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Mitchell House is a Belfast Education and Library Board co-educational special school for children with physical disabilities.
Located in east Belfast, the school offers places for up to 80 children between the ages of 2 and 19 years. The school includes the Nursery Pre-School Assessment Unit, Primary and Secondary departments. Children normally enter the Nursery in the year following their second birthday for a period of two years. At the end of this assessment period children move on to Primary 1 in Mitchell House or to another special or mainstream school.
Pupils move through the Primary and Secondary schools according to the school promotion policy, normally following a two-year cycle in line with Key Stages.
The staff consists of Principal, Vice-Principal, 11 full time and 3 part-time assistant teachers, 21 classroom and 4 general assistants. In addition the school has Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy departments and a Nurse assistant.
Visits to the school can be arranged by contacting the Principal. |
In 1886 Mr. Mitchell acquired for £4000 the house and small estate of “Marmont” at Strandtown on the outskirts of Belfast. The house contained four reception rooms, a billiards room, seven bedrooms and three servants bedrooms.
In 1955 “Marmont” was offered to the Northern Ireland Council for Orthopaedic Development. Suggested use was as a school for some thirty disabled young people.
On the 20th November 1961, after delays, Mitchell House School was opened with eight resident children.
By 1971 Mitchell House was one of nine special schools operating in Belfast, and in 1973 was transferred from NICOD to the Belfast Education Authority. From then, the school has gone from strength to strength. 1974 seen the opening of the senior classes with children boarding in 1978. 1980 saw the acquisition of the Boathouse in Millisle, which was officially opened on the 23rd January 1982.
Thanks to fundraising by Friends of Mitchell House, an indoor soft play room was provided in 1991, and 2 years later the same group raised money for an outdoor play area complete with safe surface to avoid injury.
During the past few years we have had additional classrooms provided, June 1992 saw the opening of the Science Room and one year later the Information Technology Room. A Technology and Design room was opened in June 1995.
In September 1997 building started on a purpose built brick nursery. This was officially opened in June 1998.
For a powerpoint show by the senior pupils click here.
EXTRAS
Class pages
Here are some links to websites which you might find useful and interesting.
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