St Mary’s was delighted to host the annual West Belfast Partnership Board (WBPB) Easter School from Tuesday, 11 to Friday 14 April 2023. The event, which is supported by the Department of Education and Full Service Community Network, runs over the Easter break and is designed to help support pupils in their upcoming GCSE English and Mathematics exams.

Attending this year were pupils from seven schools in the West Belfast area: St Mary’s Christian Brothers Grammar School, La Salle College, All Saints College, Colaiste Feirste, St Genevieve’s High School, St Louise’s Comprehensive College and St Dominic’s Grammar School. Also in attendance were pupils who are resident in West Belfast but who attend schools outside the Electoral Area.

A number of fully-qualified teachers and student teachers from St Mary’s worked with the pupils in groups focussing on the particular areas of weakness and concern as well as examination technique and study skills.

The students and teachers reported positively on the Easter School:

Sedra (pupil): “For individuals struggling with Maths, English or both, I would 100% recommend attending the Easter School at St Mary’s as there is a lot of support provided to help achieve a higher grade”.

David (pupil): “Great staff, very helpful and amazing to work with”.

Faith (pupil): “If someone is struggling with Maths or English the Easter School is a fantastic service.”

Michael Murphy (teacher): “Staff and pupils were brilliant. The St Mary’s students were very helpful and the pupils were a credit to their schools.”

Angela Mervyn from the West Belfast Partnership Board said:

“We are delighted with the success of Easter School hosted superbly by St Mary’s once again this year. The week could not have gone any better with all of the kids who attended benefitting from the fantastic service provided by our teachers and support staff. The children of West Belfast will always be our priority and we hope that the WBPB Easter School will once again have a positive impact on grades, as has been the case every year since its inception.”