The Integrated Education Fund has heard with great sadness of the death of Margaret Kennedy, one of the founders of integrated education in Northern Ireland.  Margaret was crucial to the early days of the All Children Together (ACT) movement which led to the establishment of Lagan College, which opened in 1981.  She was a teacher herself and a committed member of the Church of Ireland – one of the earliest Protestants to join ACT.  She was active in many early meetings with the church hierarchy as ACT sought support for the 1978 Education Act, which enabled schools to transform to integrated ethos.  It was important to ACT that integrated schools were Christian in character and had pastoral support from clergy of all denominations. (more…)

The Department of Education has announced a review of the current home to school transport policy.

The aim of the review is to ensure that home to school transport is fit for purpose and is sustainable over the long term.

In the region of 84,000 pupils are currently eligible for transport assistance which is around 26% of the school population.  The cost of home to school transport provision is approximately £81 million per year. The review will not consider home to school transport for children with a statement of special educational needs which specifies a special transport need. (more…)

On Wednesday (28 November) there was great excitement at Hazelwood Integrated College in North Belfast when Year 8 students welcomed the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds basketball team. Eight college teams from across the United States arrived in Belfast for the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic at the SSE Arena. Hazelwood IC were lucky enough to be selected as the link school for the Blackbirds. (more…)

Noelle Buick, Chief Inspector of the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) today launched her biennial report covering the period 2016-2018.

The report – Learning Lessons: Inspiring People: Putting Learners First – sets out the strengths identified as well as the key challenges facing education and training in Northern Ireland.

Speaking at the launch at Riddel Hall, Noelle said: “Education and training has many positives which should be celebrated.  There are many exceptional leaders, teachers, lecturers and youth workers who are inspirational and put learners’ needs first. As inspectors we pride ourselves on being an advocate for the learner.  Given the opportunity, we are able to promote improvement to ensure children and young people not only realise but surpass their potential.” (more…)

Children at Maine Integrated Primary School in Randalstown had a fantastic day of creativity when the celebrated author and illustrator, Nick Sharratt, visited the school earlier this month.  Nick involved all 120 pupils in reading, writing and drawing workshops as part of an initiative between BookTrust NI and Belfast International Airport.  BookTrust is the charity dedicated to getting children reading to support language skills, creativity and personal development. (more…)

The UK Chancellor, Philip Hammond MP, visited Rowandale Integrated Primary School in Moira today (Friday 23rd November) to deliver a massive boost to the school and 17 other integrated schools throughout Northern Ireland.

The Chancellor confirmed that Rowandale would receive government funding, not simply to replace their current temporary accommodation but to provide a brand-new, 14-classroom school. The commitment is part of a £300 million capital investment in integrated and shared education in Northern Ireland announced in his autumn budget statement. (more…)