Category: Stranmillis News

A major new piece of research from Stranmillis University College, Effective School Leadership in Disadvantaged Areas of Northern Ireland, took centre stage at a major conference in Belfast on 18th November.  

The conference, hosted by Belfast Charitable Society at its historic home of Clifton House, was attended by more than 80 delegates from schools, statutory bodies, charities, and community organisations, and focused on the deepening crisis in Northern Ireland’s education system.  

Commissioned in February 2024 after a previous education conference at Clifton House and funded by The James Kane Foundation and the Mary Ann McCracken Foundation, the Stranmillis report highlights how visionary principals, supported by robust training and mentoring, can drive pupil wellbeing, raise aspirations, and secure academic success even in the most challenging contexts. 

The findings were presented to delegates by Professor Noel Purdy OBE, Director of Research and Scholarship and the Centre for Research in Educational Underachievement (CREU). 

“Evidence from our research shows that positive change can happen with visionary leadership,” Professor Purdy told delegates. “The report lends further weight to recent calls for greater investment in leadership training, mentoring, and succession planning within our most disadvantaged educational contexts. It should help educators and policy makers across Northern Ireland ensure schools of the future have strong leaders who are willing to apply every strategy and power they have for the benefit of the children in their community.”

Providing a community context, Jackie Redpath MBE, CEO of the Greater Shankill Partnership, spoke about the need for a strategy of locally driven change, and the importance of collaboration between communities and government. “Partnership working is tough,” he said. “It requires a level of absolute equality and shared principles, but when it works, and it does work, the results are worth it.” 

Delegates were urged to lobby policy makers, avail of the report research presented, commit to community partnerships, and most importantly of all, listen to the voices of the parents and children who are most severely impacted by ongoing education cuts and increasing levels of poverty. 

Closing the event, Paula Reynolds, Chief Executive of Belfast Charitable Society, reaffirmed the organisation’s centuries-long commitment to tackling educational inequality. “We hope that this event will raise awareness of the devastating impact that cuts and rising costs are having—particularly in areas like North Belfast—and we look forward to continuing this important conversation with educators and the local community.” 

To find out more about the findings from the CREU report, listen to a recent podcast interview with our CREU researchers here: https://www.stran.ac.uk/education-matters07112025/ 

Dr Glenda Walsh, Head of Early Years Education and Head of Doctoral Studies at Stranmillis University College, played a central role at a major national early years conference held on 30–31 October 2025 at the President Hotel Rixos in Astana, Kazakhstan. 

The landmark event — organised by the Ministries of Education, Health, Labour and Social Protection, Culture and Information of Kazakhstan, in partnership with UNICEF — brought together international experts, policymakers and academics to advance early childhood education and care (ECEC) across the region. 

Dr Walsh was invited to deliver three major presentations and participate in panel discussions throughout the two-day gathering. Her contributions drew on international evidence and practice from Ireland and beyond. 

On Thursday afternoon, she presented “Parenting Programmes: Models and Lessons Learned from Ireland”, sharing insights from her extensive research and national experience. The session attracted strong interest from professionals eager to explore transferable lessons for Kazakhstan’s evolving early years sector. 

On Friday morning, she delivered “Integrating Play-Based Approaches to Support Inclusion in Early Childhood Education”, a topic that reflects her long-standing advocacy for playful, child-centred learning. Delegates responded with marked enthusiasm, recognising the role of play in fostering belonging, thriving and joyful learning for all children. 

Later that day, her third presentation, “The Role of Technology in Shaping the Future of Early Childhood Education: Dos and Don’ts for Young Children”, sparked dynamic discussion on balancing digital innovation with healthy child development. 

A significant moment in the conference came with the Ceremony of Signing the National Inter-Sectoral Complex Plan on Early Childhood Care and Interventions, signalling Kazakhstan’s strengthened commitment to the wellbeing of its youngest citizens. 

Throughout the event, Dr Walsh engaged with an international network of researchers and leaders, including colleagues from Nazarbayev University and representatives from Europe, Central Asia and beyond. Among them were: 

• Ivelina Borisova, UNICEF 

• Joanna Juzon, Genesis Analytics, UK 

• Prof Filiz Polat, Mary Immaculate College, Ireland 

• Dr May Agius, University of Malta 

• Dr Dorina Savoschin, Ministry of Health, Moldova 

These exchanges underscored a shared global dedication to ensuring every child receives the best possible start in life. 

Dr Walsh also paid special tribute to the exceptional hospitality shown during her stay. She expressed deep gratitude to Dr Aizhan Ramazanova, who facilitated cultural visits, including a trip to a local museum, and hosted a traditional Kazakh meal. Their reconnection followed Dr Walsh’s recent examination of Dr Ramazanova’s PhD thesis at Nazarbayev University. 

She also thanked organisers Aizhan, Tatiana and Violetta for their professionalism, warmth and meticulous planning, which ensured a smooth and welcoming experience from beginning to end. 

Reflecting on the conference, Dr Walsh described the trip as both professionally enriching and personally inspiring, adding that she looks forward to returning to Kazakhstan in the future. 

Stranmillis University College Students’ Union celebrated its annual Charity Week from 3rd to 7th November, bringing together staff and students to raise money for three chosen charities: Abundant Life Uganda, The Simon Community NI, and The Niamh Louise Foundation. 

As always, the week showcased the vibrant spirit of the Stranmillis community, with a packed schedule of events designed to raise funds and bring people together in support of good causes.  

The week began on Monday with a Pool Tournament in the SU Common Room, while on Tuesday, the amazingly adventurous Stranded challenge – now in its second year – saw four pairs of students attempt to travel as far from Stranmillis as possible within 18 hours — without phones, keys, or significant funds. Their limited budget depended entirely on how much they had raised beforehand. Supporters followed their progress on Instagram via @stranmillis_su, cheering on teams Cameron and Scott, Charlie and Dylan, Aimee and Anna, and Larissa and Orlagh. Each of the teams did a tremendous job, wholeheartedly committing to the cause and getting as far away as they possible could.  

Aimee and Anna flew from Belfast City Airport and travelled a respectable 144 miles to Edinburgh.  

Charlie and Dylan, after a long morning in Belfast International Airport flew to Gran Canaria – 1,914 miles from Stranmillis.  

The top two teams both ended up in Turkey. Having flown out of Dublin Airport, Larissa and Orlagh’s final destination was 2111 miles away in Antalya, whilst Cameron and Scott flew from Belfast International Airport to Antalya before hopping on another flight to Cukurova Airport (near Tarsus), accumulating a total of 2,282 miles.  

Midweek brought one of the most anticipated events of the SU calendar — ‘Stran Does Strictly’. The glamorous dance competition returned with 12 couples taking to the stage for both a Student Show on Wednesday afternoon and a Public Show on Thursday evening. Contestants competed for the coveted Strictly trophy, with audience donations helping to boost their scores alongside judges’ marks. A massive congratulations to this year’s winners Isla and Joe who waltzed their way to victory, and well done to all the couples involved.  

A new addition to the Charity Week roster of events was Hunted, a large-scale, car-based version of hide and seek that took place across South Belfast, offering a light-hearted way for students to get involved while contributing to fundraising efforts. 

The week concluded with Off the Charts, a competition where four students (Reanne, Emily, Samuel and Tom) raced to raise the most money — but with a twist. The higher they climbed on the leaderboard, the worse their forfeit became. The forfeits were carried out live in Betty’s at 1pm, drawing a lively crowd.  

Once again, the Stranmillis SU Charity Week was a resounding success, celebrating generosity, teamwork, and creativity across campus.  

The total, although ever increasing, currently stands at an incredible £29,452! 

Speaking about the week, SU President, Jessica Martin, said, “We have been absolutely blown away by the generosity of the Stranmillis community- this week we have seen staff, students, friends and family unite to raise an incredible amount of money for our 3 amazing charities. All of the students involved in each of the events worked so hard in the planning and preparation for this week and really threw themselves into collecting donations. We are so proud of everyone who has been involved and want to extend our sincere thanks to all who donated. Our 3 charities are incredibly thankful and we know the money raised this week will be invaluable to them and the work they do. I am truly proud of everything that we as a student body have achieved this week- it is a testament to the diligence and generosity of the Stranmillis community.” 

You still have the opportunity to donate to any of the couples here: https://linktr.ee/StranSU 

The 2nd Year RE Area of Specialism students and their tutors, Jill Magennis and Anita Gracie, hopped into a minibus on Wednesday morning, headed west along the M1 and hopped out again in Armagh City for a day visiting churches of the 4 main Christian denominations. Due to the long history of Christian worship and practice in Armagh, there are two cathedrals (both called St. Patrick’s) and several churches in easy walking distance of each other. The students visited St. Mark’s Church of Ireland, First Armagh Presbyterian, Armagh Methodist Church and St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cathedral.

One of the students reflecting on their day out commented: “It was an engaging and insightful practical experience where we learned so much about the history, traditions and practices of each denomination through guided tours and conversations with church leaders (with a quick coffee stop along the way, of course!). A very interesting and beneficial hands-on addition to our course”.

Last week, some of our BEd Primary Year 3 students had the wonderful opportunity to visit Stranmillis Primary School as part of their optional module ‘Learning through a Play-based Curriculum in the Early Years’.

During the visit, students heard from Foundation Stage teachers Miss Gowdy and Ms Finney as they shared how they implement continuous provision to support progression in learning through purposeful, play-based experiences.

Year 3 student Hannah McIntyre reflected:

‘Our visit to Stranmillis Primary School was such an enjoyable and inspiring experience! Stepping into the Primary 1 and 2 classrooms, I noticed how calm, welcoming and thoughtfully designed the learning spaces were. The continuous provision areas were beautifully set up to encourage independence, creativity and curiosity. My friends and I all came away feeling so inspired and full of ideas for our own future classrooms. The visit really reinforced for me how powerful play can be in creating joyful, meaningful learning experiences for young children’.

Jill Magennis would like to extend a sincere thank you to Principal Mrs Wilson, Miss Gowdy and Ms Finney for welcoming our students and sharing their expertise on how play is thoughtfully organised, supported and evaluated to enhance children’s learning and development. It was a valuable and uplifting experience that encouraged our students to reflect deeply on their own developing practice and the importance of play in early years education.