Rural Co Armagh primary school is bucking the trend with a soaring enrolment and an exciting future

St John's Primary School, Eglish, sits in the core of apple country about 7 miles outside Portadown – a school which is the heartbeat of its community.

-

-

It started as a one-room school built by Rev John Keating in 1849 and established in the grounds of St John's Church Tartaraghan in 1850 with a smaller second room built in 1924.

In 1975 a mobile classroom was erected making the school a split site on either side of the road. The ‘Old School’ building is now used by the Annaghmore Regeneration Group as the entire school is now across from the Chapel.

Now the school has a double mobile for P4/5 and P6/7, a modular building (opened in September 2021) which has two classrooms (P1/2 and P2/3) as well as an office and a separate modular build canteen (opened April 2022) and a new staffroom mobile.

Hopes for the future

Principal Niall Morgan reveals there are high hopes a further classroom mobile will arrive this summer to create a five-classroom school.

"The reason behind this is the magnificent growth in numbers with the enrolment now sitting at 106,” said Mr Morgan. “This is not the first time the school has been over the 100 mark, but it is the first time in decades and brings cause for celebration as the school was under the serious threat of closure as recently as 2009 due to the low enrolment numbers.

"It is amazing to see such growth in the school and this is largely owed to the opening of Apple Blossom Playgroup in 2010, on school grounds, which started with just 6 children. The numbers in the playgroup is also going from strength to strength with the local area thriving off the back of the success of both education settings.”

St John’s Church, Tartaraghan, St John’s PS, Eglish and Annaghmore Pearses GFC sit side by side as the hub of the community. “The school plays a vital part in keeping the Catholic ethos of the local area in place whilst also feeding into the football club with both male and female footballers,” said Mr Morgan.

Miss McGeown, the longest serving member of teaching staff, Mrs Kane, Miss Hughes and Mr Donnelly as well as Mr Morgan all teach at the school.

Delighted with the surge in numbers, Mr Martin said: “The numbers of the school speak for themselves. The work that has been done by the whole community to make this a school to be proud of is unbelievable. Everyone is extremely supportive of all fundraising initiatives that we run which, in itself, shows how much the school means to the community.

"I am very proud myself to be part of the community and to have been welcomed in with open arms by the staff, children, parents and all of the local area. It is my aim to continue the great work of the current and previous staff and hopefully entice more parents into enrolling their children here.”

Parents’ Group

It’s a very busy school with an extremely proactive Parents’ Group. A breakfast club is organised for 8.15am each day. Ethna Rickard, Parent Rep for the Board of Governors, said: “The Breakfast Club offers benefits to working parents primarily by providing a safe and nurturing environment for children before the start of the school day, parents can drop off their kids with peace of mind.

"The club ensures that children have a healthy breakfast and engage in enriching activities, setting a positive tone for the day ahead. This lets parents go to work content that their children are well taken care of in the mornings.

"The club also fosters a sense of community among parents, creating a support network that can be invaluable in managing the demands of work and parenting. Ultimately, the St. John’s PS Eglish Breakfast Club plays a vital role in supporting working parents and enhancing the

well-being of both children and families.”

The school also has an Afterschool Club for Key Stage 1 to 3:15pm every day and as of this year there have been afterschool clubs to 4:15pm Monday to Thursday for any child who wishes to avail of them. Some of these clubs include: homework club, Lego and jigsaws, football, basketball, athletics, golf, healthy eating, coding, Irish, dance and there is always options to extend to different clubs with the help of the school council voice.

What the student Council said

The Student Council is made up of 8 Key Stage 2 pupils. They explained why they love the school: “Every child feels welcome, and we are so close knit that we know everyone in the school. The teachers are supportive, and they try their best to make learning creative and fun.

"There are a lot of extracurricular activities, and we are always thinking of new clubs. Some of ours are dance, Irish and sports. We feel that our voice is heard at the school, and we have lots of equipment to play with at break and lunch time.”

Even though parents received their admissions letters for September, Mr Morgan said he is still keen to grow the numbers of the school.

"Our doors are always open to anyone who has St John’s as their local primary school. I encourage anyone who wishes to see around our school to get in touch with me or by checking out our school website at www.stjohnspseglish.com .

Pat McQuade, Chair of the Board of Governors. said: “Here at St John’s we have a community built on strong relationships between children, staff, parents and the whole area, striving to continue the growth and success of the school. This shows in the results, the increased pupil numbers, the improvements being made to our school facilities and most importantly the happiness of the children on a daily basis.”