A passionate early years educator who has devoted the best part of her career to nurturing the very youngest learners has taken up the reins as the new principal of Grove Nursery School in Armagh – and she arrives with a clear and heartfelt vision for what lies ahead.
Louise Marks stepped into the role in March, bringing with her almost three decades of dedicated service in early years education, a deep commitment to inclusive practice, and a philosophy that puts every child’s wellbeing at the very centre of everything she does.
Louise, a native of Castlederg, moved to County Armagh 28 years ago and is married with three grown up children. She sums up her driving ambition for the school in just five words: “Every child, every day thriving.”
“That is what it is all about for me,” she said. “Every single child who comes through the door of this nursery deserves to feel valued, to feel safe, and to flourish. That is not an aspiration – it is the standard I hold myself and the team to, each and every day.”
Louise is no stranger to the world of nursery education. A graduate of Stranmillis College, she began her teaching career at Hardy Memorial Primary School in Richhill in 1998, moving through upper primary classes before finding her true calling in the nursery setting in 2002. For the past 25 years, she has been the nursery teacher at Hardy – delivering the preschool curriculum, leading her team, and managing all aspects of the setting’s day-to-day life in a dual-day environment.
It is a role that has shaped her enormously, and one she credits with giving her the practical grounding to step into a principalship with confidence.
“I have been very fortunate to have had such a rich and varied experience,” she said. “Leading a nursery team, identifying children with additional needs, working closely with parents and with agencies – all of that has prepared me well for this new post .”
Her academic development has kept pace with her professional journey. In 2021 she graduated from Queens University Belfast with a Master of Childhood Studies degree, having previously obtained a Master of Teaching degree in 2010 exploring children’s drawings as a guide to self-esteem and wellbeing – a topic that remains close to her heart and one that informs her whole approach to early childhood education.
“Children communicate so much before they even have the words,” she explained. “If you know how to look and listen, they will tell you everything you need to know about how they are feeling and how they are getting on.”
Louise has also been a driving force behind a number of significant initiatives over the years. Her involvement in the Aspire Preschool Shared Education project, and before that the Sharing from the Start programme, reflects a belief that early years settings have a vital role to play in building bridges across communities.
She also delivered the Getting Ready to Learn project in her previous setting – a programme of parent workshops and home learning resources built around themes including child development, health and wellbeing, and the importance of reading at bedtime.
“Parents are a child’s first and most important educators,” she said. “Everything I have done in my career has been about strengthening that relationship between home and school, because when those two worlds work together, children really do thrive.”
As she looks ahead to her new chapter at Grove Nursery School, Louise is keen to get to know her new community, listen carefully to staff, children and families, and build on the great foundations already in place.
“This is the most exciting challenge of my professional life, I cannot wait to lead the fantastic team at the Grove”.
