For just over 70 years, Lisnasharragh Primary School has held a special place in the hearts of countless pupils, parents, staff and the local community. It’s been an incredible journey for the entire school and wider community it serves in East Belfast . So much so that many of the children who attend today are in fact the third and fourth generations of their family. The numbers have grown significantly over the years. Today, Lisnasharragh PS caters for 385 pupils in 14 classrooms supported by over 40 staff. The school site has changed a lot over the years. In 2008 a multi-use Games Area was added, which is still used daily for PE lessons and sports coaching. It also boasts a fantastic soft play area, believed to be one of very few in Northern Ireland. When the school first started, staff and pupils met in the local church building and portacabins whilst building work was underway. The school officially opened in 1954 amid post-war growth and began as a modest two-storey building with around 150 pupils. The High School was also on the site at that stage. Traditionally the school has served the immediate areas of Castlereagh, Cregagh , Leadhill and Montgomery Road although many children from further afield also attend the school. Lynsey Stewart is the school’s first female and has been at the helm as Lisnasharragh Primary School marks its 70 year milestone in East Belfast鈥檚 educational history. She told Belfast Live : “The children are brilliant, the families are fabulous and we have fantastic staff who really care and value the children. We are so excited to be celebrating our 70 th anniversary and the recent celebrations have included a whole school picnic, a celebration of our musical talents with individual performers, a guitar ensemble and our very talented 80 strong school choir. “Each child and staff member also received a teddy bear as a gift to celebrate together as 70 years marks an incredible journey for our school community. “This year has been all about us celebrating our past achievements, but also looking to the future and our promise to the community to continue looking at our school innovatively and how we can best provide for our children and provide them with opportunities to be lifelong learners.” Heather Todd is a past pupil and admits that she couldn鈥檛 stay away from the place. She has been working as a classroom assistant for the last 16 years. She said: “I was a past pupil of the school back in 1975 and still fondly remember a lot of my old teachers. We are very blessed and the teaching still remains fantastic. Even my children today who also went here still talk about the fantastic chicken curry in the canteen and the pizza as well. “We do still talk about the school a lot. It’s a very warm, welcoming and friendly place and I love the family ethos.” Heather also described some of the school’s innovations of recent years: “In 2022, we opened a purpose-built Community Learning Room and it hosts the Parent & Toddler Group and is also open for wider community with 37 th Beavers and Cubs group, Belfast School of Performing Arts, Autism NI and Dyslexia NI. “A year later, we opened a new sensory room and outdoor classroom. The school operates a breakfast club each morning from 7.45 and a wrap-around care after school which benefits many of our working parents.” As a parent, Jill Baines says she couldn鈥檛 be prouder of what Lisnasharragh has done for her children. She explained: “Our journey with Lisnasharragh Primary School began when I brought my children to the Toddlers on a Wednesday morning and since then the children have had many opportunities to grow. “The children have had many learning experiences such as competing in cross country, taking music lessons in drums, guitar, woodwind, piano and brass, getting involved in Primary Engineering Programme and the Eco-Schools council and winning many competitions in girls football鈥攊t鈥檚 incredible how many opportunities the school has to offer. “As a parent I have also been involved in the PSA and have attended many fantastic workshops on how to support my child in numeracy and literacy. It鈥檚 not just about academics here; it鈥檚 about nurturing well-rounded, confident kids. I truly believe Lisnasharragh has enriched my daughter鈥檚 life in every way.” Video by Belfast Live videographer Harry Bateman. For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.