Lottery boost for Ballysally Primary School

A Coleraine primary school is sharing in a grants windfall from the Big Lottery Fund’s Awards for All programme.

The small grants programme is awarding a grant of £9,933 to Ballysally Primary School as part of a grants roll-out of £647,376 to 77 groups across Northern Ireland.

Ballysally Primary School will use the money to buy iPads for pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and other special needs.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Principal Geoff Dunn explained: “This will allow them to take learning at their own level and their own pace and is a great way for them to be in control of their own learning.”

Geoff explained that Ballysally has 195 pupils and a higher than average percentage of these pupils have special needs. “We hope to encourage creativity and raise academic achievement,” he said. “The iPads are very motivational and will build the child’s confidence and enjoyment of learning. They will focus on literacy and numeracy in an inspiring and creative way.

Parents will be shown how to use the iPads so they too can be involved in this aspect of their children’s learning. Mainstream children and special needs pupils will work with the iPads together, encouraging peer coaching and peer assessment in a shared learning environment.

“This is about giving the pupils at Ballysally the chance to have a good start in life and trying to make children employable in the future.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Awards for All offers community, voluntary and statutory groups the chance to apply for small grants of between £500 and £10,000 that will have a big impact on local communities and the lives of people most in need.

Application forms and guidance notes are available to download at www.awardsforall.org.uk. For more details call us on 028 9055 1455, or e-mail us at [email protected]