Newcomer Pupil Support

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At Belfast Model School for Girls we openly embrace the cultural diversity of pupils attending our school. We foster a culture that welcomes pupils with different nationalities and cultures; we aim to provide a friendly, safe and supportive environment for all of our pupils regardless of what they believe or where they are from. We have a designated Newcomer Coordinator who coordinates support for pupils with a home language different from English. We work closely with pupils and their families to help provide both pastoral and curriculum support for Newcomer pupils, including English Language support, interpreting and translation services. We work with outside agencies including the Inclusion and Diversity Service who support us in developing our newcomer provision. The Belfast Model School for Girls aims to equip our students with intercultural skills and the ability to have compassion in what is, for many, a turbulent world.

In September 2019 Belfast Model School for Girls was awarded the School of Sanctuary award. The Schools of Sanctuary programme is an award scheme that works in the Urban Villages areas of Belfast and Derry/ Londonderry with support from the Northern Ireland Executive’s Urban Villages Initiative, the Belfast City of Sanctuary Group and the Education Authority’s Intercultural Education Service. The School of Sanctuary award is recognition of the pledge that Belfast Model School for Girls have made to develop further the concept that schools are welcoming places for students and their families, where every child feels safe, where they are fully accepted. These schools will become beacons in the community as places where cultural diversity is valued and celebrated.

Belfast Model School for Girls is an incredibly diverse community with 21 different nationalities represented across the school. We have successfully helped our students to achieve outstanding GCSE grades in their home language in addition to the other subjects that are offered through our school curriculum.


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