Send-off postponed for popular Academy Primary School principal

Send-off postponed for popular Academy Primary School principal

15 April 2020

SAINTFIELD school principal Stephen Moore admits he has been close to tears several times over the past few weeks.

The principal of Academy Primary School says he has agonised, sometimes late at night, over whether or not to keep his school open in the early weeks of the coronavirus lockdown.

He also admits to feeling emotional clearing out his office ahead of his deputy, Mr Richard Fegan, officially taking over as principal from August 31.

After nearly 27 years at the Listooder Road School, Mr Moore is retiring.

His retirement could not have come at a more challenging time, but he leaves his school in the best of hands with his 22 teaching staff and 32 non-teaching staff.

The school has been looking after the children of NHS staff and key workers since the lockdown. It’s a service he says he and his staff have been proud to offer.

He has pupils whose parents are key NHS medics, including a couple who are both respiratory consultants, and knows the need to provide a place of shelter and safety for children of key workers is critical.

“Even if I had to keep the school open for one child of an NHS worker, it would be worth it,” he said. “My head has said ‘shut the school’ like the rest of them, but my heart says we are in this together and we’ve got to do our part.

“However, I’m not condemning any school who has closed as they have probably done so for the best of reasons.

“I sat in tears on Sunday evening as I didn’t know what I was doing was right in keeping the school open or not. We are one of the few schools offering cover for the weekends and all over Easter. Not one of my staff refused to come in to take a turn to keep the school open.

“I’ve had 30 or more people offering to come in and help. I’ve a great staff and they all pull together. At the end of the day, we have done our very best to safeguard the children and staff.”

Thankfully, Mr Moore has not received any reports of coronavirus amongst his pupils and staff, and he hopes that this status will continue.

Known for not taking himself too seriously, Mr Moore has been entertaining and educating his pupils with hilarious Facebook videos of himself as educator turned entertainer. Using his considerable wit and cuddly toys as pretend schoolchildren, the principal of 22 years has taught mathematics, the importance of punctuation and much more over the last few weeks.

He describes the incoming principal, Mr Fegan, as “almost like a son to me”, and is equally proud of his other two former vice-principals, Mr Niall Stevenson and Mrs Lorna Stitt (nee Bell), who left the school to become principals of Downpatrick Primary School and  Portavogie Primary School respectively.

Mr Moore taught in primary schools in Belfast and Lisburn after he qualifying in 1986. He came to Academy as vice-principal in September 1992 and taught a composite P6-P7 class.

He took over as principal from Mr George Smyth just five years later. The school at that time only had 280 children — it now has 463 children registered with double classes in all year groups and the nursery.

“I was appointed acting principal and I’ve been acting principal ever since,” quips Mr Moore.

“The highlights for me have been many. It’s been a honour not only to see children develop and flourish, but also my staff. I’m delighted with how my vice principals have gone on in their careers and that Mr Fegan has now been confirmed as the incoming principal after first coming here as a student teacher.

“I’ve taken as much pleasure at seeing how some of my former pupils have fared in their careers and life as much as our AQE results, which are excellent. The school has also had three outstanding inspection reports in my time and apart from perhaps three rooms, the school has been completely refurbished.

“The children are great ambassadors and a lot of them go on to to Down High School or Saintfield High School or Belfast grammar schools and quite often end up as head boy or head girl.”

His official send-off — a special assembly with an evening function at Temple Golf Club on June 26 — has been postponed.

“Personally, it’s not ideal but there are people losing their lives, incomes, jobs, business are crashing, doctors and nurses putting their lives on the line, I will come back at a later stage and there will be a chance for everyone to say goodbye, ” said Mr Moore.

“To be honest, I’m more upset for the P7s as most of them have been with us for eight years. We’ve had to cancel going to Edinburgh, their leaving show which was going to be The Lion King in my honour.”

He said that his greatest delight at the school has been his pupils.

“They are the main reason for my lengthy tenure. It has been a joy to be their principal,” he added.

“It has also been an honour to have worked alongside the board of governors, both past and present, who have shared my vision for the school and supported me in its realisation.

“I am indebted in particular to the late Rev Alan Delamere, Mr David Donnan, Mr Geoffrey Perrin and currently Mr Peter Shaw for their leadership at the helm.

“The current members of our teaching and non-teaching staff continue to reflect the professional dedication and loving care of their predecessors. I have been truly blessed to have a staff who have had a collective desire to put children first.”

Mr Moore also paid tribute to the parents and guardians for their “daily partnership with the staff and your personal support to me as principal for over two decades”.

He and his wife, Lynne, who live in Saintfield, share five children together and he says retirement will bring him a chance for them both to travel – when the travel ban is lifted – and for him to devote more time to his beloved sports — he’s a major football and rugby fan.

He has been approached to do some educational consultancy work when he is officially retired but is happy to limit that to just several days a week.

Mr Moore added: “I can honestly say that during my time at Academy I have never wished that I had been a school leader anywhere else or that I was employed in an alternative profession.

“I will definitely shed a tear or two when I go. They will get over me, of course, as nobody is irreplaceable, but I will certainly miss the children and staff. I will not miss the responsibility of the day to day running of the place, but I’m a social animal and I will really miss everyone.”