, is the wellbeing and education of its pupils, and nine-year-old Victoria Chen is loving her role as one of its international ambassadors.
She said: 'We show people around the school, welcome them here, and help them to make new friends. It's nice to be able to help new pupils understand more about school life.'
Many of the pupils are learning Mandarin and French as part of their daily routine.
Charlotte Ogunleye said she loves the international atmosphere.
'It's helping me learn about other cultures around me. I'm learning to speak Mandarin and I can see patterns in other languages. I hope that will help me learn more,' she said.
'It's our job to make sure anyone new to the school doesn't feel lonely and left out,' said fellow ambassador Wolfie Burns (9). 'We want to make sure everyone feels welcome and able to join in and I'm proud to be able to do that.'
Author of the British Council language trends report, Dr Ian Collen, said he was delighted to see languages in action in schools.
'It really is a linguist melting pot here. And it's wonderful to see how it all comes together, providing all the pupils with a real taste of cultural diversity which they can all share, enjoy and learn from together.
'What you see in Cliftonville Integrated Primary is something that all schools should aspire to. It's not just about learning one language, school can be about learning lots of languages in a fun, informative way.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
34 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ministers ‘abusing' anti-terror laws against Palestine activists
Former Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf has said the Government is 'abusing' anti-terror laws against pro- Palestine activists as tens of thousands of protesters marched in London. A protest organised by groups under the Palestine Coalition banner marched to Whitehall from Russell Square in central London on Saturday afternoon. Organisers estimated that 350,000 people attended the protest, with those marching waving Palestinian flags and chanting 'free, free Palestine' and 'stop bombing Iran'. Many protesters chanted 'shame on you' as they walked past dozens of counter-protesters, organised by pro-Israeli group Stop The Hate, near Waterloo Bridge. The Metropolitan Police said a person was arrested after a bottle was thrown towards the counter-protesters. They added that 'a group appeared on Waterloo Bridge trying to block traffic' following the protest, with officers intervening to clear the road. The demonstrations come after reports on Friday that the Home Secretary will ban Palestine Action after the group vandalised two aircraft at RAF Brize Norton. Yvette Cooper has decided to proscribe the group, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support Palestine Action, after footage posted online showed two people inside the RAF base, with one appearing to spray paint into an aircraft's jet engine. Addressing crowds at the national march for Palestine in Whitehall, former SNP leader Mr Yousaf said: 'While we stand a stone's throw from Downing Street, let's make it clear to the Prime Minister: You try to intimidate us with your anti-terror laws by abusing them, but you'll never silence us as we speak out against the genocide that you're supporting. 'We're not the terrorists – the ones that are literally killing children, they are the terrorists.' A pro-Palestine protester said it was 'absolutely horrendous' that the Government is preparing to ban Palestine Action. Artist Hannah Woodhouse, 61, told the PA news agency: 'The Government, since yesterday, have said they're also going to start to try to proscribe peace activists who are trying to take action against the genocide – so Palestine Action are now being targeted by our Government, which is absolutely horrendous.' Ms Woodhouse, who is from London, added: 'Counter-terrorism measures, it seems, are being used against non-violent peace protesters. 'The peace activists are trying to do the Government's job, which is to disarm Israel. The duty of any government right now is to disarm a genocidal state.' Musician Paloma Faith told pro-Palestine campaigners that she would not 'stick to music and stay away from politics'. Speaking to crowds at the march, the songwriter, 43, added: 'Those who facilitate these crimes against humanity need to be made accountable, not those of us who are compassionate and humane enough to stand against it.' Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told protesters that politicians were seeking to 'turn people who protest against the invasion of Iran or the occupation of Palestine into terrorists'. Some protesters were carrying Iran flags, with others hoisting signs – distributed by the Islamic Human Rights Commission – that read 'choose the right side of history' alongside a photo of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Human rights group Liberty said banning Palestine Action 'would be a huge step change in how counter-terror laws are applied'. Sam Grant, its external affairs director, said in a statement: 'Targeting a protest group with terrorism powers in this way is a shocking escalation of the Government's crackdown on protest and we urge the Home Secretary to rethink. 'It's clear the actions of Palestine Action don't meet the Government's own proportionality test to be proscribed as a terrorist group, but the consequences for the group's supporters if ministers go ahead would be heavy – with things like wearing their logo carrying prison sentences. 'This move needs to be viewed in light of the sustained crackdowns on protest we have seen from successive governments over recent years, and the worrying fact that there are more and more non-violent protesters spending years in prison.' The Palestine Coalition is comprised of a number of different groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Stop The War.
The Independent
34 minutes ago
- The Independent
Kneecap Glastonbury slot ‘not appropriate', says Starmer
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he does not think Kneecap's planned Glastonbury Festival performance is 'appropriate'. He made the comments after Kneecap member Liam Og O hAnnaidh appeared in court on Wednesday, after being charged for allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah while saying 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah' at a gig in November last year. In an interview with The Sun, Sir Keir was asked if he thought the trio should perform at Glastonbury, to which he replied: 'No, I don't, and I think we need to come down really clearly on this. 'This is about the threats that shouldn't be made, I won't say too much because there's a court case on, but I don't think that's appropriate.' It comes after Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said she thought the BBC 'should not be showing' Kneecap's performance at the festival next week. Mrs Badenoch said in the X post, which was accompanied by an article from The Times that claimed the BBC had not banned the group: 'The BBC should not be showing Kneecap propaganda. 'One Kneecap band member is currently on bail, charged under the Terrorism Act. 'As a publicly funded platform, the BBC should not be rewarding extremism.' The Tory Leader of the Opposition has previously called for the group to be banned from Glastonbury, and last year Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK Government in Belfast High Court after she tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award when she was a minister. Kneecap took aim at Mrs Badenoch in their latest single, The Recap, released just before their headline set at London's Wide Awake festival in May, with the song mocking the politician's attempts to block their arts funding and the Conservative Party's election loss. On Wednesday, O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was cheered by hundreds of supporters as he arrived with bandmates Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh at Westminster Magistrates' Court in 'Free Mo Chara' T-shirts. During the proceedings, a prosecutor told the court the 27-year-old is 'well within his rights' to voice his opinions on Israel and Palestine, but the alleged incident at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, is a 'wholly different thing'. O hAnnaidh was released on unconditional bail until his next hearing at the same court on August 20. Following the hearing, the rapper said: 'For anybody going to Glastonbury, you can see us there at 4pm on the Saturday. 'If you can't be there we'll be on the BBC, if anybody watches the BBC. We'll be at Wembley in September. 'But most importantly: free, free Palestine.' The charge came following a counter-terrorism police investigation after the historical gig footage came to light, which also allegedly shows the group calling for the deaths of MPs. In April, Kneecap apologised to the families of murdered MPs but said footage of the incident had been 'exploited and weaponised'. In an initial post in response to the charge, Kneecap said: '14,000 babies are about to die of starvation in Gaza, with food sent by the world sitting on the other side of a wall, and once again the British establishment is focused on us. 'We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves, this is political policing, this is a carnival of distraction. 'We are not the story, genocide is, as they profit from genocide, they use an 'anti-terror law' against us for displaying a flag thrown on stage. A charge not serious enough to even warrant their crown court, instead a court that doesn't have a jury. What's the objective? 'To restrict our ability to travel. To prevent us speaking to young people across the world. To silence voices of compassion. To prosecute artists who dare speak out. 'Instead of defending innocent people, or the principles of international law they claim to uphold, the powerful in Britain have abetted slaughter and famine in Gaza, just as they did in Ireland for centuries. Then, like now, they claim justification. 'The IDF units they arm and fly spy plane missions for are the real terrorists, the whole world can see it.' Formed in 2017, the group are known for their provocative lyrics in both Irish and English and their merchandise. Their best-known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live, featuring Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC, and 3Cag. A BBC spokesperson said: 'As the broadcast partner, the BBC will be bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers. 'Whilst the BBC doesn't ban artists, our plans will ensure that our programming will meet our editorial guidelines. Decisions about our output will be made in the lead-up to the festival.'
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Petition questioning jail sentences for online posts hits target
A petition calling for an urgent review of sentencing after a woman was jailed for a racist social media post has hit its target of 100,000 signatures in under 24 Connolly, from Northampton, was jailed for 31 months in October after urging her followers on X to "set fire" to hotels housing asylum seekers on the day of the Southport UK MP Rupert Lowe's online petition said prison terms for cases of "opinion-based online speech" caused "serious public concern" and alternative sanctions would be more appeal was rejected in May, with the Court of Appeal ruling there was "no arguable basis" that her prison sentence was excessive. The 41-year-old childminder, the wife of a Conservative councillor, posted the swearword-ridden message on 29 July 2024, the day three girls were murdered at a dance class in calling for "mass deportations now", she wrote: "If that makes me racist, so be it."She urged readers to set fire to "all the hotels" that were "full" of those she wished to post had been deleted before Connolly was arrested on 6 August but had already been viewed 310,000 who represents Great Yarmouth as an Independent, said the jailing of Connolly was "morally repugnant" and his petition had the full support of her husband, Ray."Lucy, and others like her, should not be in prison for foolish things they posted on the internet," said Lowe in a post on X."It's all just so disgusting, and if I can use my elected position to do anything, it has to be worth a go." The petition says imprisoning individuals for posts on social media "sets a dangerous precedent and raises wider questions about freedom of expression, proportionality in sentencing, and the misuse of limited prison resources."The day after Connolly's appeal was rejected, Sir Keir Starmer said he was in favour of free speech and against inciting violence after Lowe used Prime Minister's Questions to ask if her jail term was an "efficient or fair" use of prison.A UK Government and Parliament petition that attains 100,000 signatures is assessed by the Petitions Committee for its level of support and whether the government could act on its demands. If approved for consideration, it is then debated in Westminster Hall. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
