Children who attend two small mid-Ulster primary schools of separate religious traditions have become classmates through the first shared teacher to be appointed in Northern Ireland.
UTV reports: There are just 65 pupils combined at Desertmartin Primary, a Church of Ireland maintained school, and Knocknagin Primary, a Catholic maintained school, which are less than a mile away in the village of Desertmartin, Co Londonderry.
Magherafelt-based Rebecca Henry was recruited by four governors from each school. She has spent the last three years teaching at Braidside Integrated Primary in Ballymena.
Under the Primary Integrating and Enriching Education (PIEE) project, operated by the North Eastern Education and Library Board with funding from the International Fund for Ireland and the Atlantic Philanthropies, the two schools have been working together to foster closer ties over the past two years leading to the ground-breaking move to share a teacher.
Mrs Henry teaches the ‘World Around Us’ area of the curriculum to joint classes in both schools as well as ‘Personal Development and Mutual Understanding’ and Literacy and Numeracy support.