A school principal in a sector in Northern Ireland some feared the end of has said there is a bright and exciting future for preparatory departments.
Leonora Martin recently took the helm at Penrhyn, an all-girls preparatory department for Strathearn School in east Belfast which dates back to 1953.
It is one of 12 prep schools across Northern Ireland, which are termed semi-private, receiving some funding from government but relying mostly on fees.
That number has fallen following a cut to prep school funding by former Stormont education minister Caitriona Ruane in 2009.
Leonora Martin speaking to pupils outside Penrhyn in east Belfast (Liam McBurney/PA)
Earlier this year, Methodist College in south Belfast announced the closure of one of its two prep departments.
Under the current budgetary position, preps are set to receive around £671.59 per pupil, compared with the average of £3,492 per pupil at primary schools.
This is on the basis that boards of governors in preps can charge a tuition fee. These tuition fees range from £4,000 to £6,500 per year at different preps.
Comparatively, fees at prep schools in the south of England can be around £25,000 per year.
Penrhyn, an all-girls preparatory department for Strathearn School in east Belfast, dates back to 1953 (Liam McBurney/PA)
In 2022/23, Penrhyn had a total enrolment of 140 girls, with 10 in P1, increasing each year to 24 in P7.
Ms Martin said she sees a bright future for prep schools, with smaller class sizes an attraction along with specialised teaching and, in the case of Penrhyn, one of the only single-sex school options for young girls in Northern Ireland.
“This is a really exciting school, and I know colleagues in other prep schools feel the same,” she told the PA news agency.
“We can think creatively and mark ourselves out, and we have an important role to play in education in Northern Ireland.
“Penrhyn, Strathearn Prep, is really alive and kicking.
“Whilst our classes are small, that’s intentional. Not because we are under threat of numbers. We’re in a very firm, secure place and I’m really excited about the future.”
In terms of charging fees, Ms Martin said: “It comes down to choice in terms of people deciding how they would like to spend their money I guess.
“Parents are getting great value for money when you compare it to England.”
Ms Martin comes to the job following a career in the art world before retraining as a teacher and working at private schools in England.
She generally commended the education system in Northern Ireland as “incredible”, pointing to the quality of state exam results obtained.
“It’s a very well structured, world-renowned system,” she said, adding that prep schools play their part in it.
“We’re preparing children for secondary school, yes, but in my mind, I’m thinking about how we’re preparing them for their future – how we prepare them for tomorrow to enjoy school but also their lifelong skills of collaborating, discussing, and that’s such a vital skill these days.”
Ms Martin said included among her staff are fantastic musicians, as well as science expertise and forest school experience.
“Going forward my challenge is to develop a timetable where we’re obviously focused on English and maths because those are skills children need, but how can I develop the curriculum here to really give the children a little taster of all these other opportunities that can be available to them, and draw on the expertise and passion of the teachers in the school,” she said.
“That would be similar to independent schools in England so I can draw upon my past experience of the prep schools that I have worked in.
“I think about how we as a fee-paying school can justify the fee. That via small class sizes, specialised teaching, and we’ve got a senior school just a stone’s throw away where we can use the ICT rooms and the sports facilities.
“All of those opportunities, you won’t necessary find in primary schools in the vicinity.”
Ms Martin also said while as a single sex school, they can understand girls and how they learn, they are not insular in a co-ed world.
She said they have links with a nearby boys prep and secondary school.
“I’m really looking forward to developing Penrhyn in the community, what we can do to help, how can we interact and all of those opportunities bring up co-ed opportunities,” she said.
“I think that single sex environment is appealing because I think every child’s voice here is heard and I would be at great pains to make sure that every child has the opportunity to be heard and listened to.
“I think it’s less about being a girls school but the ethos and the finished product in P7 in terms of very eloquent children about to articulate their thoughts, explain their thinking and learning and not get flustered by talking to an adult.”
Ms Martin worked with royal collections and in stately homes during her art career. She said both careers involved working for the public and teaching about the collections.
She was based for some time at St James’s Palace where the Royal Collection has its base, but also worked at other residences.
After earning her PGCE, Ms Martin started as a teacher at a prep school close to Bristol before moving to another school where she rose to the position of deputy head (academic).
She said she was drawn to Northern Ireland where she had spent much of her childhood visiting her grandparents.
“We spent every holiday in Co Antrim and Donegal, lots of family connections, then the job came up here so it has all fallen into place,” she said.
“Every day I feel more at home. Whilst it is obviously a change having lived the working aspect of my life in England, it is very much like coming home, and I’m familiar with Belfast and familiar with the education system over here.”
A Department of Education spokesperson said a development proposal for the consolidation of preparatory school provision within Methodist College from September 1 2024 is currently being considered by the minister.