Ukrainian students feel part of a loving Tipperary Town community

St Joseph’s primary school in Tipperary Town has now welcomed over a dozen Ukrainian pupils to the school.
“They have all settled in so well. They are happy, they are making friends. There has been such a welcome and acceptance of diversity in our school,” said principal Louise Tobin.

St Joseph’s has been fortunate to source a teacher, Olha Hnativ, whose daily presence has helped ensure a happy and secure transition for the girls.

“Olha helps greatly to settle in the new pupils and then supports their learning on a daily basis,” said the school principal.
“Olha is the bridge between them and their new school setting with of course the language barriers and cultural differences,” said Louise Tobin.

Olha Hnativ, who has a Master’s Degree in interpreting, taught children and adults in Kyiv before the invasion. Olha reports that the Ukrainian girls love school in Ireland.
“The school day is shorter in Ireland, with a more varied curriculum, including music, drama, PE and art, whereas back in the

Ukraine, school was mainly focussed on maths and language learning,” said Olha.
Olha said the children she works with in the school feel happy and safe in Ireland, but they also suffer from an aching sense of loss.

They are among the 13,000-plus Ukrainian pupils who have been enrolled in schools across Ireland since the Russian invasion. Of that figure, just over 8,500 have been accommodated in primary schools while 4,800 pupils have enrolled in post-primary schools.

The response of schools in meeting the needs of Ukrainian pupils is seen by many as a success story.
The team at St Joseph’s are working to ensure children’s families feel part of the wider community.
That was the idea behind a recent parents evening, where mothers and fathers of Ukrainian and Syrian children gathered with their children around bags of Tayto and mugs of hot chocolate.

“There was a great turnout – the parents were anxious to meet us and learn more about the schools,” said Ms Tobin.
“They are ambitious, determined people and they want to make the best of a bad lot. So, they are delighted their children are learning English and not missing out,” she said.

The view among teachers is that the girls have settled in well and made friends and they seem especially strong at maths and enjoy art and sports.
“In St Joseph’s we don’t delve into children’s histories but allow them to discuss their experiences in their own time. When new girls start, we try not to talk about war and what they’ve been through. It is traumatic for them. We focus on building trust and confidence. Maybe after a few weeks they will talk about it themselves, and it may be good for them to do so. It all depends,” said Olha, the Ukrainian teacher.

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“Over here students feel safe and part of a loving community. Just the other day two new girls started. They are already making new friends. They’re not afraid of new experiences. That is something to be very grateful for,” said Olha.
Other teachers of Ukrainian pupils at St Joseph’s report that the girls are getting on great, settled in seamlessly and are great fun and so open to every new experience, The school has also welcomed children from Syria and has children from over 23 nationalities in the school, all happy and enjoying their education and socialisation at St Joseph’s.