Foyle View School has become one of the first schools in N. Ireland to achieve level 1 of the UNICEF Rights Respecting School Award. This new nationwide award scheme promotes the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as the basis for enhancing teaching, learning, ethos, attitudes and behaviour.  A Rights Respecting School not only teaches about children’s and human rights, but also models rights and respect in all its relationships between pupils, school staff and parents.  The school was commended for its work on citizenship and its close links with the community, especially Derry Children’s Commission. 

Foyle View’s work with other schools, in particular, Oakgrove Integrated Primary School was praised in supporting a Rights Respecting Ethos. The school is actively pursuing the next level in this award and Foyle View is committed to promoting a rights agenda throughout the school.

Belmont House and Foyle View, have been recognised by the Education and Training Inspectorate as an example of excellent practice for their contribution in developing the Adventure Playtrail with the Liberty Consortium.  The Inspectorate has featured the school’s contribution to developing the Racecourse Road Campus as a community play facility in a new booklet entitled ‘Striving for Excellence’ that features five portraits of schools from across N. Ireland.  The Chief Inspector, Marion Matchett has described the projects as ‘worthy of celebration and dissemination across schools … enriching the inspection process and the promotion of best practice in our special school system’.

The Playtrail was developed by Liberty Consortium, a unique partnership of local schools and organisations, with support from a range of organisations including the Big Lottery Fund and the Western Education and Library Board. The Chairperson of the Liberty Consortium is Dr Michael Dobbins, and the Project Manager is Mark Roberts. Over recent months work has been continuing to complete the facility which is located in one of the few remaining local green areas in a place that had not been open to the local community in the past.

Further developments are planned including the development of Ireland’s first Earthship: ‘Earthship Derry’ – a sustainable building created from recycled materials and incorporating renewable energy technologies.  Funded by the Big Lottery Fund and distributed by ARENA Network, the building will be used as an educational resource offering young people to see at first hand the scope for recycling and the power of renewable energies. 

Foyle View  parent, Jillian Latimer, said the project was an essential tool in her son Alex’s development. She added:

“Alex has autism and there are not many places I can take him where he can play because his behaviour can be challenging at times. He loves the Playtrail and has been down here every day since it has opened. The best thing about it is the fact that it is enclosed which means he can run about safely.  I also think it is great that the whole site has been opened up to the wider community. It is really helping to break down barriers in the local community by bringing children together from a wide range of backgrounds and abilities.”

 Liberty Consortium, which is made up of a number of local schools and organisations, secured a 25 year lease for the development of the Playtrail at the Racecourse Road campus from the Western Education and Library Board. WELB Chief Executive, Barry Mulholland, said the Board was pleased to be able to support the project.  He added: “Schools today are places were children and teachers live, work and play for a substantial part of their lives.  Their purpose is to enable children to grow and learn, in the fullest sense of those words, in a learning environment both in an indoor and, particularly in the context of today, an outdoor environment that is satisfying, stimulating and adaptable to changing needs.”

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