User:Spanakop/Apostolos Andreas Greek School, Birmingham

Apostolos Andreas Greek School, Birmingham is a school that is attached to the Dormition of the Mother of God and St Andrew Cathedral.

The Greek School of St Andreas in Birmingham was founded in 1958. It was initially housed in a traditional Greek coffee shop (kafeneio) owned by Andreas and Margarita Konstantinou in Lozells. Later on, the school moved to the premises of the church of Apostolos Andreas. In the early 60’s, the number of students increased significantly due to the influx of Cypriot immigrant families. The rooms of a British school in the area were rented out so that over 260 students could be accommodated.

For about the next 40 years, the school was housed in various British schools in the city of Birmingham and in rooms behind the church, used temporarily. On November 23rd 2002, the inauguration of the new building took place in the presence of Archbishop Grigorios. Since then, our school has been housed next to the church, in its own separate premises.

A great number of important people and teachers have joined our school over the years. One of the most pre-eminent was Bishop Eirinaios, who served for over 30 years and also became the school’s Headmaster.

But the most important figure in our school and in its history is Mr. Christophoros Cartoudis, who has been teaching at our school since 1961. He is currently the Headmaster, teaching the grandchildren of his students! Even the warmest thank you seems insufficient considering his dedication to our school and his hard work over the years.

In 1995 our school became an examination centre, hosting students from various schools every year.

For the past 10 years, the Cypriot Ministry of Education has been appointing teachers to Greek Schools throughout the UK through the Cyprus Educational Mission (C.E.M).