Beyond the call of duty

A teacher at Holy Cross school is up for an award, writes Richard Garner

Stories of heroism above and beyond the call of duty will be two a penny at this weekend's BBC Teacher of the Year Awards. But few will rival that of Betty Quinn, who has already won the Northern Ireland primary teacher of the year award.

Betty's life history is dramatic because she teaches at Holy Cross girls' primary in the Ardoyne Road, on the front line between Protestant and Catholic communities in Belfast. It's a Catholic school in the eye of a grim sectarian storm where last year the pupils and their parents had to face a gauntlet of hate as they walked through loyalist protesters each day. Throughout the violence and the death threats, Betty Quinn, 56, remained calm, helping to set up a network for pupils who needed counselling. She helped their parents, too, according to the headteacher, Anne Tanney. "It was very useful for them – they used to arrive at the school in tears."

The counselling worked as follows. Betty and some colleagues spoke to the teachers to find out which children were showing signs of trauma and stress. Then they went into the community to talk to their parents. In some cases, both children and parents were referred to counsellors for help.

Another innovation she introduced when the demonstrations broke out was "circle time" – when pupils sit in a circle and talk about what is troubling them.

She is unstinting in her praise for the rest of the staff who never missed a day of school – despite the death threats. "They realised the children needed them to be there for them," she said. "Once the children were inside the school, it was a safe haven." Originally the staff planned to put the school in for a special award so that everyone could share in it. But the awards recognise the work of individual teachers and that idea had to be abandoned. Instead the staff got together and voted for Betty's name to be put forward.

The protests have stopped now – though the tensions are still there. One of the fall-outs from the demonstrations is that links with a Protestant school, Wheatfield, across the road, have had to be abandoned but Betty Quinn hopes that – in the long-term –they will be re-established.

The award ceremony takes place at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, WC2, on Sunday and will be screened on BBC1 on 3 November