The Wallace High School Preparatory Department has had two major successes in two weeks! Firstly an Inspection Team visited the school on 13 and 14 May and the findings of the Inspection are very pleasing.
Among highlighted as outstanding are standards in information and communication technology. The individual use of iPads is highlighted as an outstanding feature which helped ensure the outstanding achievements.
Other areas of strength highlighted in the report are the teachers’ child-centred approach to learning, the children’s application of their thinking skills and problem-solving capabilities to a range of learning activities, and the teachers’ use of skilful questioning.
Wallace Prep has always prided itself on being a close knit family. Mrs O’Hare expressed her delight that the quality of the pastoral care has been assessed as outstanding. She commented “To have our pastoral care arrangements assessed as outstanding with the inclusive ethos, mutual respect and excellent working relationships at all levels highlighted is very pleasing. My colleagues and I feel proud that the Inspection Team has concluded our children feel happy in school, enjoy their learning and the range of extra-curricular activities.”
“I am delighted also that the excellent leadership of our relatively new Head of Department, Mrs Corinne Latham has been recognised. She is identified as providing outstanding strategic and pastoral leadership. In two short years she has led curricular change, shown a real interest in continuing professional development of her very able staff and focused her efforts on the development of the children and their learning. The confidence our parents have in her was very clearly demonstrated in the questionnaires returned. She has been a key appointment to our highly talented team of staff.”
As the Preparatory Department celebrated the excellent Inspection Report, news filtered through that Mrs June Wilson, a long serving Primary 3 teacher, one of the Prep family, had won the Northern Ireland Primary School Teacher of the Year Award. Mrs Wilson has produced three decades of high quality musical performances, plays, concerts and accompanied numerous trips to London. She is well known in Lisburn and wider afield as a caring, enthusiastic, child-centred, smiling and welcoming teacher. Everyone at Wallace is delighted for Mrs Wilson.
Mrs O’Hare commented “From ‘Annie’ to ‘Oliver Twist’, from musical theatre classes after school to carol concerts and Nativity Plays, June Wilson has provided a breadth and depth to the Prep Department’s curriculum. She is an absolute one-off, a teacher who provides a unique learning environment and has done so for two generations of families of Wallace Prep children. Mrs Wilson enjoys seeing our children’s confidence grow, watches them with interest as they move from the Prep to the grammar school and continues to show an interest in our former pupils as they develop into adults, many sending their children to the Prep School. She is a most deserving recipient of this accolade.”
Last modified: June 11, 2013
