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Category: Stranmillis News

Dr Melanie McKee launches ‘Active Schools’ pilot programme at Fort Hill Integrated Primary School

Posted on by Andrew McAteer

The pilot of an innovative programme to increase the physical activity levels of children and young people in Northern Ireland was launched on Monday 15th January by Lady Mary Peters. The Active Schools pilot programme, designed by Stranmillis University College’s Dr Melanie McKee, is being piloted in collaboration with Simon Patterson, Principal of Fort Hill Integrated Primary School.

Speaking about the launch, Dr Melanie McKee, Senior Lecturer in Physical Education and Sport at Stranmillis University College, said: “The UK’s Chief Medical Officer recommended that children and young people should engage in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity for an average of at least 60 minutes per day across the week. Alarmingly, a recent study Children’s Sport Participation & Physical Activity 2022, commissioned by Sport Northern Ireland, Sport Ireland and Healthy Ireland 2023, showed how only 21% of primary-aged children and 16% of post-primary aged young people in Northern Ireland meet that guidelines. The pilot Active Schools programme launched today will provide valuable insights to support and reinforce the need for a strategic, sustainable and cross-departmental funded Active Schools programme for primary schools across Northern Ireland.”

“Physical activity is critical to the physical and mental wellbeing of children and young people. The Active Schools ethos is to value and develop every child and young person’s physical literacy by creating a physically educated and physically active school community. This can be achieved by providing multiple and inclusive opportunities to be physically active including: active travel to/from school, active breaktimes, active play, active classrooms, PE, after-school clubs and active home learning. An Active School ethos necessitates a whole school approach, integrated into the school’s culture via its 3-year School Development Plan.”

Daily Mile Network NI ho-ho-hosts 3rd Annual Santa Run event

Posted on by Andrew McAteer

The Daily Mile Network in Northern Ireland hosted their third annual Santa Run on Friday 1 December.

Over 320 schools across NI joined the fun, with staff and children putting on their Christmas jumpers and Santa hats and taking part. Dr Barbara McConnell and Dr Brenda McKay-Redmond from the Early Childhood Studies Department at Stranmillis University College joined other members of The Daily Mile Network at Rosetta Primary School.

Dr McConnell said: “It was lovely joining the Nursery and P1 children of Rosetta Primary to complete their Daily Mile Santa Run. What better way to get into the Christmas spirit!”

“The Daily Mile challenge offers a fun and interactive way for children to get moving more and incorporate physical activity into their daily routine. Being physically active helps to build strong bones, muscles and a healthy heart, supports the development of social skills, and encourages a sense of wellbeing. It also benefits children’s mental health, so it really does have a wide range of benefits.”

Simon Melville, Teacher at Rosetta Primary School, said: “We love taking part in the Daily Mile challenge every year and the Santa Run is a great way for us to kick off the countdown to Christmas – our pupils loved it! Doing challenges like this is good for our children to get outside and reap the many benefits of physical activity. We always notice they come back to class reenergised and ready to learn. We would highly recommend the Daily Mile challenge to other schools!”

Speaking about the Daily Mile, Dr. Brenda McKay-Redmond, Co-Chair of The Daily Mile Network, said:

“The ethos of The Daily Mile is for physical activity to be social, non-competitive and fun. It encourages children to be aware of their health and aims for inclusiveness for every child, regardless of age or ability. Increasing physical activity levels for all children in Northern Ireland is critical and The Daily Mile is committed to supporting the implementation of The Daily Mile across the country and creating an evidence base that is relative to Northern Ireland.”

Dr McCourt, Physical Activity Co–ordinator of the PHA and member of the Daily Mile Network said: “The PHA would encourage as many families and schools as possible across Northern Ireland to get involved in the Daily Mile programme this year. It’s important that children are introduced to a culture of being active from an early age as it is something that will stay with them and benefit them throughout their lives.”

To find out more about The Daily Mile, visit www.thedailymile.co.uk.

Pictured (L-R) Ben Hanvey, Physical Activity Lead at Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Iain Sneddon, Active School Travel Officer at Sustrans, Beth Harding, Active School Travel Manager at Sustrans, Dr Barbara McConnell, Co-Chair of The Daily Mile Network, Dr Hannah McCourt, Senior Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement Officer at Public Health Agency, Dr Medbh Hillyard, Post Doctoral Research Fellow, Ulster University, Brenda McKay-Redmond, Co-Chair of The Daily Mile Network and pupils at Rosetta Primary School.

How cyberbullying impacts the lives of children and young people in NI

Posted on by Andrew McAteer

To mark Anti-Bullying Week 2023, a new ‘Spotlight’ report highlights the nature and extent of cyberbullying among children and young people in Northern Ireland.

Drawing out key insights from their recent large-scale research project Growing Up Online: Children’s online activities, harm and safety in Northern Ireland funded by the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland (SBNI), the research team at Stranmillis University College’s Centre for Research in Educational Underachievement (CREU) has shone a particular spotlight on bullying behaviours as reported by children and young people aged 8-18.

The findings presented in this Spotlight report highlight the wide variety of online bullying behaviours which are experienced by children and young people in Northern Ireland, ranging from mean or nasty comments being made or sent to them and being excluded from WhatsApp groups, through to online blackmail, threats and being told to self-harm.

Among the key findings from the 6500 survey responses and interviews with almost 100 children and young people are that:

  • A total of 13% of children aged 8-13 reported that someone had been mean to them online within the previous two months, with a higher incidence among girls than boys.
  • Girls aged 14-18 were more likely than boys to report that mean or nasty comments had been made about them or sent to them, more likely to have had lies or rumours told about them, and more likely to have been excluded from an online group.
  • Boys aged 14-18 were however more likely than girls to report that someone had tried to blackmail them, that they had been threatened online, or that their account had been hacked.
  • LGBTQI+ young people aged 14-18 were more likely than heterosexual young people to report that they had received mean or nasty comments or that they had been threatened.
  • Less than a third (31%) of 14-18 year olds said that they had reported the cyberbullying compared to almost half (47%) of 8-13 year olds. In both cases children and young people are more likely to tell their friends than family members or someone at school.
  • While incidents of online bullying were reported to have very significant emotional impact on the children and young people concerned, it was striking how some of the young people appeared to accept a certain level of online risk and danger, and appeared confident in dealing with such incidents.

The authors of the Spotlight report welcome the news that the UK’s Online Safety Act was granted Royal Assent on 26 October 2023, which legally obliges internet and social media companies to do more to protect their users, with hefty fines imposed if they fail in their new duty of care.

Lead author, Prof Noel Purdy, commented, “This is an important report which provides fresh evidence of the extent of online bullying among our children and young people in Northern Ireland.  In this Anti-Bullying Week, we hope that the findings will help inform educators and policy makers as they seek to keep our children safe online.”

The Growing Up Online Spotlight Report on Cyberbullying can be downloaded here: https://tinyurl.com/spotlightcyberbullying

Remembering Professor Richard McMinn

Posted on by Andrew McAteer

It was with sadness that the College learnt of the passing of a long-serving colleague and former Principal, Professor Richard McMinn, on Friday 3 November after a period of illness. Announcing the sad news to staff and former colleagues, Stranmillis Principal and CEO, Professor Jonathan Heggarty, said: “Professor McMinn was know personally by many current staff, having dedicated over thirty years of faithful service to the College until his retirement in 2007, serving as Principal for fourteen years during what was a very significant period of change for the College. Our condolences and thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time.”

Speaking about his time at Stranmillis and the impact he made, his successor as Principal of the College, Professor Anne Heaslett, said: “Professor Richard McMinn gave a lifetime of dedicated service to education in Northern Ireland. He was the first member of his family to benefit from a university education. His appreciation of gaining a place at Queen’s University, where he graduated with a BA in History (1968), signalled a lifetime commitment to opening educational opportunities for others. Completing his Dip Ed (QUB) he entered the world of teaching and a career primarily focused on roles within Stranmillis University College.

His association with Stranmillis College began with his appointment to the History Department in 1974 where he developed a successful lecturing and research career. This academic background equipped him with the critical tools to analyse the complex Northern Ireland educational landscape. Such knowledge proved invaluable as he steered Stranmillis through a number of challenging episodes when he became College principal in 1993.

For the next fourteen years he presided over a period of change. As Northern Ireland emerged from conflict with the signing of the Good Friday /Belfast Agreement in 1998, it provided him with the ideal context in which to promote the concept of Mutual Understanding and partnership working. He was a firm believer that the education system should promote mutual respect and tolerance. This belief went beyond mere rhetoric. It was part of who he was – a gentleman and a professional of the highest integrity.

One of the most significant achievements during Professor McMinn’s tenure was the introduction of new degree programmes to complement the teacher education courses. The successful introduction of Early Childhood Studies and what is now the Health & Physical Education courses were the fruits of his careful, diligent leadership and helped ensure the College had a strong academic foundation to meet the demands of the 21st century. These developments also reflected Professor McMinn’s lifelong commitment to promoting academic opportunities for young people, especially those, like him, who came from homes where there was no tradition of going to university.

The strengthening of the College’s academic profile, including the conferment of the title University College in 1998, are part of his legacy on which the College continues to build.”

Teachers challenged to re-think their priorities in the teaching of reading

Posted on by Andrew McAteer

Educators have been challenged to rethink the way they teach reading to ensure young people learn to read for pleasure, in their own time and develop their identities as readers. That challenge was posed by Professor Teresa Cremin from the Open University, at a conference to celebrate the 20th anniversary of SCoTENS (Standing Committee for Teacher Education North and South), the all-island network of 34 Higher Education Institutions, teacher unions and other education bodies with a shared interest in teacher education.

Professor Cremin, invited delegates to move beyond a vision of ‘readers for the system’, to one where learners become readers for life: “When it comes to teaching reading, there has traditionally been a focus on what is measurable, on short-term gains, and performing in line with traditional notions of decoding and comprehension. If, as educators, we want our young people to be readers for life, we need to pay attention to their identities as readers, and support them in developing sustainable reading behaviours and in discussing the texts they choose to read”.

The conference was opened by Dr Mark Browne, Permanent Secretary at the Department of Education: “Since its establishment, SCoTENS has brought together educators, researchers and policymakers from both sides of the border, reflecting the collaborative nature of our jurisdictions in the provision of education to our children and young people. Much has been achieved across the spectrum of teacher education provision over this time and that is to be celebrated.

Professor Noel Purdy, Director of Research and Scholarship at Stranmillis , added: “This conference represents an important milestone for SCoTENS, and we are proud of what we have achieved. But we are not resting on our laurels. Today, we are looking to the future with hope, and are more determined than ever to build on our achievements, and on the constructive cross-border partnerships that have been developed to date.”

 

 

Student Research Conference 2023

Posted on by Andrew McAteer

This year’s Student Research Conference was held on Monday 16th October in the Craigantlet Dining Room, Refectory Building.  With more than 140 research methods in attendance, the conference provided guidance, encouragement and ideas as students think ahead to their final year dissertations.

The invited keynote address was given by Dr Céline Healy, Maynooth University.  Dr Healy is an experienced teacher educator and researcher in education. She is the current President of the Educational Studies Association of Ireland and a Council Member of the European Educational Research Association. Her keynote address was entitled ‘”Teachers as Researchers? Haven’t we already got enough to do?”: a consideration of the role of research in teachers’ professional practice.’

A total of 4 recent graduates then presented their outstanding dissertation research projects from 2022-23.  The selected students were Amber Harrison (née McCullough), B Ed Primary, who presented on “Reach Out, Reach In: An Investigation into Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Support Provision in Northern Ireland Primary Schools.”  This was followed by Curtis McIlhagga, BSc Health, Physical Activity and Sport, whose dissertation focused on “An investigation into how crowd support affects the outcome of football matches within the Northern Irish Football League”.  The third presentation entitled ‘“I don’t really talk that much”: Understanding the experiences of shy pupils in the classroom context’ was delivered by Rebecca Gilmore, B Ed Primary, before Caoimhe Charters, PGCE Early Years, concluded with her presentation on the appropriateness of play as a learning medium for young children.

Students were able to submit questions using Mentimeter to the presenters who formed a panel and considered their perspectives on what made a great piece of research and also how their research had impacted their practice.  Well done to all this year’s presenters who helped ensure that the student research conference was once again a great success.