The World Around Us

Geography will be taught in a practical and experiential way. Pupils will have opportunities to carry out work in the classroom, inside the school, in the school grounds, in the immediate locality and further afield

Through the study of history our pupils should become aware of ways in which the past affects the present. They get to know their own life story and that of their families.

Through a variety of methods and practical experiences we aim to develop each child's investigative skills and encourage the children to make decisions concerning their health, well being and care of their environment.

Global Perspectives

In Holy Cross Girls' Primary School our children learn to respect diversity and different traditions and cultures. The school has a strong link with St Theresa's School in Uganda which has resulted in the school achieving the 'Primary School International Development Award'. Teachers from both schools visit annually to exchange topic work done be the children and to share teaching experiences.

We are part of the Global Learning Programme which helps schools across Northern Ireland bring global learning into the classroom, teaching them about a fair and sustainable world and giving them the tools to be active citizens in our ever changing world. We have assemblies and workshops run by organisations which highlight the importance of taking action. Pupils have the opportunity to take part in initiatives and campaigns to make a change in the world, such as supporting our Fair Trade Campaigns and the Send My Friend to School Campaign. You are never too young to make a difference!

Our Fair Trade Advent Campaign

The assembly hall in Uganda which we have helped to build

Cultural Heritage

Pupils are encouraged to explore cultural heritage through study of games, music, dance, stories, customs and festivals of people in their own area, in the rest of Ireland and in other selected areas. They are taught to realise the interdependence of people in the community, and in the world.

Irish is taught in Primary 4, 5, 6 and 7. Each year the girls participate in The Belfast Inter Schools Feis and have held the shield for best overall school in poetry for the last 2 years. This year we are proud to have retained the poetry shield and have won the shield for conversation for the first time.

RHS 5 Star Gardening School

We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded RHS School Gardening Award Level 5. This is the highest level that we can attain through the RHS School Gardening awards. It is a fantastic achievement and we are very proud of the work that is on going in our school garden. Make sure you check out the new "RHS 5 Star Gardening School" plaque at the front entrance to the school. Well done to all the girls who have worked hard to achieve this and a big thank you to everyone who has supported and will hopefully continue to support us in our gardening efforts!

Hastings Hotels Schools Project

Holy Cross Girls’ was one of five Northern Ireland schools (with pupils ranging from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 4) who embarked on a journey with the Hastings Hotels Group and Jilly Dougan in 2016 to create an edible garden at each of their six hotels (including one on the roof of the Europa Hotel). As part of their commitment to sustainability, the development programme of herb and edible flower gardens gave the culinary teams at the hotels an assured abundance of seasonal produce on a daily basis. They believed that exposure to growing even a small amount of food in a school environment can help introduce children to real food.

https://ccea.org.uk/growing/docs/Case_Studies/HolyCross_Case_Study_Final.pdf