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…)

Belfast City council is inviting residents to have their say on the draft Good Relations Strategy for the city.  The strategy has been developed to provide the framework for building better community and race relations during the period of the Belfast Agenda, which sets out a vision of the city in 2035.

The council states that the aim is to develop “A Shared City…delivering inclusive growth that leaves no one behind.”

The draft document places “Lack of integrated education and shared housing” top of the list of the biggest barriers to building better community and race relations in Belfast  and says:  “Some of the stresses which Belfast currently faces are … on-going community tensions in parts of the city, parallel service delivery… segregated education and housing…”  “The persistence of segregation and separation in Belfast has left significant challenges for policy makers. The majority of children are still educated in religiously separated schools and the majority of people in social housing still live in divided communities…” (more…)