Students and staff at Slemish College, Ballymena, welcomed Baroness May Blood of the Integrated Education Fund and Sir Bruce Robinson of the Irish American Partnership (IAP) on Thursday (14 February).  The guests were delighted to open officially the College’s new ‘wellness’ room which was funded by their respective organisations. A former science store has been transformed thanks to generous donations totalling £8000 and Baroness Blood and Sir Bruce were interested to see how the money has been spent. (more…)

Our conference ‘Education: We All Have a Role to Play’ was held on Thu 7 February 2019 in Riddel Hall, Belfast. The IEF would like to send our thanks to all our contributors: Baroness May Blood, Dr Dirk Schubotz (QUB/ARK), Mairead McCafferty (NICCY), Eileen Chan-Hu (CRAICNI), Katrina Murphy & Eimear McKeown (New-Bridge Integrated College), Jayne Thompson (ParentKind), Charmain Jones (Rural Community Network) and also to Peter Osborne (Community Relations Council) who expertly chaired the event. We are really grateful that you were all willing to take part in our conference! (more…)

A recent poll of Holywood parents carried out by LucidTalk has shown that most would like a school for their children which is openly welcoming to pupils from all sections of the community – and a massive 89% of those questioned said they would support their local primary school becoming integrated. (more…)

ESB Science Blast is coming to Belfast this summer, and the hosts want as many primary schools as possible to get involved and celebrate the incredible scope of science. And the RDS (Ireland’s Philanthropic Society), which is behind the event, is offering help with travel costs for schools taking part.

The event, at Belfast Waterfront Hall on 05 and 06 June, offers a showcase for primary science projects, along with a day-long programme of educational entertainment, tailored for a primary school-aged audience. This year, this will include two BBC presenters on the amazing chemistry of food and the incredible possibilities of maths. (more…)

Over the past two decades, society has been transformed. We have witnessed changes that many, if not most of us, would have had difficulty imagining possible not so long ago. Continuing to build a transformed and more shared society is a key priority for government. Integrated education, which provides exciting opportunities for children and young people from different community backgrounds to learn together, has an important role to play in that process. (more…)

Many parents tell us they support integrated education – and more people are becoming aware that it is possible for schools to become integrated with parents’ support. Now the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) and the Integrated Education Fund (IEF) have produced Integration Works – A Short Guide to Integrated Education especially for parents. (more…)