Strathfoyle’s Polish School

“He recognised the British number plate. He was twenty-one years old and Polish, but had been living in London for nine years. There was a road sign explaining why a road was closed, it said ‘DYWERSJA’, the Polish for ‘diversion’, but he could not read it. He had lost the ability to read Polish, and this disability meant he had come to us, begging for help.”

Sadly, occurences like this are not rare, according to Ewelina, an interpreter and teacher at the Polish school in Strathfoyle. Unknown to most people, Derry~Londonderry is home to over six hundred registered Polish families, a large portion of which are living in Strathfoyle, an almost ‘Polish village’, with every second home housing a Polish family. Northern Ireland offers wonderful opportunities to the Polish, which is why it’s so popular.

In Poland the education system is expensive and inaccessible to many families, and jobs are difficult to come by. Here, Polish families can access an excellent, free education system, and hard-working and reliable but uneducated, workers can find excellent factory jobs.

Unlike in Poland, where many couples are forced to only have one child due to the costs of living, here large Polish families can feel welcome and at home.

The downside of this though, is that Polish children born in Northern Ireland, or even those who have to come to live here, are at risk of losing their Polish identity and their language.

Many Polish children come from mixed-race families, and the Polish parent is so keen to learn English that often the child’s native language is left by the wayside.

Ewelina told us: “One child at the school, an eight-year-old, told me that she went to visit her Grandmother in Poland, and her Grandmother cried because her Granddaughter could not understand her.”

The group Polish Abroad began five years ago, and offers Polish people living in Northern Ireland an opportunity to reconnect with their roots. Established in 2008, the Polish school in Strathfoyle aims to prevent Polish children from losing touch with their native identity, by ensuring that they maintain the ability to read, and write, in Polish. A fortnight ago the school held its Christmas event, designed to instill long-standing Polish traditions in local families.

“Many children know nothing about how Christmas is celebrated in Poland, they don’t know for example, that twelve dishes are served, or that we hold our main celebrations on the 24th December, so that we can attend midnight mass,” explained Ewelina.

Ewelina recently appeared on the BBC film, Slack Sabbaths? with Radio 4’s Peter Curran to talk about the importance of attending mass regularly, and it seems that much of Polish culture can be derived from the Catholic Church.

“There is a stereotype that all Polish are Catholic, but actually you can find all religious denominations,” she told us.

“But in order for Polish children to understand their heritage it is important that they learn that much of our traditions can actually be traced back to the Catholic Church, for example, the eating of the Holy Wafer.”

Developing a connection with what it means to be Polish is not the only benefit students of the Polish school will receive.

As a language teacher at St. Columb’s College, Ewelina was also able to offer insights into what opportunities will be on offer to these children later in life.

Children who develop dual language skills from a young age often acquire invaluable learning skills that will help them with all academic areas.

“Many of my students who have learnt another language are straight A* students”, Ms O’Donnell said. And it’s not just in school where these children will be set at an advantage.

“In many careers knowing a foreign language is invaluable. For example, if they want to be an IT specialist, often knowing how to read and write in an Eastern European language is very beneficial.”

The school currently has thirty seven students; one nursery level class, two primary level classes, and a GCSE level class.

However, with so many Polish people living in Northern Ireland, it is imperative that awareness of the school’s existence is raised, as many families still have no idea this invaluable service is on offer. Ewelina stressed just how much the school relies on sponsorship and donations.

“There are fifty-three Polish Schools in the UK, but unlike the ones in England, we are getting no government funding,” she said.

“Although we are hopeful that we will receive funding soon, these things are often slow to come in, and last year we had difficulty finding a wage to pay just one teacher.”

The school is currently sponsored by the St. Oliver Plunkett Primary School in Strathfoyle, which generously allows the school to use their premises free of charge, an invaluable gesture which allows the children easy and nearby access to a facility which prevents the loss of their national identity.

The lack of funding means that the school cannot afford to employ traditional means of advertising to raise awareness, and as a result, large portions of the Polish community continue to be unaware of what’s available to their families.

“We have managed to reach some of the families living in Letterkenny and Strabane,” Ms O’Donnell told us.

“But there are still many who don’t know about the school. Thereis a large Polish community living in Prehen, and we want to reach these families.” Any sponsorships or donations are greatly appreciated, “Even if it’s something like presents to give the children at Christmas time.”

It is not just for members of the Polish community to whom the school is open, they are also looking into providing interpreters or running short courses for people who want a small grasp of the Polish language; skills and services that could prove helpful to employers of Polish workers or people who would just like to learn a new skill.

You can learn more about Polish Abroad and the Polish school at www.polishabroad.co.uk or you can find the group on Facebook by searching ‘Polish Abroad’.