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T CAN
be done! Here is a
success story- an absorb–
ing account of School on
the Hill or Lagan College in
Belfast, Northern Ireland.
l t was founded by All Chil–
dre n Together Movement.
In this interview by John Ross
Schroede r we int r oduce the
achievement of the School on the
Hill through one of its founders,
George Hewitt.
Q: What makes the
School on the Hill dif-
olic and Protestant children and
Catholic and Protestant teachers
can be associated together under
the roof of one college or school.
Q: How many children do you have
here? How many did you start out
with and do you have plans to have
an increase by, say, 1990?
A: Fi rst, it should be understood
that 1 arn merely a trustee of the
All Chi1dren Together Movement.
There is a maintained schools com–
mittee that manages the school
College a mixture of Catholic and
Protestant children, a mixture of
boys and girls, a mixture of chi l–
dren from all sect ions of the social
stratum. We have also a mixture
with our teaching staff.
One of the things many worry
about here in Northern Ireland, or
Ulster as sorne of us call it, is the
difficulty of teaching Religious
Education (R.E.). But if you plan
your R.E. syllabus properly ít pre–
sents no difficulties whatsoever.
The way the college operates on
R.E. is, generally speak–
ferent from other com–
prehensive schools in
Northern lreland?
A: The fi rst thing that
makes it different from
all the other compre–
hensive schoo ls in
Northern lreland is
that we planned for
Catholic and Protes–
tant children to be edu–
cated side by side.
Banishing
Prejudice
ing, to have a core sub–
ject which is taught to
all children. After that
core subject, there are
denominational classes
taught by either teach–
ers who are qualified to
instruct in those disci–
plines or by clergy who
come in from the out–
side. Difficulties that
ar ise are always dis-
Another thing which
makes t his all-ability
•
tn
cussed and smoothed
out in a very intelligent
and sensible manner.
pos t-primary sc hool
different from ot her
sc hools is that it is
coed, boys and girls.
When we started, it
also had the distinction
theSchool
No difficulty has
arisen, as far as 1 am
aware, which has ever
caused any child or any
parent any distress. In
fact, the parental sup–
port for the R.E. teach-
of being an indepen-
dent school funded totally by vol–
untary contributions. Happily that
ended on the 1st April , 1984, when
the Department of Education for
Northern lreland granted what is
termed maintained status. Thi s
means that the government will
render themselves responsible for
85 percent of capital outlay, total
maintenance and they will totally
meet the salaries of all the teaching
staff.
Q: What is your fundamental pur–
pose in this school? You' re flying
somewhat in the tace of accepted
tradltion in Ulster.
A: Our basic purpose is to show
that there can be a third system of
education within the area of North–
ern I reland. To all intents the pre–
vail ing system is a Protestant-domi–
nated system. There is also a main–
tai ned system, which is to tally
Roman Catholic. We are putting
forward a third system where Cath-
October 1984
itself. However, 1 can answer these
questions in general.
Fi rst of all we started off in 1981
with 28 children- mixed Protes–
tant and Catholic, mixed boys and
girls. In the next two years we
increased the number of children
and we hope to go up to 250 in
September.
Eventually we would hope that
Lagan College would cater for
sorne 500 children. This, of course,
is a general figure. 1 believe it is the
philosophy of our movement and of
the governors of the school and the
parents that they would not wish to
exceed a figure of round about 500.
We believe that small is beautiful.
Q: How are you ac tively pursuing
the inte9ration of Catholic and
Protestant ways of lite? How does
it work out?
A: The answer to that is very sim–
ple.
It
does work; it works extreme–
ly well. We have here in Lagan
ing in
superb.
this college is absolutely
Tt
is interesting to note that
although there may be parents who
are not attached to any particular
denomination within the Christian
community, not one single chi ld has
been opted out of R.E.
Now apart from the teaching of
R.E. , we are very well aware that
there are other diffe"rences between
the two ethnic groups- if you
would like to ca11 them that- in
this part of Treland. The cultural
differences that arise are greatly
exaggerated by people who are
ignorant of the subject.
At the moment our children are
only up to 14 to 15 years of age.
But by September they will be
entering for what we ca11 here in
the United Kingdom the " O " leve!
examination, and at that point they
start on different options.
Another interesting thing about
the school is that boys and gi rls are
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