0 items
(Close Menu)

Category: Stranmillis News

Induction of new Governing Body Members

Posted on by K Miller

On 28th April 2023, the Department for the Economy announced the appointment of seven new members to the Board of Stranmillis University College.

Paula Leitch, Kim Scott, Robert Drennan, Aaron Diver, Una Nic Eoin, Wilma Fee and Sam Snodden have been appointed to serve as members from 1 April 2023 for a period of four years.  We are also expecting the appointment of Matthew Cupples as the new Student Representative on the Board from 1st June 2023.  All of our new members are wished every success as they embark on their roles.  Pen Portraits for all current members of the Governing Body can be accessed via the following link Pen Portraits.

On 3rd May 2023, they had an opportunity to visit the University College for an Induction event where they met with some of the existing members of the Board, a former member, Ken Nelson, and the Directors of the College.  They heard from the Chair about Governance and Accountability and Committee membership and the Principal and Directors provided an overview of the University College and its strategic direction, as well as the challenges and opportunities ahead.  This was followed by lunch and a tour of our fantastic campus.

Stranmillis celebrates World Daily Mile Day with Fane Street PS at Windsor Park

Posted on by Andrew McAteer

A special Daily Mile took place at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park today to join global celebrations of World Daily Mile Day and all the positive benefits that daily activity has on the physical and mental health of children.

Children from Fane Street Primary School joined Northern Ireland International Niall McGinn, Irish FA Foundation Director James Thompson, Daily Mile Northern Ireland Co-Chairs Dr Barbara McConnell and Dr Brenda McKay-Redmond, Stranmillis University Vice-Principal Professor Ken Gibson and final year Early Childhood Studies students to celebrate World Daily Mile Day with a Daily Mile around the famous pitch at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park.

Irish FA Foundation Director James Thompson said, “The Irish FA Foundation coaches inspire a lifelong love for physical activity amongst young people in schools and communities across Northern Ireland. We are delighted to host this special World Daily Mile Day celebration and to promote the benefits of Daily Mile activity for all children and young people.
Daily Mile Northern Ireland Co-Chairs and Stranmillis lecturers Dr Barbara McConnell and Dr Brenda McKay-Redmond said, “This is such a historic occasion to be celebrating World Daily Mile day with the children of Fane Street Primary School who have a diversity of 44 different world languages in their school and in such a National Football stadium such as Windsor Park. 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 make connections with their peers and teachers. Perhaps, this inspirational venue and with these role model players some of these boys and girls could be the future footballers of NI!”.

Grammar vs Non-Grammar in NI: new report highlights consistently stark social differences in pupil intake

Posted on by Andrew McAteer

Testing Times – Northern Ireland Post-Primary School Transfer without Tests in 2021, a new research report from Stranmillis University College’s Centre for Research in Educational Underachievement (CREU), examines some of the lessons from the ‘non-testing’ year of post-primary transfer in Northern Ireland, when AQE and GL tests were postponed and eventually cancelled as a result of Covid-19 public health concerns.

The issue of post-primary transfer by means of academic selection has been the focus of a highly polarised policy debate in Northern Ireland (as in other jurisdictions) for many years.  With the cancellation of transfer tests for P7 pupils in 2020-21, grammar schools were forced to develop a range of alternative admissions criteria, quite different from previous years.

This timely research project, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, seeks to capture the learning from this unique year, by examining the range of admissions criteria adopted by grammar schools, assessing the impact of these on the social and demographic background of pupils accepted into grammar and non-grammar schools, and evaluating the impact on the distance for pupils to travel, in comparison with previous years.

The study found that:

  • Grammar schools exercised their freedom to set their own admissions criteria in the non-testing year, prioritising having an older sibling already at the school; having already registered for the AQE/GL tests in that year; being the eldest/first/only child in the family; having a sibling who was previously enrolled at the school; and attending a listed feeder primary school.
  • Additional information provided to parents alongside the admissions criteria frequently highlighted grammar schools’ commitment to academic selection as the principal method of entry to their school, and their intention to revert to academic selection in subsequent years. A majority also referred to fees payable.
  • Analysis of the (non-testing) 2021-22 year 8 grammar and non-grammar school cohorts compared to the previous year 2020-21 showed very minimal differences in terms of gender, newcomer children, level of deprivation, distance travelled to school, and the percentage of the cohort with Free School Meal Entitlement and Special Educational Needs (including with statements). Figures for ethnicity and children in care were too low to allow a comparison to be made.  System-level attainment data for the cohort were not available.
  • While there was little change in the demographic composition of the year 8 cohort transferring to post-primary schools in 2021-22, the data reveal very stark differences (consistent over the past four years, including the non-testing year) in the pupil cohorts entering year 8 in grammar schools when compared to non-grammar schools. Using the 2021-22 year 8 cohort by way of example, these differences relate to:
    • Free School Meals (grammar: 15.8% vs non-grammar: 39%)
    • Special Educational Needs (grammar: 5.6% vs non-grammar: 25.2%)
    • Newcomer children (grammar: 1.1% vs non-grammar: 5.8%).
    • Level of Deprivation (grammar school intakes are skewed towards the higher (less deprived) MDM deciles and non-grammar school intakes are skewed towards the lower (more deprived) MDM deciles, though important differences were noted by school management type).

Speaking about the report, Director of CREU and Principal Investigator of the research, Prof Noel Purdy, said “We hope that the findings presented in this report will help unlock the current policy paralysis around academic selection in Northern Ireland, and encourage fresh evidence-based discussion among all interested parties (politicians, policy-makers, school leaders, parents and children) around the future of post-primary transfer in Northern Ireland.”

The full report, including executive summary, can be downloaded here.

An online event launching the report will take place 2.00-3.30pm GMT on 25th April 2023. You can register for this free event here.

NOTES

  • The Nuffield Foundation is an independent charitable trust with a mission to advance social well-being. It funds research that informs social policy, primarily in Education, Welfare, and Justice. It also funds student programmes that provide opportunities for young people to develop skills in quantitative and scientific methods. The Nuffield Foundation is the founder and co-funder of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, the Ada Lovelace Institute and the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory. The Foundation has funded this project, but the views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily the Foundation. Visit nuffieldfoundation.org
  • About CREU: The Centre for Research in Educational Underachievement (CREU) was launched in 2018 with the core aim of engaging in a focused portfolio of innovative interdisciplinary research into educational underachievement in Northern Ireland. See: https://www.stran.ac.uk/research/creu/
  • Previous Covid-19 / education research reports by the Stranmillis CREU team can be found here: https://www.stran.ac.uk/research/creu/creu-news-and-blogs/
  • Contact details: for further information, contact: Prof Noel Purdy Email: n.purdy@stran.ac.uk

Stranmillis welcomes Danish experts in Playful Learning

Posted on by Andrew McAteer

In January, Stranmillis University College was delighted to host a team of play experts from Teacher Education colleges across Denmark, who are currently working on Playful Learning Research project funded by the LEGO foundation.

Led by Professor Helle Marie Skovbjerg of the LAB Design for Play at the Design School Kolding, the delegation also included Helle Hovegaard Jorgensen from University College Lillebaelt, Julie Borup Jensen from Aalborg University, Jeppe Bundsgaard from Aarhus University and Ditte Obenhauser Hoff.

The team travelled to Belfast to gain a greater understanding of the work on Playful Learning led by Head of PGCE Early Years Dr Glenda Walsh at Stranmillis University College, who curated a week-long programme for the team and local experts to share knowledge and insights on the topic.

One particular highlight was an event for external stakeholders and early years practitioners entitled ‘Danish Perspectives on Play’.

Following the week of events, Dr Walsh said “Getting the opportunity to talk about play with like-minded people and to learn from Danish experts in the field, particularly about their LEGO funded research project, was an absolute privilege. The conversations were rich and inspiring, the presentations shared were creative and thought-provoking, the lessons learnt were plentiful and powerful, while most of all the overall experience was most enjoyable and playful! A huge word of thanks to our Danish partners who have now become our Danish friends!”.

How to play the Danish way

Dr Glenda Walsh asked two of the early years practitioners, Jill Sommerville and Kierna Corr – both practicing nursery teachers – to share some of what they learned from the stakeholder event.

Jill said:

“Forced to reflect on my own practice and ideally how ‘creative’ or ‘fun’ I was during play with children. It was not something I had ever realised needed to be taught as I am naturally a playful person and within a nursery day it occurs throughout all aspects of our curriculum. It never occurred to me some staff might struggle with this aspect as I just assumed if they didn’t enjoy play they wouldn’t do the job.

My take home message was the fact that teachers now need to be taught how to play. I thought the concept of how to train teachers via Play Labs was fabulous and straightforward, but I was intrigued as to how society has evolved that now we are having to teach teachers to play. Despite, the clear cultural distinction between schooling systems, the same issues apply: teachers are finding it difficult to play with children.

I also thought the Danish Play Lab method would be a great tool to use with parents in early years settings to reignite the fun associated with play.

I would be interested to see how effective it would be for beginning teachers but I really think current teachers should take part too!!! This might help to show them how to play with their children in a more fun and imaginative way and help create a generation of self-starters with 21st century skills.”

Kierna wrote:

“Professionalism is very high in the Danish early years sector and their use of the term pedagog certainly helps in this respect. We need to find a similar term or begin adopting this one for those who work in early years as we are not teachers, it is a very specific role.

“Play is highly valued and understood by all – staff and parents. Play is still emphasised when children begin more formal schooling whereas here it all becomes very academic very quickly. Our FS teachers should not merely be reporting on the academic skills that children cannot do but celebrating their play skills.”

“Despite having a wonderful play based start in Denmark, school still destroys this ability and the fact they have to teach training teachers & pedagogs to play says it all.”

A wintry yet warm welcome to Forgiveness Pioneer, Professor Enright

Posted on by Andrew McAteer

Dr Anita Gracie reflects on our recent Learning to Forgive seminar.

Despite the snow and sub-zero temperatures, a pleasing number of teachers, educational partners, academic staff and invited guests attended a seminar on Forgiveness Education which was held in Stranmillis University College on 17th January. The main speaker at the event, and the reason so many had braved the wintry weather, was Professor Robert Enright from the International Forgiveness Institute at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

In the past year, a research team from Stranmillis led by Jill Magennis has been involved in evaluating the impact of the P7 stage of the Forgiveness Education curriculum as part of an international comparative study. Eighteen schools across Northern Ireland taught their pupils the concepts, skills and attitudes necessary if they wanted to forgive someone. Some had already been treated unjustly in their lives and held unresolved anger against others, but even if they had not, there is no doubt that most of them will have that experience at some point in their lives. Professor Enright explained the detrimental psychological and physical impact which can be caused by people holding onto grief, anger and resentment and the freedom, healing and life-enhancing benefits of being able to forgive. Some of the teachers present at the seminars had been involved in the study and were aware of the impact the curriculum had already had on their pupils, their classrooms and the school community.

This seminar concentrated in particular on the potential for impact of Forgiveness Education beyond the confines of one group of children, or one classroom. Already, Mount St. Michael’s Primary School in Randalstown has decided to teach Forgiveness Education to every class in the school during the spring term and is planning to use some of the lessons as part of its Shared Education Programme with their partner school Randalstown Central Primary School. We are all excited at the thought of how powerful it will be in the future when a whole generation of children has learned to see the inherent worth of every person “no matter how………….” and not to forget or excuse the undeserved hurt done to them but to forgive. We are excited to see how a generation of children will share their learning with their families and then older generations, who are perhaps carrying unresolved resentment or inter-generational trauma themselves, might be taught to forgive.

We were so fortunate that Robert Enright was able to make the journey to Belfast, one that he has made many times over two decades, and we are very thankful for his continued support with implementing Forgiveness Education in N.Ireland.

An audio recording of the lecture is available to listen to below.

Call for children and young people to share experiences of ‘Growing Up Online’ in major Northern Ireland study

Posted on by Andrew McAteer

Safer Internet Day 2023 takes place on the 7th February 2023, with celebrations and learning based around the theme ‘Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online’. The celebration sees thousands of organisations getting involved to promote the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people.

In Northern Ireland, we are celebrating by putting children and young people’s views and experiences at the heart of the day by launching an important new research study.

Entitled ‘Growing Up Online: Children’s online activities, harm and safety in Northern Ireland’, this mixed-methods research is being undertaken by a team from the Centre for Research in Educational Underachievement (CREU) at Stranmillis University College, Belfast, and is funded by the Safeguarding Board for NI (SBNI). It aims to identify and understand children and young people’s online activity; the perceived impact of emerging risks and harms; and current online safety provision, including educational initiatives to safeguard and protect children online.

The project aims to reflect the experiences of children and young people, member agencies of SBNI, and other partner organisations, to produce an evidence report with recommendations for policy and best practice.  The findings of the research will be used to inform the delivery of the Northern Ireland Executive’s Online Safety Strategy Action Plan.

An important element of the project will be the involvement of children and young people as co-participants in the development of the qualitative research methods, through the formation of two Children and Young People’s Advisory Groups in schools.

Speaking about the project, Director of CREU Dr Noel Purdy said, “We are delighted to be carrying out this very timely and valuable research for the Safeguarding Board NI into children’s online lives. We are looking forward to engaging directly with a wide range of children and young people through the online survey but also face to face through a series of focus group interviews over the coming weeks.  Together we hope that our research can help all of our children and young people to enjoy and stay safe online.”

Bernie McNally, Independent Chair of the Safeguarding Board for NI (SBNI) said,“The vision of the Online Safety Strategy for Northern Ireland is that children and young people are informed in order to enjoy their online spaces safely, knowledgably and without fear. For this to happen, we need to understand the real needs and experiences that impact young people’s lives. Through this research we want to give young people from all walks of life the space to express their views, which will be listened to and taken seriously in the development and delivery of online safety policy and practice.”

If you work with children and young people, we invite you to encourage all those aged 8-18 to visit https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/growing-up-online-ni/ and complete the survey before midnight on 28th February 2023.

To find out more about the project, contact socialmedia@stran.ac.uk.