Welcome to Rathmore Primary School & Nursery
We give a special welcome to our new children across the year groups and of course all of our new P1 and Nursery children. We are delighted that our Nursery expansion (from part-time to full-time places) is now complete; with new spaces and staff who are ready to welcome our 52 nursery children to their full-time places.
We are proud to be a Gold Award winning UNICEF Rights Respecting School 2026-2029. This nationally assessed award recognises Rathmore PS & Nursery as a school community that places the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart, ethos, curriculum and policies, aimed at cultivating a safe, empowering and respectful environment. We have also been awarded our Eco-Green Flag 2026-2028 with Mrs Emma Henry named as Eco-Teacher of the Year. This is in recognition of her role in developing Rathmore’s culture of outdoor learning with strong emphasis on healthy living and pupil wellbeing.
While we are now unable to honour the mandate parents gave us in their ‘Yes’ vote to become Integrated, we remain immensely proud of the conversations, work and progress our school community has made around our culture of respect and inclusion. We remain committed to this journey as we seek to celebrate diversity, nurture positive relationships and promote a strong sense of belonging in school and in our ‘RathMORE Together’ community.
We are grateful to staff, governors, children and parents who engaged in our whole school review in April/May 2026. Our new School Development Plan for 2026-2029 will commence in September 2026 with updates shared via our Newsletters throughout the year. Our children have been central to renewing our Vision and Motto statements, updating them and making their language more child friendly to echo our Gold RRS in-school Class Charters. From September 2026 we will introduce a ‘Home School Partnership Charter’ to better communicate our aim to nurture a respectful, kind and inclusive school with you as parents and active partners. From September 2026 our new statements will be:
Vision Statement:
At Rathmore, we strive to create a safe and inclusive community where everyone is treated with respect and kindness and where each individual feels valued, accepted and encouraged to be themselves.
We celebrate diversity and promote teamwork, nurturing positive relationships and a strong sense of belonging.
Through meaningful learning experiences, we inspire curiosity, resilience and personal growth, empowering our pupils to grow with confidence, embrace challenges and contribute positively to the world around them.
Motto:
‘Be Kind, Belong, Become Your Best.’
At Rathmore, we believe that an inclusive culture, where every pupil feels safe, secure and valued is the foundation for effective learning, both within class and throughout our whole school community. Following the success of our 2025-2026 Intergenerational Programme, Shared Education Programme, Nature Ranger partnership, Eco & outdoor focus, Pupil Voice Councils, whole school House System and Community Day, we aim to build and extend these aspects within Rathmore, with your support. We will continue to grow a wider sense of intergenerational community along the Rathmore Road with our lead of the ‘RathMORE Together’ Community Group, partnering our local businesses, charities, churches and pre-schools.
We are pleased to support families by offering a Wrap-Around Care option from 8am to 5:45pm daily, with holiday provision in collaboration with YMCA (West Church).
We remain grateful to our ‘PTA Friends & Family’ Fundraising Committee whose financial help last year provided outdoor space structures and ICT/Literacy/Numeracy resources to enhance our children’s learning. During 2026-2027 we will target ICT, Literacy and Numeracy Resources inline with TransformED needs.
On behalf of the staff and governors of Rathmore Primary School, thank you for your ongoing support. Keep up to date with current information with our Newsletters, Seesaw, Videos & social media.
Yours sincerely,
Julie M Hardy
Principal
Rights Respecting School
Our Journey to Gold
UNICEF is recognised globally as the leading organisation championing children’s rights. The Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA) is given to schools that show a strong commitment to promoting children’s rights and ensuring that both adults and pupils value and respect the rights of others. A Silver Award is presented to schools that demonstrate significant progress in embedding the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into their ethos, curriculum, planning and everyday practice. In a Rights Respecting School, children learn about their rights, see them modelled by adults and experience them being upheld throughout the school community.
At Rathmore Primary School, we take great pride in being part of the Rights Respecting Schools programme. Working alongside UNICEF, we aim to ensure that children’s rights are understood, celebrated and actively lived out across our school. The RRSA framework supports us in placing the UNCRC at the centre of our policies, relationships and culture.
We achieved our Silver: Rights Aware accreditation in May 2025, becoming one of only 16 schools in Northern Ireland to hold this award. We are now working towards the Gold: Rights Respecting level.
Achieving Gold means demonstrating that children’s rights are firmly embedded in every aspect of school life, not only taught, but consistently practised, championed and used to guide decision-making.
Our journey towards Gold is a whole-school effort, with our Rights Respecting Ambassadors, staff, governors and the wider Rathmore community all playing an important role in helping children’s rights strengthen throughout our school.
Pupil Voice — Article 12: The Right to Be Heard
Our Rights Respecting Ambassadors began the year by leading a whole-school assembly on Article 12, which states that every child has the right to express their views and have them taken seriously. They introduced the ABCDE of Rights and helped set the tone for our Rights Respecting learning throughout the year.
Anti-Bullying Week — Article 19: The Right to Be Safe
During Anti-Bullying Week, our Ambassadors led an assembly focused on Article 19, reminding everyone that every child has the right to feel safe, respected and protected from harm. They highlighted the adults and systems in place to support pupils and encouraged everyone to speak up if they witness unkind behaviour.
Rights Around Our School — Article 24: The Right to Clean Water
As part of ensuring rights are visible in our environment, Ambassadors completed a Rights Respecting walk-through of the school. New displays were added across the building, including posters beside water fountains highlighting Article 24, the right to clean drinking water.
UNICEF OutRight Campaign — Article 6 & Article 22: The Right to Life, Survival & Protection in Emergencies
Our P4 Ambassadors took part in this year’s UNICEF OutRight Campaign, learning about why international aid is vital and how children’s rights must be protected during crises. This work links strongly with Article 6 (the right to life and development) and Article 22 (protection for children in emergency situations).
Local Community Engagement — Article 12: The Right to Have a Say in Decisions
At the end of January, some Ambassadors met with members from the Ards and North Down Borough Council and pupils from Strangford College to discuss how the borough could become more child-friendly. This gives pupils a real opportunity to use their voice beyond school, demonstrating Article 12 in action.
Visit from NICCY — Article 4: Duty of Government to Uphold Rights
In February, our Rights Respecting Ambassadors proudly showcased their ongoing work as we welcomed Chris Quinn, Northern Ireland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People. During the visit, pupils demonstrated how children’s rights are embedded throughout school life—how they learn, how they treat one another and how they take action in their community.
To recognise their outstanding leadership, each Ambassador received a special ‘Rights Defender’ badge from the Commissioner. The visit was an inspiring and encouraging experience for pupils and staff alike, celebrating our continued commitment to fostering a caring, inclusive and rights-respecting environment for all.
This visit supports Article 4, which requires government and public bodies to ensure children’s rights are realised.
Community Day — Linking to Articles 29 and 6
At our Community Day, our Rights Respecting Ambassadors will be running a fun and engaging competition, “Who can name the most children’s rights?”, and a fundraising stall to support the UNICEF Shop. This connects closely to Article 6, the right to life, survival and development, as the resources purchased through UNICEF help protect children’s health, safety and wellbeing around the world.
The money raised will help provide essential items such as:
- Soap to support cleanliness and good health
- Blankets to keep babies warm and safe
- School supplies so children everywhere can access education
- Clean water kits to ensure families have safe drinking water
- Vaccines and first-aid supplies that protect children from illness and disease
Through these activities, pupils are not only learning about their rights but actively upholding the rights of others, showing empathy, global awareness and a strong sense of responsibility.
