Historical page

The Ulster schools for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind were founded in 1832, There were on1y 7 pupils and they were taught in a church vestry in Donegall Street, Belfast.

The first blind pupils entered the school in 1836. By this time the school had become residential and moved to a building in College Street.

In 1843 a new school bui1ding was started on Lisburn Road Belfast. This building was opened in 1845 and remained in use until 1961.

In the early days, pupils rose at 6 o'clock in the morning during the summer and at 7 during the winter. School began an hour after rising and lasted for two hours when there was a break for breakfast. The next session of the school lasted from 10 until 1, when everyone stopped for dinner.

Afternoon sessions began at 3 and continued till 5 or 5.30. There was also a final period devoted to homework and prayers. All pupils had to be in bed before 9 o'clock and no lights were allowed anywhere in the school after 10 o'clock.

Meals in those days were monotonous. Breakfast was usually porridge and buttermilk or bread and sweet milk. Dinner consisted mostly of boiled beef and potatoes or broth made from ox shin, Food in the school was generally better than that available to the majority of children throughout the county.

With the opening of the new bui1ding, many more subjects were taught in the school. Deaf boys were taught woodwork, tailoring and printing. Deaf girls were taught needlework and laundry. The Blind were taught instrumental music, rope making, oakum picking and basketry.

In 1923 local education authorities became responsible for the payment of any school fees. At the same time a great improvement in the running of the school took place. Food was better , school hours reduced and more subjects added. In order to provide for the better education provided a new block was added in 1936. For The first time each teacher in the school had his or her own classroom.

In the 1920's and 30's pupils of the school joined the scouts and guides movements. This brought then into contact with outsiders. Successful camps were run and for the first time some boys learned to do such interesting things as cooking and fire lighting.

Just before the 1939 war, several pupils distinguished themselves at the Belfast music festival, whilst the school choir also gained one of the school cups.

In 1941., after the air raids on Belfast, the school was transferred to Millisle where operated under difficult conditions till the beginning of 1946. To meet the needs of the 1947 Education Act it became necessary to build a new school. Before the War between 60 and 70 pupils attended the school at any given time, but this was only a small proportion of those that should have been attending/

When the new school was built the authorities took the opportunity to introduce new ideas into education., which for the first time took into account the special needs for teaching the blind, partially sighted, deaf and partially deaf. This set the pattern for the school as it now exists.

This brief history was taken from a School Magazine called "Jordanstown Journal" which cost 10p and was produced around 1972/3. The item is accredited to Mr. James Anderson and Liam Canning.

(above)Hand drawn map of school grounds.
Does not include mobile classrooms etc.
Some other buildings are missing.

I am not sure what year the above map was produced but assume it is after 1974 as there is a new building beside the canteen shown, when I left in 1973 the foundations were just being dug! I have discovered during a recent visit that there are a couple of buildings missing. I will have to investigate what they are and add them as soon as possible. There is an extension to the woodwork room. On the VI department there is now only one mobile classroom where there were three and an added mobility area behind the mobile.

(above) Black and white photograph approx 1979.
Shows pupils Peter Leach, Stephen Spiers, Richard Spiers and Margaret Clarke.
With Dean Houston at the Blind Center N.I.
This was the main team for a talking magazine called "New Dimension"

Additional information has been supplied and it appears that in the late 1950s the school had a number of Day or non boarders. The Day pupils were ferried to and from the building by local taxi.

The school building no longer exists but the site can be found on the Lisburn Road where the current Dunluce Health Center is alongside a teaching facility belonging to either Queens University or the City Hospital.

(above) Colour photograph of Margaret Clarke after leaving school

This page was last updated on Thursday February 17, 2005


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A BRIEF HISTORY