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Braidside Integrated Primary & Nursery School
Emergency School Closure - Storm Éowyn Dear parents and guardians,I am writing to inform you that, due to anticipated severe weather conditions, all schools in Northern Ireland are required to close tomorrow, Friday 24 January 2025. The Met Office has issued a red alert, which covers all of Northern Ireland, and will apply from 7am on Friday until 2pm. This warns of "very dangerous conditions" and "widespread disruption".Arrangements are being made to allow remote learning for pupils to work at home. We will communicate information via Seesaw (for FS/KS1) and via the website (KS2). Teachers may also send home resources/hard copies of work today for use tomorrow.Thank you,J McAuley | Nursery and P1 Applications for Sept 2025 Thank you to everyone who attended our Open Evening on Thursday 9th. It was lovely to meet lots of parents and children as you begin your school experience. If any parent or guardian was unable to attend and would like information or an opportunity to visit, please contact the school office.  **Due to the Storm Éowyn a decision has been taken by the Department of Education to extend the Pre-School and Primary Admissions application deadline within its timetable for September 2025 admissions to 4.00 pm on Monday, 27 January 2025. **
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School Vision Statement

We aim to work together to support each child in reaching their personal and academic potential within a culture of mutual respect.

About Us / Our Ethos

Braidside IPS was founded in the belief that our school should be integrated, should welcome parental involvement, and should help each child to reach their potential within a caring ethos.

The school opened in September 1989 and moved to the current purpose-built site in September 1992 and has seen steady growth over the years. Having received DE approval in 2013 for a new school, we hope our building will be completed during the academic year 2019/20. Braidside is the only planned integrated Nursery and primary School in Ballymena. We welcome children and parents from a variety of backgrounds, and offer an environment in which the children can grow and learn together.

The staff at the school work hard to ensure that

  • the children are happy at school
  • they experience high quality teaching and learning and reach their potential
  • the needs of individual children are met effectively
  • there is good communication between staff and parents.

The school would not be here without the efforts of a founding group of parents, and we remain keen to ensure that parents feel welcome in the school and involved in their child’s education. Good communication between home and school helps the children to develop well in school and ensures positive working relationships for all.

The school has currently around 300 pupils from Nursery to P7. Our rooms provide a warm and welcoming environment for learning. We have a sports field behind the school and a large playground for the children to enjoy.

 

Our aims

  1. To provide an opportunity for children from different religious, cultural and social backgrounds to be educated together in an atmosphere where they are all equally valued.
  2. To provide a Christian rather than a secular approach which will foster a greater understanding and respect for the different traditions in the community, whilst at the same time encouraging the child to explore and value his or her own beliefs and traditions.
  3. To provide child centred education where the individual needs of the child are cared for in a caring, happy environment and one in which their creativity is encouraged.
  4. To promote the right of parents to be involved in the decision-making and community life of the school, while respecting the role of the staff as professional teachers.
  5. To ensure that all children will reach their highest personal and
  6. academic potential.
  7. To ensure that parents are involved in the process of integration, for their own sake, and not only on behalf of their children's education.
  8. Giving children an appreciation of their identity, in order to begin to appreciate the problems facing Northern  Ireland to-day.
  9. Developing a curriculum which will help the children to explore the world in which they are growing up, and to understand their own particular place in it.
  10. Developing links with other schools, and participating in a wide range of sporting, social, cultural and community activities.
  11. Encouraging self-discipline and thereby promoting positive attitudes and behaviour.
  12. To use IT to support and enhance children’s learning and to develop basic IT skills.