41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 - … Training Inspectorate ... Summer School 2010 and RTU’s Management Resource Centre ... Curriculum and some of the latest resources available

issue eleven

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This newsletter is produced by the Partnership Management Board (PMB) - a strategic planning group representing a range

of education partners. PMB was formed to plan for the coherent and efficient implementation of the revised curriculum.

Members include Classroom 2000 (C2k), Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS), Council for Curriculum,

Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), Department of Education (DE), all five Education and Library Boards (ELBs), Education

and Training Inspectorate (ETI), Educational Technology Strategy Group, Initial Teacher Education (ITE), Regional Training Unit

(RTU), and Universities Council for Education and Training (UCET).

In this term’s edition of Linked...

Page 2Overview of the recently published evaluation report on the implementation of the

Northern Ireland Curriculum

Page 3ETI reports worth viewing online

Page 4A snapshot of the good practice observed in primary, special and post-primary schools

Page 6Celebration of collaboration at the Special ‘S’ Conference

Page 8 Parental engagement projects in Belfast and Newry

Page 10 Linking Learning programme eases the transition between primary and post-primary

Page 12 Microsoft European Innovative Teacher of the Year (Community) Award

Page 14Building staff confidence in the use of ICT

Page 16 ICT achievements hit the headlines in Ballymena, Belfast and Warrenpoint

Page 17 Using the Schools Information Management System (SIMS) to reduce teacher workload

Page 20 Review of ‘Units of Work’ - a Curriculum Mapping Tool

Page 22How Northern Ireland’s Creative Learning Centres are supporting teaching and learning

Page 23Teacher trainers embrace new technology

Page 24 Numeracy Conference - Promoting change in teaching mathematics for the 21st Century

Page 26New programmes and resources for PDMU, Literacy, LLW and the IM sector

Page 30 Summer School 2010 and RTU’s Management Resource Centre


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This term’s newsletter has a strong technology theme running through it and features a cross section of case

studies illustrating how schools across Northern Ireland are using ICT to support learning and teaching.

This edition of Linked includes news and updates alongside reports submitted by a range of education

professionals which provide an interesting insight into the ongoing implementation of the Northern Ireland

Curriculum and some of the latest resources available to support it.

As always, we welcome your comments, correspondence and contributions. Please contact us at

[email protected] if you have a suggestion or story you would like to share with us. Linked is also available

online on the www.nicurriculum.org.uk website. Previous editions of the newsletter can be found by clicking

on ‘PMB News’.

Welcome to Linked

May 2010

Update on Assessment and Reporting Arrangements Last year the Department of Education indicated that for a transitional period - until new Levels of Progression

are introduced - the present assessment arrangements would continue, with assessment at the end of Key Stages

1, 2 and 3 against the existing level descriptions for Language and Literacy (English and/or Irish as appropriate in

Irish medium schools and units) and Mathematics and Numeracy (Mathematics).

These transitional arrangements have now been specified in legislation and details have been set out in a recent

Departmental Circular. The legislation is accessible via: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/sr/sr2010/pdf/nisr_20100135_en.pdf.The Circular, of 29 April, is accessible via: http://www.deni.gov.uk/index/80-curriculum-and-assessment/80-curriculum-and-assessment-circulars/22_curriculum_and_assessment_-_circulars-2010_pg.htm.

This legislation complements the 2009 Pupil Reporting Regulations which include the associated requirements for

reporting to parents on levels achieved by pupils at the end of Key Stages 1, 2 and 3. These Regulations are accessible

via: http://www.deni.gov.uk/2009_15_-_pupil_reporting_regulations_2009.pdf. Under the legislation, schools

continue to be responsible for notifying CCEA of end of Key Stage 1, 2 and 3 assessment outcomes.

Work on the new Levels of Progression and associated assessment arrangements is now well advanced but, as the

Department has previously indicated, these will not be introduced until teachers have had the training and support

they need to implement them. Until then the transitional assessment arrangements will continue to apply.

New Curriculum Guides for ParentsAs children start their academic careers it can often be a challenging time for parents, with a huge range of new

information to digest. That is why CCEA and DE are producing two simple guides which will help parents

understand what to expect as their children start out in primary and post-primary education.

The guides will cover the Northern Ireland Curriculum, including areas of learning and skills at all Key Stages.

They will also outline how a student’s progress will be assessed and how this information will be reported back to

parents. Details of a website, which parents can access to research further information, will be included.

A cross section of parents and principals will be consulted regarding the design and content of the guides to

ensure that they are relevant and useful.

The guides are expected to be distributed at the start of the new academic year. Schools will be encouraged to

share this information with Year 1 and Year 8 parents particularly, in an effort to ensure a greater understanding

of the curriculum and the academic year ahead.

For updates or more information on the Northern Ireland Curriculum, please visit www.nicurriculum.org.uk.


two

The 2008 report stated that a shift of emphasis was needed to ensure:

• Simpler communication to schools about the purpose of and the main

elements of curricular change;

• A differentiated approach to support for schools, based on audit of need,

to enable them to continue to improve practice in the context of whole

school improvement;

• Improved collaboration between CCEA, CASS and, where appropriate,

C2k during 2009-10, on their path of convergence to ESA; and,

• Forward planning for the continued development of pedagogy, learning

and assessment, arising from curriculum reform, beyond 2010.

The evidence shows that most progress has been with communication -

not least through the publication of the Linked newsletter. While

important steps have been taken on coordination, the findings highlight

the importance of establishing a unified plan with single accountability

from the outset.

On the need for differentiated support, the focus on planning and

delivering a single implementation support programme had previously

reduced the scope for CASS link officers to work with individual schools;

schools which need more personalised support have welcomed the

more recent increases which they have experienced.

The Inspectorate found that the most pressing need is to remove the

uncertainly and confusion in schools over assessment arrangements and

to set a clear path for the next three years, in the context of the increasing

capacity in schools to engage in whole school improvement, which has

both assessment and evaluation, brought together, at its core.

The report recommends that for the period to 2013 the emphasis needs

to be placed on:

• Understanding the continuing implementation of curricular change,

and especially the embedding of assessment, in the context of whole

school improvement for the purpose of raising standards and improving

outcomes for learners;

• An accountable convergence of services for schools, bringing together

support for continued improvement in teaching and in assessment in a

fully unified and coordinated way;

• Building the capacity of teachers (individually and collectively) to

undertake self-evaluation of their teaching effectiveness and outcomes,

which informs school improvement and can also provide evidence, at

the system level, of improvement; and

• Developing the capacity of schools (individually and collectively) to

cooperate in shared professional development and in planning and

providing educational provision collaboratively.

The inspection found that steps taken by the Partnership Management Board

have brought about strategic improvements. However, they point to the need

to design a support structure within which all policy components relating to

curriculum, teaching and assessment are considered in terms of their inter-

relationship and inter-dependency within the setting of the school. These

elements should include: literacy and numeracy, the Science, Technology,

Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) strategy, the Entitlement Framework,

area-based planning and school leadership development.

While assessment remains a major concern for teachers, the weakest aspect

of leadership and management found in schools is that of monitoring and

evaluation. The Inspectorate recommends that there should be professional

development for teachers which brings together the new forms of

assessment in the classroom and the use of assessment evidence to help

teachers to monitor progression, to evaluate their own effectiveness and to

raise standards in learning by setting appropriate targets.

The Inspectorate recommends that the training and support for

assessment combined with that for monitoring and evaluation should be

set in the context of support for a whole school approach to

improvement. This should be a priority over the three years 2010-2013,

accommodating the transition through the interim arrangements from

levels of attainment to the levels of progression.

The evaluation identified a need to develop the role of school governors

to enable them to be involved more closely in target setting for

examinations and in monitoring and evaluating progress.

The full report is available at: http://tinyurl.com/etinic

The follow-up evaluation report on the implementation of the Northern Ireland Curriculum inprimary, special and post-primary schools is now available online. This recently published documentfollows-up the recommendations made in the Inspectorate’s 2008 report on the Implementation ofthe Northern Ireland Curriculum and assesses the progress made (see Linked, Issue 8, June 2009). An overview of the findings and recommendations can be found below.

Monitoring Progress


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Better Numeracy in Primary Schools

‘Better Numeracy’ focuses on numeracy provision in primary schools. Based on extensive evidence from recent

inspections, evaluations and district visits, it sets out the characteristics of the very good practice in numeracy found in

primary classrooms. ‘Better Numeracy’ offers a series of self evaluative prompts which teachers, numeracy coordinators and

senior managers can use in their ongoing quest to promote improvement. The key findings highlight the importance of

the children’s perceptions of numeracy, of good quality planning and teaching in numeracy, of the central role of the

numeracy coordinator and how each of these contributes to the overall effectiveness of the children’s learning.

‘Better Numeracy’ is highly recommended as a useful framework within which schools may address the

underpinning aims of Department of Education’s policy for school improvement, ‘Every School a Good School’.

http://tinyurl.com/primnum

Transition in Mathematics: Primary to Post-primary

The 2006-2008 Chief Inspector’s Report commented on the low level of effective links in mathematics teaching

between primary and post-primary schools. This report summarises the evidence gathered during visits made in

the last two school years and makes recommendations to secure greater continuity and progression in the

children’s learning across the transition between phases.

Mathematics teachers in post-primary schools, and especially the Heads of Department, need to be more familiar

with the mathematics curriculum in Year 7. Similarly, Year 7 teachers and primary numeracy coordinators need to

understand the mathematical learning which takes place at Key Stage 3. Joint professional development

opportunities, both formal and informal, should be arranged for primary and post-primary teachers.

http://tinyurl.com/mathtrans

Effective practice for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

Sustainable development is a relatively new, yet important, area of study. This evaluation of practice in a sample

of primary, post-primary and special schools identifies strengths in, amongst other aspects: the positive impact

of non-governmental organisations and other external agencies in developing ESD; the first-hand opportunities

for learners to explore the environment through imaginatively and creatively optimising the educational and

social potential of the school grounds and through visits to areas of environmental interest and field centres.

Effective cross-curricular planning provides learners with real-life ESD contexts in which to develop successfully

their skills in literacy, numeracy, ICT, critical thinking and collaborative learning. Reductions in energy

consumption and real financial savings have been realised in a significant minority of schools by teaching, non-

teaching staff and pupils implementing sustainable practices. The report includes a number of case studies and

provides key recommendations on how to secure improvement. http://tinyurl.com/etiesd

Online ETI reports - sharing good practice

Quality of Learning Guidance in Post-primary Schools

The Inspectorate’s evaluation of the three main aspects of learning guidance (educational guidance, personal guidance

and careers education, information, advice and guidance) provided for pupils in post-primary schools reports on:

• the many positive learning guidance initiatives being developed in schools;

• the quality of the arrangements for the provision of educational guidance;

• the development of individual learning plans for pupils;

• the use of quantitative and benchmarked data, including the use of standardised tests for the tracking of

learners’ individual standards;

• the transition arrangements in place for pupils transferring from the primary sector to the post-primary sector;

• the arrangements for the transfer of information from post-primary schools to work-based learning providers;

• the arrangements for the provision of careers education, information, advice and guidance;

• the opportunities to participate in a range of work-related learning opportunities; and

• the quality of the leadership and management arrangements for the provision of learning guidance.

http://tinyurl.com/learnguide


Curriculum inthe classroom

The Inspectorate’s recently published report highlights examples of good

practice in the ongoing implementation of the Northern Ireland Curriculum.

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Primary

A school operates successfully two teams to lead and manage

strategically the implementation of the NIC. A management team

comprising curriculum coordinators leads professional development in

curricular areas, supports staff development individually and in Key

Stage groups and evaluates the impact of the changes in pedagogy on

the children’s learning experiences and attainment. All staff are involved

in the training of their colleagues in-school which builds effectively the

capacity for change. The leadership team comprises the principal, vice-

principal and the heads of Key Stages. They provide an overarching

perspective on the incremental, connected and measured

implementation of the NIC through the school development plan.

The corridor outside the Year 1 classrooms is imaginatively decorated to

announce the theme of Explorers - jungle plants, theme boxes for

outdoors, wellingtons, a den area created with camouflage netting with

books and collections of toy insects, animals and taped jungle sounds

playing in the background. In the outdoor play area, there is space for

dramatic role play - the children are building a den using a collection of

real items such as ropes, tarpaulin, tyres and logs. Staff members have

provided some real camping items, including a mini barbeque. Some

children are building a water supply with guttering and pipes. There is a

small digging area, with tools, scientific equipment and an explorer’s kit.

The classroom looks like a workshop. A comfortable carpeted area

beside an interactive whiteboard is used to introduce the play session,

which is lengthy. Tables pushed together form a large creative area; the

children access art materials and craft resources at any time. The

children’s play is exciting and challenging; Thinking Skills and Personal

Capabilities are naturally interwoven into the activities. Photographs

taken during play are displayed digitally during the plenary to help the

children revisit their learning and talk about their understanding.

The children are motivated and articulate. There is strong emphasis on

oral language - the adults engage in realistic discussions with children.

The teacher worked outdoors for the entire session - through highly

skilled interventions helping to extend the children’s thinking. Rain did

not stop play! The teacher turned the change in weather into another

learning opportunity. The classroom assistants were clear about the

learning intentions and their interactions were supportive.


five

Special

The principal monitors the planning regularly and consistently through a

web-based planning system and can see how effective each department

and teacher is in implementing the NIC. She analyses the data and

identifies strengths and gaps in provision as a basis for discussion about

improvement with teachers. The principal and vice-principal carry out

classroom observations, monitor books and talk to the pupils.

The teachers are all involved in teaching through a thematic approach;

they collaborate effectively in planning the curriculum and work well

together to share good practice; this impacts positively on the

development of the children’s skills and knowledge.

The teacher explained the learning intention in appropriate terms and

involved the pupils in active learning by discussing objectives; the pupils

were invited to, and were able to direct the other pupils in turn. The pace

of the lesson was well-timed and it offered pupils a challenge and

opportunities to think and make good decisions. They discussed their

activities and were able to evaluate their learning at the end of the session.

Learning intentions are written up and success criteria shared with

the pupils. Evidence from the use of assessment for learning

methods is on display throughout the school. A consistency of

approach is evident in all of the classrooms. Resources were well

organised, the development of Thinking Skills and Personal

Capabilities is evident in the teaching. The pupils keep on task and

clearly enjoy learning, working well individually and in groups.

External agencies are used appropriately to deliver part of the NIC.

There is an appropriate emphasis on a range of practical skills and

knowledge. For example, the city council provide a citizenship

workshop for the pupils. The pupils find and collect leaflets available

in the community on healthy lifestyles. Strong links are developing -

including a pupil who travels to a post-primary school for GCSE

courses and post-primary pupils who attend the special school for

home economics and occupational studies lessons.

There is good communication with parents through curriculum

meetings, hands-on workshops and an open-door session to allow

parents to see the type of work their children undertake. The

implementation of the NIC is a PRSD target and the governors are

involved in the process; they attend NIC training sessions in the school.

Post-primary

The teacher uses well-chosen photographs, video clips and newspaper

cuttings as a stimulus to initiate a well-paced lesson on the topic of

prejudice. The success criteria are negotiated and agreed at start by the

teacher and the pupils; working in groups, the pupils agree their own roles

and responsibilities and focus on different aspects of the topic. The teacher

skilfully provides individual and group support. The various activities are

sufficiently differentiated to assist the less able pupils to progress and the

more able pupils to write independently. The plenary session is well-timed

and structured to enable the pupils to debate specific points, and for the

teacher to assess the extent of the pupils’ learning.

A newly-appointed principal created a curriculum team comprising

teachers from different subjects to lead, monitor and evaluate the NIC

implementation. All teachers who attend courses complete a short

report on the usefulness or otherwise of courses for the staff. The

principal reports that the biggest gain is the capacity building of staff

and their expertise to deliver school-based staff development.

The 'Devenish Project' involves all Year 8 classes in collaborative learning

across art, history, RE and English. The well-planned learning activity uses a

range of interesting, contextualised local resources to build understanding

across key cross-curricular themes identified in the planning. Throughout,

the pupils are actively involved through individual, paired and group work

which supports the development of their thinking skills and of team work.

The pupils’ contributions are valued by the teachers who support

effectively the different ability ranges of the pupils.

A large post-primary specialist science school has developed effective

curricular links with several of its local feeder primary schools on a range

of science topics. Year 6 children use the specialist science facilities of the

school on a weekly basis to engage in practical science in a theme from

the ‘World Around Us’. The children worked in teams and produced a

simple soap-based product which was packaged and marketed to

parents to raise money for charity. This collaborative arrangement

allowed the teaching staff involved from both phases, to observe, share

and model good classroom practice.

The senior leadership team is reviewing its timetable allocation and

auditing staff and pupils on a change to a 50 minute period from 35

minutes. The school suspended the use of bells to signal the end of

a lesson period. Evaluations indicate less noise, no interruptions to

the flow of lessons, particularly during double periods, improvement

in pupil behaviour, and better pacing of lessons to ensure that they

do not overrun.

The school interviewed a range of employers and people in the local

workforce to identify the skills that they are looking for in young people

seeking employment. The school captured the employers’ viewpoints in

a DVD to provide a real-life context for learning. The school’s CASS link

officer presented the key aims of the NIC to parents and Year 8 pupils

spoke to parents about their experiences. The curriculum team report

that the pupils were very clear about the skills they had developed

through their knowledge and understanding and the sense of

enjoyment gained from their learning.

As part of the school’s approach to connected learning, and to enhance

the school’s focus on its EAL pupils, the school organised an international

day of culture including music, drama and food from different European

countries. The evaluations highlighted interesting observations by the

pupils: a Year 10 Latvian pupil said: “While I have really enjoyed my three

years at this school, it was only after the international day, that I really felt

that I truly belong to the school community.”


six

Principals, curriculum leaders and teachers from the 22 Special ‘S’

schools1 in Northern Ireland joined forces last term to celebrate their

effective collaboration in the implementation of the Northern Ireland

Curriculum during the 2009-2010 school year. The Special ‘S’ model for

curriculum implementation was highlighted in the recently published

ETI report (http://tinyurl.com/etinic).

When the Northern Ireland Curriculum was first introduced, all Special

‘S’ schools had access to the mainstream implementation programme

for primary and post-primary, facilitated through the Partnership

Management Board (PMB). However, in recognition of the specific

issues faced by teachers and support staff of pupils with severe,

profound and multiple learning difficulties, a PMB Curriculum ‘S’ Group,

comprising representatives from the five ELBs, CCEA, C2k and RTU, was

formed to facilitate requests from Special schools for training that was

tailored to the individual needs of their pupils.

An online survey was carried out in January 2009 to identify key issues,

future training needs and inform planning for 2009-2010.

Encouragingly, 70% of schools responded. Once the findings were

collated, a plan was devised and presented to Special ‘S’ principals at a

Leading Learning Conference in June 2009. The survey highlighted an

appreciation of opportunities to share existing practice, and to take

forward professional debate within and across schools. For some, this

had been the first opportunity for individual class teachers to meet

colleagues from similar schools across Northern Ireland and to

compare practice in teaching and supporting pupils with very specific

individual needs. The main training requests included the use of online

learning for teachers and pupils with the possibility of using video

conferencing to enhance practice.

Four Associate Teachers (ATs) - each with a wide range of experience in

Special ‘S’ schools - were appointed to act as online mentors for the

curriculum groups during 2009-10. ATs have made an excellent

contribution to the work of the PMB Curriculum ‘S’ group in

recent years.

Report by Gillian Dalton, Norma Perceval-Price, David Ryan, Tom Young - PMB Curriculum ‘S’ Group

Effective CollaborationDelegates at the ‘Celebration of Learning’ Conference exchange ideas and materials

One of the many displays at the conference


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The programme for 2009-2010 started in the autumn term with two

regional Curriculum Leader training sessions. During these two-day

events, teachers from across the sector formed a number of

collaborative cluster groups to examine curriculum development and

connected learning across a range of Key Stages, through themes

such as early years play, resilience, PE, literacy, the World Around Us and

social sight vocabulary. Collaborative work involved planning, developing

cross-curricular themes and the production of teaching resources.

A learning agreement plan, provided as a guide for Curriculum Leaders,

identified targets to be met within specific time frames.

The use of LearningNI2 as a tool for professional development was a

key element of the programme. The main features of LearningNI were

introduced at the Curriculum Leader training days - these included

the Library, Newsdesk, Discussion, Course and Work Areas.

Following the training, each curriculum leader was encouraged to

lead capacity building in their own school by disseminating the

course information and by promoting further use of LearningNI by

teachers as a tool to support the curriculum.

A ‘Course Area’ was established within LearningNI to enable each

cluster group to engage in discussion and develop their chosen

theme. The PMB Curriculum ‘S’ Group recognised that a considerable

amount of time and effort was put in by all involved in this process.

The clusters, facilitated by either an AT or a board officer, also posted a

number of materials online including planners, photographs, videos

and teaching resources.

Following the initial training days, the PMB Curriculum ‘S’ Group

noted that online contact was less than would have been anticipated.

Therefore, two further face-to-face days were held to support the

curriculum groups and prepare for the ‘Celebration of Learning’

conference last term. It was noted that these days acted as a catalyst

to increase the amount and focus of online activity and to enhance

personal and professional relationships within the groups.

Some advocates of professional development predict that online

learning may replace traditional training models in the future.

However, this process illustrated to the PMB Curriculum ‘S’ Group that

there is a definite need for a blended approach of online and face-to-

face days. Through the evaluations all participants agreed that this

combination improved online collaboration.

Each of the groups presented their work at the ‘Celebration of

Learning’ Conference last term, sharing their experiences and

showcasing the process and products of their collaboration.

The presentations were of a high quality and included the use of

PowerPoint presentations, photographs, videos and audience

participation. Displays of planning and resources were arranged

around the room and delegates had opportunities to visit the stands,

to network, exchange ideas and materials.

The conference was addressed by Dr. Gillian Boyd (ETI) who spoke

about the Inspectorate’s follow-up evaluation report on the

implementation of the Northern Ireland Curriculum in primary,

special and post-primary schools, and in doing so paid tribute to the

innovative work being carried out by Special ‘S’ schools and to the

supportive role of the PMB Curriculum ‘S’ Group.

The PMB Curriculum ‘S’ Group is pleased with the approach undertaken

to implement the curriculum to date and wishes to thank the Associate

Teachers and Curriculum Leaders for their work and support.

The group hopes that future plans will include the development of

another online survey to inform planning for the 2010-2011 school year,

to make resources available to a wider audience through LearningNI

and to provide further support to the Special ‘S’ sector through this

highly effective blended model of online and face-to-face collaboration.

Further information on the work of the PMB Curriculum ‘S’

Group is available from any of the following members;

Imelda McDaid, RTU Helen Miskelly, CCEA

Brenda Montgomery, SEELB Hazel Mullan, SELB (Chair)

Rosemary Nicholl, NEELB Norma Perceval-Price, C2k

David Ryan, BELB (Secretary) Tom Young, SELB

Kate O’Kane, WELB

1 Special ‘S’ Schools are for pupils with severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties.

2 LearningNI is your very own, secure, web-based learning environment, which is available

at the click of a button from any C2k school computer desktop and over the internet

outside school.

A wealth of free resources is available on LearningNI to support teachers in the delivery of the Northern Ireland Curriculum.

A selection of the materials produced through the PMB Curriculum ‘S’ Programme is now available and can be accessed

as follows;

• Go to LearningNI by clicking on desktop icon (in school) or https://learningni.net (outside school)

• Login by entering your C2k username and password

• Click on Go to Library

• You will see 4 tabs - NI Curriculum, Staff, My Basket and Publishing

• Click the second tab - Staff

• Under Topic select Inclusion/Special

• In Sub Topic search for Teaching Resources

• The resources will be located in this section - resource titles will begin with ‘Celebrating Learning’

Online Resources


eight

The ‘Art’ ofEngaging Parents“It is essential that parents and the widercommunity play their part in supportingthe work of the school, raising theaspirations and expectations of pupilsand valuing education.”

In recognising this fact in its ‘Every

School A Good School - A Policy for

School Improvement’, the Department of Education highlighted the

important role parents play in their children’s education. The

importance of parental involvement is further recognised in the

Department’s Extended Schools Policy, which seeks to build on this

work by encouraging schools to develop links with parents and their

local community.

Parents are a child’s first educator. Studies have indicated that children

whose parents and/or other significant adults share in their formal

education tend to do better in school. All parents want their children to

succeed. Similarly many want to be involved with the formal education

of their children. Sometimes however they don’t know where to start,

when to find the time or how to go about making positive connections

with school. Helping create these connections is of vital importance.

Achieving successful parental involvement is not always easy - but it is

certainly not impossible. The BELB’s Parent Support Programme has

been helping schools to work with parents for the past ten years.

Experience has shown us that a bit of belief, vision, determination and

creativity can go a long way towards achieving the successful parental

engagement that schools hope for.

This academic year, BELB’s Integrated Services for Children and Young

People provided funding to 23 primary schools in the West Belfast and

Shankill area to develop a Parent and Child Art Project, where parents

would work with their children on a piece of art. Art is generally viewed

as a fun, safe and non-threatening medium, making it easier to engage

the ‘hard to reach’ parents. Working in partnership with BELB Parent

Support Programme, the project was developed on the premise that:

• Parents, carers and families are by far the most important influences

on children’s lives;

• Parents who take a supportive role in their children’s learning make

a difference in improving achievement and behaviour;

• Parental support can pay a vital role at all stages of education;

• When parents and schools work together, children do better;

• The active involvement of parents in the life of the school can help

promote a learning community in which pupils engage positively

with teachers and their peers.

Schools have many demands placed on them so it was important that

the project was manageable and that schools had a sense of purpose

Parents and children at Black Mountain Primary School in Belfast work together on their art project

Report by Marian McKinney (BELB)


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Family learning pilot project

Parents of children who attend St Malachy’s Primary School in Carnagat

have returned to the classroom to become students again. A total of 15

parents participated in a Family Learning pilot Project which was aimed at

encouraging them to support their children at home.

The Family Learning Programme at St Malachy’s is sponsored by

Neighbourhood Renewal. The pilot project began in January last year and

was rolled out in phases. The first phase was a foundation programme for

parents which ran every Friday morning, between April 2009 and June

2009. This programme was facilitated by the DELTA Parenting Partnership

Service and the Southern Education and Library Board’s Literacy Team.

Parents of Year 6 children involved in the school’s Reading Partnership

programme were initially offered places. During the course parents

covered key topics such as learning, thinking and the brain, language and

literacy, supporting reading and writing, growing up - facing adolescence

together, study skills, supporting homework, and managing behaviour.

Phase 2, facilitated by Southern Regional College, commenced in

September 2009 and will end in June 2010. The parents have already

completed their City & Guilds Level 1 in literacy and are working towards

City & Guilds Level 2. They recently received a laptop each in recognition

of their achievements and to help them continue to develop their

learning at home. Parents have also completed a basic introduction on

the use of the laptop and Word 2007, through the SELB Literacy and ICT

Officer. Further Numeracy and ICT courses are to follow.

Feedback has been extremely positive.

Parents are so happy with the scheme

that they are already participating in

other Neighbourhood Renewal

sponsored programmes and have set

up a partnership with Orana Sure Start

Newry to run a Parent and Toddler

Group in the Centre in the near future.

and ownership from the outset. The first step in this process was to

identify a person to take responsibility for the project. This individual

could be a teacher, a parent support officer, a classroom assistant or

indeed a parent. It was also important to give schools the freedom to

determine the type of art project they would undertake. These ranged

from murals to enhance the school environment, mosaics, robots,

textile wall hangings, three-dimensional pieces to a totem pole.

Because schools know the needs of their children and parents best, we

felt that they should decide if they wished to involve whole classes or

particular individuals from classes.

Schools need to let parents know that they are valued, not only as

co-educators but as people in their own right. It is important to

recognise that some parents may need to overcome their own

negative experiences of education before they have the confidence

or the desire to engage constructively in their children’s education.

In acknowledging this and working to help parents feel secure, we

gently removed barriers to engagement.

We hosted a Celebration & Exhibition of the artwork in Belfast Central

Library. This month-long event, launched by Right Honourable Lord

Mayor Naomi Long, sent out a very powerful message that parents and

children were valued. Seeing their work exhibited in the library was a

very emotional experience for some parents, particularly for those who

had always felt that their work ‘was never good enough’ or that they

‘could never achieve anything in life’. One of the key points we need to

remember when working with parents is to start with where parents

are at, not where we want them to be. The project gave many parents a

first taste of what it felt like to achieve, and if supported they will in turn

help their children to achieve.

By holding the exhibition in the library we increased the potential

impact of the project. In some instances parents and children were

visiting the library for the first time and we were able to use this great

environment to further promote the joy of books, the importance of

reading and the opportunity for lifelong learning.

All of the parents and children who participated in the project were

invited to the library to view the art from all 23 schools and also to

participate in storytelling sessions with famous Irish storyteller Liz Weir.

These sessions not only entertained but also sensitively demonstrated

to parents the importance of stories in child development. We are now

responding to requests from schools and parents to have more of

these sessions. The parents who took part in the art project also took

part in training with Liz Weir. This experience moved parents from

being a listener to being a storyteller. In enabling parents to develop

their skills and confidence we are also building the capacity of the

school community as they can in turn use these new skills to benefit

the school as well as their children.

In total we had 495 parents and children involved in the project. We

achieved our goal of parental engagement i.e. ‘getting parents across

the door, doing an activity with their child’. But to leave it at that would

have undermined the time, energy and commitment that schools,

parents and children gave to this project. By ‘getting parents across the

door’ these school achieved so much more; they broke down barriers,

built relationships, provided quality time for parents and children,

developed parents and children’s skills and confidence, widened

exposure to books, reinforced the importance of reading and

reintroduced parents to libraries.

This project also demonstrated that there is a strong will on behalf of

schools and parents to engage with each other. If we continue to

support this engagement, then parents will certainly be playing their

part in supporting schools in raising the aspirations and expectations

of pupils and valuing education.


One of the most significant challenges that pupils encounter in their

school careers is the transition between primary and post-primary.

For some, this experience can be demanding and stressful, and often

requires schools to have structures in place to help manage the process.

Addressing the issues associated with transition and recognising that

one of the visions of the Northern Ireland Curriculum was for students

to experience a seamless continuum of learning between the primary

and post-primary phases, St Mary’s, Limavady, has developed a Linking

Learning programme.

This pilot project, supported by CCEA and WELB, is thought to be one of

the first in Northern Ireland where primary and post-primary phases

work together on collaborative projects, fulfilling the cross-curricular

assessment requirements.

The initiative brings teachers from St Mary’s together with colleagues

from several feeder primary schools to plan and collaborate on an

activity that has the potential to cement a shared understanding of

pupils’ primary and post-primary experiences.

Nine primary schools are involved. These include: Faughanvale PS;

Broadbridge PS; St Finlough’s PS; Termoncanice PS; St Matthew’s PS

Drumsurn; Roe Valley Integrated PS; Ballykelly PS; St Aidan’s PS

Magilligan and St Anthony’s PS Magilligan.

The programme is divided into phases and planning currently covers

the next three academic years:

• Phase 1 (2009/2010) - Development of an induction programme

in line with primary assessment of cross-curricular skills;

• Phase 2 (2010/2011) - Development of a literacy/communication

focused programme within primary schools;

• Phase 3 (2010/2011) - The establishment of a learning forum

which will enable the sharing of information across primary and

post-primary.

Linking LearningReport by Mrs Geraldine Carlin and Mr Stephen Keown, St Mary’s, Limavady

ten

Miss Michelle Kearney (Year 7 Teacher, Faughanvale Primary School) and

Mrs Bronagh Devlin (Link Teacher, St Mary’s) with pupils from Faughanvale Primary School


This academic year, feeder primary schools were divided into five

cohorts. All primary teachers attended a planning day with two link

teachers from St Mary’s. The primary schools agreed and collaborated

together on a thematic unit. Units identified included the Titanic and

Fair Trade. The primary schools worked on the communication element

in their own schools before attending St Mary’s to utilise the school’s ICT

facilities. Projects undertaken included animation, voice and image

manipulation and computer-aided design.

The intended outcomes of the Linking Learning programme are

as follows:

Post-primary

• Development and support of literacy and communication skills prior

to Year 8;

• Ensuring greater progression for individual students, better able to

embrace post-primary challenges;

• Gain a better understanding of Year 7/potential Year 8

student capabilities;

• Gain a better understanding of KS2 curriculum;

• Inform our Year 8 teaching pedagogies and curriculum;

• Enable dovetailing of KS2 and KS3 curricula;

• Inform our Year 8 placement procedures;

• Guide communication curriculum offered at Year 8;

• Guide the ICT provision offered at Year 8.

Primary

• Support with assessment demands of the Northern Ireland Curriculum;

• Raise key skill attainment levels;

• Gain a better understanding of achievement strategies for gifted and

talented students.

The project has been a major undertaking. A high level of collaboration

has taken place between both phases. The first year of the programme

has served as an inspiration to continue the work, and generated

enthusiasm to develop the project over the next number of years.

Creating a continuum of learning between the primary and post-

primary phases is a key aspiration of the Northern Ireland Curriculum.

Turning this concept into reality will prove challenging but it is a

challenge that staff at St Mary’s believe will be very enriching to the

learning experience of all students.

Commenting on the programme, Mick Davies, Education Manager at

CCEA added: “While smoothing the transition from primary to post-

primary will always be specific to the pupils and schools involved, the

Linking Learning work undertaken by St Mary’s and their partner

primary schools is both proactive and innovative in searching for new

and meaningful ways to support pupils through one of the most

demanding periods of their school life.”

eleven

Cross-phase collaboration

St Matthew’s Year 7 pupils, together with Year 7 pupils from

St Finlough’s Primary, Ballykelly Primary and Roe Valley Integrated

Primary chose the topic of Fair Trade as our Linking Learning project.

Year 7 teachers met with colleagues from St Mary’s before

Christmas to plan the project. Even if the collaboration had ended

there, we would still have found the exercise beneficial.

In addition to Year 7 teachers from small and medium schools

planning together, teachers from KS2 and KS3 were given insight

into each others’ work, something which had not happened before.

As a result of the meeting, we agreed on the ICT software to be

used, the levels at which children would work, the progression

expected and the timetabling of the project.

A large part of the project was carried out in our individual schools

in much the same way as many of our other projects - the children

researched, took notes, edited and exchanged ideas. What raised

this project to a different level, however, was what came next.

The pupils from each of the primary schools travelled to Limavady to

spend a day in one of the St Mary’s computer suites. The prospect of this

alone caused great excitement among my class of fifteen children, many

of whom have siblings already in the school and had heard stories of

how huge the school is, physically and in terms of its population.

We were trained in the use of ‘Crazy Talk’ by a very patient Mr. Sean

Mullan. The children quickly became adept at managing the

programme and, in just one day, developed their ICT skills in an

exciting and highly enjoyable way.

Not only have the children learned much about Fair Trade and the

lives of Fair Trade producers, they have caught a glimpse of what

life will be like in KS3. The result of the programme - they cannot

wait to leave me and primary school far behind!

Report by Mary O’Hara, Principal of St Matthew’s Primary School, Drumsurn.


twelve

Mr Corrigan competed against 200 teachers from more than 40 countries

to secure a top prize after being selected to represent the school and

Northern Ireland in the prestigious event held last term in Berlin.

Barry’s project ‘Making Homework Count: Engaging Parents’

showcased the work that he and his pupils had been doing to improve

the home/school relationship and make homework an interactive and

meaningful extension of the school day.

His multimedia entry, submitted to the judges in the previous week,

contained video clips of his work in action and interviews with parents,

pupils and colleagues. The panel were particularly impressed at how Barry

has successfully managed to link the classroom and home environments

through imaginative and innovative use of technology.

Barry makes the activities completed in class available online for the

children to access when completing their homework. He creates ‘courses’

on LearningNI based around topics and includes ‘discussion boards’

where the children are able to debate current issues online. If his pupils

have difficulty with their homework they can email him for support or

advice. This has resulted in the children developing a more confident

relationship with school, teacher and their learning.

Delighted with the award, Barry said: “I feel that it is recognition of the

effort the children and parents have put into realising my ideas and vision

for the use of ICT in the learning process. It is by no means perfect but it

certainly goes a long way to breaking down the barriers between school

and home. The children have recognised the value in what I am trying to

do with them and their enthusiasm has made the work much easier.”

‘Innovative’ Teacher of the Year

Pupils in Millennium Integrated Primary School, Saintfield, have every reasonto celebrate. Their Year 7 teacher, Mr Barry Corrigan, won the Microsoft European Innovative Teacher of the Year (Community) Award 2010.


thirteen

Enthusing children and engaging parents

Report by Barry Corrigan

Vice-Principal, Year 7 teacher and ICT Coordinator at Millennium Integrated Primary School

The Northern Ireland Curriculum places an increased importance on

the use of ICT in teaching and learning. My pupils love using ICT

resources in class, so if they enjoy it then why not use it to support

learning at home? My vision is for ICT to be fully integrated into the

school day and to use it as a point of contact between the children’s

learning and their parents.

I have tried to do away with the traditional break between school day

and home time when children and parents seem left to their own

devices to get on with the homework that has been set by the

school. Establishing an effective home/school link extends learning

opportunities and increases and improves the level of parental

involvement.

Using LearningNI for homework helps maintain contact between

home and school. It supports children’s learning, generates a greater

interest in learning and is especially popular with the boys. It is a

familiar and safe environment for children, is easy to set up and

encourages the use of research and presentation skills.

The children know that I can be contacted for support while they are

doing their homework. I am online every night and it seems natural

for the children to see homework as an extension of their learning if

they can email me for support. I am attempting to let the children

see that there is help on hand and there’s no need to worry about

having difficulties with homework. I can point them in the right

direction if they need it.

We have online discussions on news stories and events. This gives

children an opportunity to actually think about the issues that affect

them and helps them develop the confidence to voice their

opinions. Another benefit of this online forum is that it gives shy

children, who might not want to speak up in front of the class, a

medium in which to share their point of view without fear of

clamming up.

Each week the children access a dedicated news site on LearningNI

run by The Guardian and have to answer eight questions about

current news stories. Each story contains an embedded mp3 file - so

those children who find reading difficult can complete the same

exercise. This activity helps develop the children’s comprehension

skills and generates their interest in and responsibility for the world

around them.

I also put up the resources that I have used in class that week for the

children to access to support them with their homework. If children

are struggling with a part of their work, they can go directly to the

site and see the teaching resources that I used in the lessons.

Parents are becoming more engaged with their children’s learning -

being able to see directly what has been going on in class that week

as well as being able to support their children at home. I have no

problem giving them access to my resources if it helps them guide

their children and assist them in their learning.

I feel that I am beginning to use technology in a way that is

motivating the children and their parents and that I am starting to

engage my pupils in new and exciting ways - especially in a medium

that they are comfortable with and know extremely well.

Barry uses the Virtual Learning Environment, LearningNI, to enable his

pupils to access the resources he uses during the teaching day, when

they get home. This also lets parents see the work going on in class,

enabling them to help their children with homework activities.

“I’m trying to give parents an insight into strategies that can help their

children learn,” he said. “Their support and understanding is crucial in the

development of their children’s learning.”

One of the different ways that Barry has been setting homework has

been the use of LearningNI discussion boards which enable the

children to debate many different subjects. They also use LearningNI to

carry out research, practice key concepts and email their teacher for

homework support.

The school’s principal, Mrs Roulston, is elated at Barry’s achievement. She

said: “Children need these key skills now, and in the future. What Barry is

doing is delivering them in a way that makes learning interesting and

exciting. It is also important that our ethos of parental involvement is

developed in new and exciting ways and this is certainly both. We are

delighted that his work has been recognised in this way.”

Barry will travel to Cape Town in October to represent the school at the

world finals. His trip will be paid for by Microsoft. These annual awards are

run by Microsoft through its ‘Partners in Learning’ initiative and are

designed to recognise those areas in which teachers use technology to

make a difference to children’s lives.

Further information about the awards can be found at

www.tomatmicrosoft.com.


fourteen

At the beginning of this academic year, St Columb’s was selected by

the Northern Ireland Best Practice scheme to host a ‘Learning and

Benchmarking’ event which focused on building staff confidence in

the use of ICT for improvement. The scheme, part of the government’s

strategy for reforming and modernising public services, aims to

highlight and share good practice within the public sector.

The college first embarked on its focused journey to develop learning

and teaching through ICT in 2004 and much has been accomplished

since then.

College Principal Mr Sean McGinty explained: “Over the last number of

years, St Columb’s College has undertaken an extensive and

innovative development programme, focused on enhancing teaching

and learning through the use of ICT.

“The work that we have carried out, particularly in terms of

infrastructural development and innovative staff training

methodologies has not only contributed to the raising of standards

within the school, but had been recognised externally as an example

of best practice.”

St Columb’s has won a host of ICT related awards - one of which

was a National Training Award for its staff ICT training and

development programme.

The college launched its award winning programme to help teachers

become more confident with technology in the classroom and to

ensure that lessons would incorporate exciting digital, audio and

image literacy. This meant that pupils would have improved ICT skills

and employers would have access to a more highly skilled workforce

in the future.

St Columb’s College is the north-west’s largest post-primary school with 155 staff and 1,500 boys aged between 11

and 18. A specialist school in Mathematics and Computing, St Columb’s is widely recognised as a beacon of excellent

practice in using information and communications technology (ICT) to enhance learning, teaching and management.

Building staff confidencein the use of ICT


fifteen

The school’s ICT team set about designing a learning programme

which was flexible, responsive to interest and need, supportive of

innovation and which would encourage and empower teachers in

taking greater risks with their traditional repertoire.

A core group of teachers volunteered to act as ICT teaching support

personnel and produced a package entitled: ‘Skill, Support, Collaborate

and Celebrate’.

Mary-Jo O’Carolan, ICT Coordinator said: “The learning programme has

helped many staff overcome their fear of teaching through ICT. The

impact on pupil performance is significant. Above all, teachers have

found the courage to take risks with traditional teaching styles by

successfully integrating ICT.”

The formalised and structured training in ICT undertaken by the staff

of St Columb’s has enabled teachers to tailor their teaching to meet

the personalised needs of each individual pupil while focusing upon

the provision of lifelong learning skills.

ICT is no longer taught as a discrete subject at the school and careful

mapping of ICT across all curriculum subjects ensures that all boys are

gaining the skills they need in a natural and embedded way. This

approach is supported by effective planning, target setting, and

rigorous assessment.

There's a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to complement this

rigour with the flexibility and variety to engage and motivate students.

A high percentage of students have broadband access from home

and the small number without have preferential access to any ICT

suite outside lesson times. There's also an interest-free finance scheme

for laptop purchase in the sixth form. All these factors lead to flexible

and personalised learning opportunities for all pupils.

ICT is integrated into all aspects of pupils’ learning for example, Music

students compose in Garageband, English students make movies, PE

students use ICT to monitor fitness levels and in language lessons

pupils use podcasts and their iPods to upload their voices and listen to

themselves speaking the language. This is to encourage analysis and

self-improvement in an area that was traditionally difficult to get

pupils practicing.

Most pupils have access to teachers and resources on a 24/7 basis so

if, for example, they don’t fully understand concepts discussed in class

that day, they can contact their peers and teachers to further explore

concepts at home and replay demonstrations.

Mary-Jo O'Carolan explained: “We’ve created a seamless classroom -

all resources are posted onto the Virtual Learning Environment so

pupils can go home, and can contribute to online conversations, blogs

and discussion boards. They can log on at night and find out what

their homework work is, download resources, or upload assignments

to the teacher.

“We’re trying to up skill our pupils for the future. When they move on

to third level education, they will need be able to do everything online

from finding out about and submitting assignments, to finding out

their grades and assessments.”

St. Columb’s has created a learning culture where innovative strategies

are developed, disseminated and embedded and where teachers are

confident with technology in the classroom.

An essential element of this learning package has been the sharing of

good ideas among colleagues. In a pioneering cross-community

project for example, they brought together, online and face-to-face,

15 teachers and almost 200 pupils from four schools to learn, pilot and

evaluate the Scholar e-learning package for A Level sciences - earning

recognition by the British Educational Communications and

Technology Agency (BECTA) for this work.

Principal Sean McGinty added: “We have invested a significant amount

of time, money and energy into ICT. The pupils love spending time on

the equipment and appreciate this privilege. We’re really proud of the

open environment we have created where innovation is encouraged

without fear of failure.”


sixteen

ICT in the Classroom

Launched in autumn 2009, the ICT in the Classroom competition was

designed to harness the ideas generated by Northern Ireland’s teaching

community by sharing how teachers have been integrating ICT in their

lessons to enhance teaching and learning within their classrooms.

At geography specialist school Slemish College, teacher Tim Manson

places a focus on ICT as not only a way of learning, but as a way of life.

He has implemented several programmes to enhance students’ learning

including development of the revision website, ‘Think Geography’;

designed to be a point of reference for GCSE and A-level students.

Podcasts and blogs feature prominently not only in teaching but in

extra-curricular activities. During an A-level expedition to Iceland pupils

were able to detail their experiences through video and blog entries,

making sure the learning benefits of the trip continue long after the

pupils have returned home.

Thanks to Tony Young at Carr’s Glen Primary School, missed or forgotten

homework is now a thing of the past, as pupils are encouraged to type

and email literacy homework ahead of the next day’s class. More than

half of the pupils now regularly submit their homework in this way and

for those pupils without access to a computer at home, arrangements

are in place to complete work after school.

Use of the internet is also encouraged through maths projects in which

pupils are allocated a set time to visit all the sites and complete each

task. According to Mr Young, this promotes self-management and

prepares the Year 7 pupils for the transition to secondary school.

Commenting on the winning entries, Stuart Gunning, Regional Director

of Education, Northgate Managed Services said: “The measures put in

place by both schools are shining examples of the educational benefits

of ICT. We were extremely impressed with the quality of entries,

highlighting the wealth of experience within our teaching community.

“Northern Ireland’s schools are at the forefront of innovative thinking

and idea generation with teachers playing a huge role in how ICT is

being integrated into the classroom. Through competitions such as this,

Northgate aims to establish a ‘best practice’ platform - allowing teachers

to share ideas and maximise the learning potential of all pupils.

“We are confident that we can continue to raise the bar for ICT

development within schools; working closely with teachers to

encourage further participation and commitment to ensure ICT can be

used effectively in the classroom.”

Principal Michele Corkey and Data Manager Ciara McLoughlin were

invited by GL Assessment to present at the conference on their use

of Cognitive Ability Tests (CATs) with Year 8 pupils to improve the

quality of learning and teaching in the classroom. Their work was

hailed as a fine example of innovative classroom practice.

This project is leading the way in recognising and developing how pupils

learning preferences can be used to set targets and plan for improvement.

Outlining the project the principal said: “Pupils learning styles are

identified early in the first term and this information is used to

improve the performance of pupils. The programme involves the

pupil, teacher and parent working together to improve the quality of

learning and teaching.

“Teachers use the CAT data to plan effective lessons designed to

develop each pupils’ learning. Pupils are given their pupil profile and

strategies to use both in school and at home to build their learning

power. Parents are also encouraged to develop activities that support

their children’s learning at home.”

Ciara McLoughlin is excited about the project’s potential to raise

standards throughout the school.

She said: “We feel that by using CAT data to inform our teaching

strategies we are making a real difference to the learning experiences

of pupils. They are more engaged and have taken a more active role

in lessons. This is certainly something that will continue in St Mark’s

with all year groups.”

St Mark’s High School in Warrenpoint has had the innovative work of its teachers showcased at the BETT 2010

Conference in London, the world’s largest education, information and ICT event.

Teachers at Slemish College, Ballymena and Carr’s Glen Primary School, North Belfast have been recognised for their

innovative and forward-thinking approach to using ICT effectively in the classroom in a Northern Ireland-wide

competition organised by Northgate Managed Services (Northgate).


seventeen

Teachers at St Joseph’s are finding SIMS a very useful tool for many

aspects of their work, from curriculum planning and helping to improve

overall pupil performance, to identifying pupils in need of support in

certain areas of the curriculum.

From an administrative perspective, SIMS is also used to manage the

school’s finance and resources. SIMS gives us quality and up-to-date

information about the school which is then used to inform our decision

making process.

Even straightforward but often time-consuming tasks such as managing

the school diary are so much easier with SIMS. All diary markings are

stored electronically online so the diary is always up to date. This makes it

easier for everything we’re organising in the school from planning

activities such as in-service training, school trips, and visitors to the school,

to the use of the assembly hall.

It lends itself to greater coordination and as a result, everything operates a

lot more smoothly. It makes life easier for everyone involved to make the

appropriate arrangements when they know what else is happening in

the school on a particular date.

Now that everything goes into SIMS, we‘ve removed the traditional wall

planner in the staff room. It’s just the same with any changes to staff or

pupil contact details. These are automatically changed in all school

records which helps reduce the administrative burden on teachers and

school office staff and minimises the risk of errors in data entry.

At first, it took staff some time to get into the way of using SIMS but now

that they can see the benefits, it has become an important and valued

resource in the school.

It certainly helps when teachers can actually see how SIMS can help

reduce, rather than add to their workload. With SIMS, they can access

information about children in their class, such as their academic records

and liaise with other teachers to identify any children who are

underachieving. They can also monitor behaviour and attendance or

know whether or not a child has brothers or sisters in the school, all of

which can be very useful from a pastoral point of view.

With so many changes to the curriculum, teachers are interested in

initiatives that will lessen their workload and SIMS is starting to really

make a difference at St Joseph’s.

Many of the initial teething problems have now been ironed out.

Teachers have had to deal with a lot of changes in recent years but we all

recognise that SIMS has the potential to reduce our administrative

workload and free up time for teaching.

Feedback from both parents and teachers indicated that the initial pupil

profiles generated on SIMS Profile 7 module were too generic and

impersonal but now teachers feel more confident in using SIMS report

tool to create a more individual report for parents.

Teachers have the option of either using comments from the comment

bank, which have been developed by teachers or adding a comment of

their own which they feel best describes the progress of a specific child.

The layout and presentation of our school report have been improved

and in keeping with the Northern Ireland Curriculum, it facilitates

reporting on other skills such as ‘working with others’, ’dealing with

conflict’, and ‘self esteem’, which helps paint a more holistic picture of a

child’s progress. This is particularly useful for giving teachers the ‘heads

up’ on children in each class as they progress through the school.

Now that the initial training is complete and everyone in St Joseph’s is

using SIMS, the consensus among staff is that it certainly is helping to

make their life a little easier.

SIMS is particularly beneficial for teachers involved in learning support at

the school. It makes it easier to plan and coordinate Individual Education

Plans (IEPs) and to suggest targets, for example in Maths and English, for

children in need of support, including those in the school’s special unit.

It is now two years since SIMS was introduced in the school and although

all staff are now using the programme, everyone has their own favourite

way of doing things so we are constantly learning from each other and

there is plenty of cross-fertilisation of ideas.

Using SIMSto reduce teacher workload

St Joseph’s Primary School in Bessbrook is a firm advocate of the Schools Information Management System (SIMS). Members of staff have been encouraged to make full use of all the programme’s modules.

Report by St Joseph’s Primary School


eighteen

James has cerebral palsy and had to spend a lengthy spell in Musgrave

Park Hospital. Thanks to the excellent working relationship between his

teachers at Mitchell House and teaching staff at Belfast Hospital School, he

was able to keep up-to-date with all his lessons. But during a recent long

spell in hospital, James became increasingly apprehensive about going

back to school after being away for so long.

Miriam Donnan, ICT Coordinator at Mitchell House explained:

“James had been in hospital and out of his usual school routine for

several months. We knew from speaking to teachers at Belfast Hospital

School that he was very anxious about his return to Mitchell House

and seeing all his classmates again.

“We decided to break the ice for him by organising the video conference

link between James and his friends and teachers here at Mitchell House.

The video link was set up the week before he was due back at school but

while he was still in Musgrave Park Hospital.

“James was able to talk to his friends and ask them about what they had

been doing since he went into hospital. The video link reassured James

and certainly made it easier for him to come back to school the following

Monday. Instead of worrying about coming back, James told his friends

he was looking forward to seeing them again.”

Now that he is back at Mitchell House, James is a bit of a celebrity with

the ‘star’ status that comes from appearing on the big screen [the

interactive white board] and he said he really enjoyed the experience.

According to Miriam, the video links are helping the children’s confidence.

“Some of our children here are very shy but once they get used to using

the webcam, they really enjoy it and we find that it helps to develop their

social skills,” she said.

“As we cater for children with a wide range of physical disabilities, we use

a variety of specially adapted ICT equipment, such as computers with an

easy to use roller ball instead of the traditional mouse, large coloured

keyboards and speech recognition software.”

She added: “We make good use of ICT in class to unlock the children’s

potential. Our special equipment gives them greater access and makes it

easier for them to use the computers. We’re always looking for new ways to

integrate ICT into their work - for example some of the children have started

to use digital cameras to help prepare their records of achievement.”

Following the success of their pilot video conference with James, Miriam

liaised with Belfast Hospital School ICT Coordinator Mary Graham to

investigate other possible uses of the webcam. They agreed it would be

an ideal way to introduce new pupils to the school.

Mary said: “One of our pupils had been with us in the Hospital School for

almost a year following a serious road traffic accident. He was going to

transfer from a mainstream school to Mitchell House but because it was

in the middle of the school year, he was very apprehensive about how he

was going to fit in with everyone.

“He didn’t know what to expect so we used the video link to introduce

him to his new classmates. He was able to ask them questions and talk to

them about what they did in school - and all the usual really important

things like football! He was also able to have a ‘look’ around the classroom

and meet some of his teachers which was all very reassuring for him.”

Belfast Hospital School operates on a split site between the Royal Belfast

Hospital for Sick Children, the City Hospital and Musgrave Park Hospital.

Mary feels that video conference links have tremendous potential to help

children in hospital keep in touch with their school friends. She added:

“We try to minimise disruption to their education while they are in hospital

and we also play a role in their reintegration into mainstream school after

long term illness. The video links have been very beneficial - it’s a real tonic

for the children and just the thing they need when they’re in hospital.”

Back toSchool byWebcamTeachers at Mitchell House Special School in East Belfast

are using the school’s video conferencing facilities to

help pupils in hospital keep in touch with their class-

mates. One of the first pupils to benefit from the school’s

innovative use of the webcam equipment and training

provided by C2k was James Brooks.


nineteen

Video conference between Stormont and Lurgan College

The pupils made brief presentations on the current state of the NI

economy and quizzed MLAs on key economic issues.

The video conference link up was the idea of Alan Reavie, Head of

Business Studies and ICT at Lurgan College.

Mr Reavie said: “We are always looking at new and innovative

ways for our students to learn and to gain a greater empirical level

of understanding.

“The excellent technology we have available at Lurgan College easily

lent itself to developing this particular idea and provided the pupils

involved with a unique opportunity to address MLAs directly about the

matters that concern them most.

“The students were keen to explore in greater depth some of the

economic-based issues they study and to question the Committee

directly in relation to the future of the NI Economy and how this

impacts on employment prospects for school leavers.”

Alice Kingham, one of the Lurgan College pupils added: “It was a good

opportunity to meet with local politicians and get an idea of how they

plan to help businesses survive the current downturn.”

‘A’ Level Business Studies students from Lurgan College recently took part in a unique video conference with MLAs

from the Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment.

High-powered video link


twenty

As the need to map the coverage of topics across the curriculum and to track the

progression and continuity of skills development through connected

learning becomes increasingly important, a number of curriculum mapping tools

have come on to the market.

Curriculum Mapping

One such tool, entitled ‘Units of Work’, is available free to schools via the

Western Education and Library Board CASS website -

www.welb-cass.org.

Designed by the Technology Education Centre Team in Omagh, the

tool was launched in the summer of 2008 and to date 123 schools have

registered as users.

This online resource allows teachers to load up the units of work which

they have revised in light of the Northern Ireland Curriculum. It also

highlights which skills and key elements are being covered in each unit.

It is then possible to search the data and sift information by skill, year

group, and subject in order to evaluate provision and identify gaps.

One school that has made extensive use of the programme is

Immaculate Conception College. Tracey Loughery, Head of English and

Leader of the Curriculum Development Team described the benefits of

the tool: “Early in the implementation of the Northern Ireland

Curriculum, our school felt the need to standardise the approach to

planning. We were looking for a solution which would facilitate

monitoring, ensure consistency, continuity and progression, identify

areas of overlap and facilitate cross-departmental collaboration.”

Tracey explained that the school had initially experimented with Excel

as a way of keeping planning information centrally but this was too

limited for what it was hoping to achieve.

“The launch of the ‘Units of Work’ Curriculum Mapping Tool came at

just the right moment,” she said. “The school’s senior leadership team

also realised its potential for disseminating good practice and ensuring

a quality experience for the pupils.”

The leadership team secured the staff‘s agreement to use the tool and

devoted an appropriate amount of its Curriculum Implementation

Planning days in the last three years to ensure that all teachers had the

time to plan, map and upload their units of work. As a result, the site

currently holds 237 units for Immaculate Conception College.

In the first year the monitoring focused on coverage of the skills and

key elements, ensuring that all subjects paid due consideration to the

new components of the curriculum in their planning and that the

children were not losing out on learning opportunities. In depth

examination helps identify the strengths of each department and

whole school areas for development.

A curriculum mapping tool has limitations: it only provides information

in relation to what teachers intend to teach but not to what actually

happens in the classroom. In order to monitor the impact of the

change in pedagogy on the students’ learning, teachers in the school

have agreed a schedule of classroom observations. The observations

are linked to the skills (as identified through the units of work) and

teachers observing their peers report huge benefits for themselves.

The school recently decided to identify one skill in particular (but not to

the exclusion of the others) as the focus for a term’s work with each


twenty one

year group as a way to expand and diversify the children’s experience

and the range of teaching. This is supported by CPD opportunities for

staff in the form of dissemination of current best practice.

This term the school has been concentrating on the assessment and

reporting of Thinking Skills and Personal Capabilities (TSPC) with Year

10. The summary table in ‘Units of Work’ provides information in

relation to naturally occurring links between subjects. Groups of three

or four subjects will then design full day tasks where the

learning intentions will be specifically focused on sets of TSPC sub-

strands as well as subject specific learning intentions.

Over a period of three days’ timetabled, instead of formal, examination

the students will be able to engage in three different tasks focusing on

different skills in a variety of thematic units. Assessment tasks will be

built into the planning. When these have been evaluated they will then

be uploaded on the site as part of the units for Year 10. The school is

hoping that this work will inform the ongoing planning for the

assessment tasks for the formally assessed skills.

Catherine Alexander, the ICT Coordinator at Immaculate Conception

College, outlined the success of the mapping tool in the school:

“Its huge advantage is that it is user-friendly and easy to navigate.”

Further developments of the tool are currently being investigated by

WELB TEC staff, such as extending the search to include subject, year

group and date, or even doing multi-subject searches. To date only

post-primary schools have access to the site but the customisation of

the tool to meet the needs of primary schools is being explored.

As the assessment arrangements are coming on stream, it will be

useful to be able to identify at a glance the units containing the

assessment tasks and to create a link from the relevant subject units to

the tasks.

'Units of Work' Curriculum Mapping Tool

Post-primary schools in any Board area can access this tool. A member of

your School Development Team should register initially, using the process

outlined below. He or she will then be responsible for the creation of any

further usernames and passwords required by your school.

• To register - log on to www.welb-cass.org

• Click on 'Online Teacher Tools'

• Click on 'Curriculum Mapping Tools'

• Click on 'Register here'


twenty two

Children live in an age where moving image technologies form a key part of theirlives. It is now acknowledged within the Northern Ireland Curriculum that thesetechnologies must be actively used by schools to encourage their pupils’ creativity,learning, acquisition and development of skills in a variety of subject contexts.

Creative Learning Centres

Working with digital media presents education with diverse ways in

which children and young people can learn and think creatively. The

wide range of tools on offer can be utilised to develop, express and

communicate ideas in new and exciting ways.

Taking a digital photograph, making digital stories and shooting short

films, designing a logo, building a webpage, creating animations,

composing and writing lyrics with music and visuals - all these activities

amount to a new form of 21st century digital literacy and are now

made possible in the classroom through digital media.

Northern Ireland’s three Creative Learning Centres - Studio On in

Belfast, the Nerve Centre in Derry/Londonderry and the SELB AmmA

Creative Learning Centre in Armagh - offer a tailored programme of

professional development courses which will help primary, special and

post-primary schools to explore the potential for using ICT creatively in

their own classrooms and across the curriculum.

By providing teachers and pupils with access to high level ICT skills,

the centres aim to empower young people to become active,

creative learners.

Some of the courses on offer for teachers include:

• Digital Storytelling

• Moving Image in the Classroom

• Exploring Music and Sound

• Stop-Motion Animation

• Exchanging & Exhibiting Pupil Work

• Adobe Photoshop

• Digital Music Production

• Introduction to Programming using Scratch

• Film theory and practical filmmaking courses for

Moving Image Arts teachers

The Creative Learning Centres offer in-depth support for schools wishing

to take up new digital qualifications such as CCEA’s Moving Image Arts

GCSE and GCE, as well as offering training courses tailored to help

teachers deliver ICT tasks as part of CCEA’s ICT Accreditation Scheme.

Information and dates for upcoming courses in June, August and the

2010/11 school year can be found on the Creative Learning Centres’

websites or you can telephone each centre directly for more

information. Please see full contact details below.

The Nerve Centre has a range of educational resourcesavailable for schools that complement its educationalprogrammes, including:

• The Cu Chulainn Animated Series (KS2)

• The Ulster Weans’ A-Z of Spaces and Places (KS2)

• The Symbols CD-ROM series on 1916, 1690 and 1798 (KS3&4)

• The Holocaust: An educational resource for Northern Ireland

schools (KS3&4)

• The Northern Ireland Digital Film Archive (All Key Stages)

Studio On, Belfast

www.studio-on.org.uk

Tel: 028 9044 9821

the Nerve Centre, Derry/Londonderry

www.creativelearningcentre.org.uk

Tel: 028 7126 0562

SELB AmmA Centre, Armagh

www.ammacentre.org

Tel: 028 3751 2920

InteractiveEducational Resources


twenty three

Teacher trainers embrace new technologyThe Partnership Management Board (PMB) Higher Education

Institution (HEI) Subgroup consists of members representing the

five teacher training institutions (Queen’s University Belfast,

University of Ulster, The Open University, St. Mary’s University

College and Stranmillis University College) CASS and ETI. The group

meets regularly to plan the delivery of Northern Ireland Curriculum

training to staff involved in teacher education.

The theme of this year’s training was “Using ICT in the Northern

Ireland Curriculum”. Workshops, delivered by Averil Morrow (SELB)

and Vine Haugh (SELB AmmA Creative Learning Centre in Armagh),

showcased excellent work being done by both primary and post-

primary schools in the use of ICT and Creative Media.

Averil set her presentation in context by providing evidence that

ICT, when used effectively, enhances teaching and learning and

discussed the CCEA ICT Accreditation Scheme.

She gave many examples of good practice in the use of new

technologies such as programmable toys, digital recording devices

and Web 2.0 tools such as online courses on LearningNI, blogs,

podcasts and wikis that are being used to great effect in schools.

Vine spoke of the role of the Creative Learning Centres ( SELB AmmA

Centre, Studio On and the Nerve Centre) in developing media production

skills in pupils of all ages, backing up her presentation with excellent

examples of digital movies created by pupils from Year 2 up to Year 14.

Feedback following the workshops was very positive and the

enthusiasm generated has been carried back into the HEIs. As a

result Bernard McCloskey and Emma Thorpe of Northern Ireland

Screen were requested to deliver workshops on Digital Storytelling

to staff and student teachers.

In these workshops the language of movies was examined and many

excellent examples were given of how creating digital movies is being

used as a collaborative learning technique across the curriculum and

across the Key Stages from KS1 to Moving Image Arts A level.

The participants also gained hands-on experience of the various

stages in producing digital movies from planning, scripting and

shooting to editing the final masterpieces using Windows

Moviemaker. The whole exercise was great fun and provided

opportunities for collaboration and group work. Furthermore it

could be used in many curricular areas.

As a result of the training, Digital Storytelling has been built into

several HEI courses and student teachers are using the techniques

with pupils during school experience - true cascading of learning.

For further information please see the following websites;

Clounagh VLE: http://www.clounaghvle.org/

SELB AmmA Centre: http://www.ammacentre.org/

Northern Ireland Screen

http://www.northernirelandscreen.co.uk/


The conference, entitled “Promoting Change in Teaching Mathematics for

the 21st Century”, brought together practitioners, policymakers and

influencers to examine how the teaching of crucial mathematical skills can

be improved and provided a forum to share best practice and innovation.

Speaking as she addressed delegates at the event, Ms Ruane said:

“Numeracy is vital to our economic development, especially in these

challenging times. Our young people must have good numeracy skills

to progress in the modern world or to have good career prospects. We

have to nurture their talents to ensure our future economic and social

prosperity, especially in sectors like financial services, medical research,

technology, ICT and engineering.

“Although many of our young people benefit from excellent maths

teaching, and leave school with the numeracy skills they need - too

many young people struggle with numeracy.

“In the north of Ireland, around one child in every five leaves primary

school without achieving the basic numeracy skills they need. Last year,

a similar proportion of 14 year olds (Key Stage 3) failed to achieve the

expected level in maths. Approximately 10,000 young people left

school last year without having achieved five good GCSEs, including

literacy and maths. And our international comparisons could and

should be much better: we are currently performing at the OECD

average in mathematics.

“We also seem to have a culture where it is OK to say ‘oh I was never

any good at maths’. Yet we would never say the same about reading.

“It is important to recognise that teaching maths at post-primary is not

without its challenges. You’re dealing with young people especially

during their difficult teenage years and have to find ways of making

maths interesting, engaging and relevant. You’re dealing with the

impact of transition from primary to post-primary.

“The Chief Inspector has highlighted the need to address the problems

in pupils’ numeracy skills at this key transition. We need to reflect on

how we teach maths to make sure our young people are equipped for

life and work in the 21st century.

“Our school improvement policy, Every School a Good School, sets out

how we will tackle underachievement and support every young

person to reach her or his full potential.

“I will shortly publish a revised literacy and numeracy strategy. It aims

to raise numeracy standards for all our young people and to narrow the

gaps between the most and least disadvantaged. The revised literacy

and numeracy strategy will build on the excellent practice already in

our system and recognise the vital role of parents in their child’s

education. At the heart of the strategy must be good quality teaching,

combined with support for those children who may be having

difficulties, and an assessment framework that will give us all

confidence that improvement is being delivered.

“But this is not ‘another add-on initiative’. Literacy and numeracy are

absolutely essential to a young person’s education and at the heart of

the revised curriculum and assessment arrangements.

“We now have a more relevant and engaging maths curriculum, with

important new elements like financial capability. Using Mathematics is

a statutory cross-curricular skill throughout a child’s compulsory

schooling. And from September, our Maths exams at 16 will have

functionality embedded into them. That will give us all, especially

employers, greater confidence that young people who get a grade C or

better are fully competent in numeracy.

“The curriculum changes I am introducing post-14 will give pupils more

options to pursue numeracy in different ways. Our economy needs

many more people with skills and talent in the vocational areas and

we have a responsibility to make sure our young people develop

these skills.

“The importance of encouraging students to take STEM subjects at

second and third level education cannot be overstated. We must

empower future generations to grow a dynamic and innovative

economy through STEM.

“Maths is not just part of STEM; as the language of science and

technology it underpins all the STEM subjects. If we are to stand any

chance of advancing the STEM agenda, we need to make sure young

people are confident and competent in numeracy.

“We know that some students find these subjects difficult to understand

or maybe feel put off by them. So we must introduce STEM from an

early age and in a way that is exciting, engaging and encourages young

people to follow STEM-related pathways at 14, 16 and beyond.

The ability to understand and make use of numbers is a key life skill which all young people must have. That was the

message from Education Minister Caitríona Ruane and Ms Aine Brady, T.D, Minister of State at the Department of

Health and Children, as they opened the North-South Post-Primary Numeracy Conference in Fermanagh last term.

Working togetherto raise standards in numeracy

twenty four


“We are using resources from the Executive’s Innovation Fund to

develop curriculum resources to support STEM subjects; to develop

Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance for STEM areas;

and to promote STEM work in primary and post-primary schools

through competitions and exhibitions.

“To support that sharing of good practice, we have a new STEM Truck.

The truck is a fantastic facility. It gives young people a ‘hands-on’

learning experience with state of the art equipment. It shows, in a

really innovative way, how much fun STEM subjects can be and will

raise awareness of the key role STEM plays in the economy.

“A common theme to all these policies is promoting the sharing of

best practice. There is some excellent work going on in our schools

and we should rightly recognise and celebrate that.”

The next edition of Linked will feature a selection of case studies

illustrating examples of best practice and innovation from schools in

Northern Ireland in improving learning and teaching in mathematics.

twenty five

“There are two views of mathematics,” said Ms Aine

Brady, T.D, Minister of State at the Department of Health

and Children. “The view held by mathematicians is that

mathematics is the science of counting and that there is

no problem in the whole of mathematics that cannot be

solved by counting.

“Another view is that ‘Mathematics is unknown territory.

Its borders are protected by dense thickets of technical

terms; its landscapes are a mass of indecipherable

equations and incomprehensible concepts’.

Whether we like it or not, mathematics has become as

integral part of our lives and mathematical literacy can be

regarded as an essential life skill. And the indications are

that it will be even more important in the future.”

The Education Minister Caitriona Ruane is pictured with Aine Brady, the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, and Sir Robert Salisbury, chair of the Literacy & Numeracy Task Force, at the opening of the North-South Post-Primary Numeracy Conference.


Helping schools’ humanrights education to

‘Lift Off’Personal Development and Mutual

Understanding (PDMU) within the Northern

Ireland Curriculum provides an opportunity

for children and young people to learn

about recognising and respecting their own

rights and the rights of others.

twenty six

Pupils at Foundation Stage explore their relationships with family and

friends; their responsibilities for self and others; how to respond

appropriately in conflict situations; similarities and differences between

groups of people; and learning to live as a member of a community. At

Key Stage 1 pupils are given the opportunity to explore areas including

responsibility and respect, honesty and fairness. While at Key Stage 2

the focus widens to include human rights and social responsibility and

valuing and celebrating cultural differences and diversity.

Amnesty International’s Lift Off Project, which is receiving funding from

the Department of Education during the period 1 December 2009 to 31

March 2011, is an innovative programme which provides a wide range

of useful and exciting teaching resources to help primary schools

deliver human rights education as part of PDMU. The Department’s

support aims to ensure the embedding of a consistent, coherent and

sustainable approach to the delivery of human rights education in

primary schools. Teachers and pupils can access more information and

downloadable resources at www.liftoffschools.com.

All materials in the Lift Off series have been written and piloted by

primary school teachers drawn from the Ulster Teachers’ Union and the

Irish National Teachers’ Organisation. They have been compiled in line

with curricular changes and with an awareness of the practical

challenges facing teachers in the classroom.

Funding from the Department of Education will enable a refresh of

existing resources and a programme of training for student teachers,

school principals, Board CASS officers and ETI primary inspectors on the

aim of human rights education and its potential in helping to meet

wider educational aims. A programme of training for teachers will be

rolled out thereafter.

Participation and training in the use of the Lift Off resources is voluntary.

Schools which do not wish to use them will continue to be able to

draw upon other resources such as CCEA’s Living, Learning,

Together materials.


twenty seven

Cross-border literacy projectA new scheme to promote reading and writing is offering schools

north and south of the border the opportunity to meet and work

with some of Ireland’s best-known writers and storytellers.

Poetry Ireland Writers in Schools is delighted to announce the

‘Border Crossings Project’, which will offer primary and post-

primary schools in the ten counties on either side of the border

(Armagh, Cavan, Derry Donegal, Down, Fermanagh, Leitrim, Louth,

Monaghan, and Tyrone) the opportunity to apply for funding for a

one-off visit, or residency by a writer or storyteller.

Applications will be decided on a first-come, first-served basis and

also on the merit of the proposed focus of the project. The closing

date is July 2010. Visits and residencies will take place between

September 2010 and April 2011.

For additional information, please contact Anna Boner at email:

[email protected], telephone 003531-4758601 or

visit http://www.poetryireland.ie/education

From September 2010, 130 teachers have taken part in the CCEA Teacher

Insight Programme which supports Learning for Life and Work at Key Stage 3.

The Programme includes visits to organisations specifically selected beyond

education to expose teachers to areas of work outside their own sector and

to encourage them to bring these real life examples back to the classroom.

Employers are proving most willing to engage with the programme which

dovetails with the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

agenda. Some of the organisations visited have included the Northern

Ireland Assembly, Translink, Ordnance Survey NI, the Northern Bank, the Lyric

Theatre building site (hosted by Gilbert Ash), the Public Records Office NI and

the George Best City Airport (in partnership with Bombardier).

Collectively the 130 teachers who have taken part in the programme

teach or advise more than 36,000 pupils each year which illustrates the

huge impact of the initiative. In the forthcoming year it is hoped there

will be a repeat of some of these visits and an extended range of

organisations working in partnership with CCEA in the programme. This

will help to ensure that both teachers and pupils are kept abreast of

changing technologies, work patterns, skills gaps and career

opportunities in Northern Ireland.

Further Information on the Teacher Insight Programme please contact

Vivienne Bannon at CCEA by email: [email protected].

Learning for Life and Work - Inside Knowledge for Teachers

A new pack of resources for Learning for Life and Work is now available for

schools. Three integrated units have been developed, each of which

incorporates two strands of Learning for Life and Work. They are as follows:

Migrant Workers (Education for Employability and Local and Global

Citizenship); Drugs and Society (Personal Development and Local and Global

Citizenship); and Food Miles (Home Economics and Education for

Employability). Copies of the resources were sent to schools in April 2010. If

you require additional copies or further information, please email Vivienne

Bannon at CCEA: [email protected].

New Resources


twenty eight

Irish interface for NI Maps

A simple toggle allows users to choose whether to use the site in

English or in Irish. If Irish is chosen, this allows the whole site to be

navigated in Ulster Irish. The rich functionality of NI Maps can then be

accessed in Irish, allowing users to view local and international maps

and aerial imagery as well as viewing, attaching and publishing their

own resources. As the system ‘remembers’ the language chosen, once

set to a target language it will start up in that when a user opens it.

Combined with dual language mapping for the whole of Ireland from

Land and Property Services, formerly Ordnance Survey Northern

Ireland (OSNI), this provides a rich environment for those users wishing

to operate the program in Irish. All of the digital mapping of the

Republic of Ireland including aerial photography and detailed maps is

also available, as a result of a reciprocal agreement with Ordnance

Survey Ireland (OSi).

For further details about NI Maps, including details of an exciting

competition open to all schools in Northern Ireland, search the Staff

area of the LearningNI library.

For information on NI Maps, contact Stephen Roulston([email protected]) and for information on An tÁisaonad,contact Ciarán Ó Pronntaigh ([email protected]).

NI Maps, accessible through the LearningNI Home Page, has had an Irish interface added.

The program has been translated by the Irish Medium Unit (An tÁisaonad) of St. Mary’s

University College.

Comhéadan Gaeilge doNI Maps

Is féidir teacht ar fheidhmiúlacht shaibhir NI Maps i nGaeilge, rud a

ligean d’úsáideoirí mapaí áitiúla agus idirnáisiúnta agus aeríomhá a

fheiceáil mar aon lena n-áiseanna féin a fheiceáil, a cheangal agus a

fhoilsiú. De thairbhe go ‘gcuimhníonn’ an córas ar an teanga atá

roghnaithe, an uair atá sé socraithe tosóidh sé sa teanga sin nuair a

osclaíonn úsáideoir é.

Agus é ceangailte leis an mhapáil dhátheangach d’iomlán na hÉireann

ó Land and Property Services, Suirbhéireacht Ordanáis Thuaisceart

Éireann (OSNI) mar a bhí air, cuireann sé seo timpeallacht shaibhir ar fáil

do na húsáideoirí ar mhaith leo an ríomhchlár a fheidhmiú i nGaeilge.

Tá an mhapáil dhigiteach ar fad de chuid Phoblacht na hÉireann ar fáil

chomh maith, aer-ghrianghrafadóireacht agus mapaí le mionsonraí san

áireamh, mar gheall ar chomhaontú malartach le Suirbhéireacht

Ordanáis Éireann (OSI).

Le tuilleadh eolais ar NI Maps a fháil, agus sonraí faoi chomórtas

corraitheach atá ar oscailt do gach scoil i dTuaisceart Éireann,

cuardaigh an roinn Staff de leabharlann LearningNI.

Le tuilleadh eolais a fháil ar NI Maps, gabh i dteagmháil leStephen Roulston ([email protected]) agus letuilleadh eolais a fháil ar an Áisaonad, gabh i dteagmháil le CiaránÓ Pronntaigh ([email protected]).

Cuireadh comhéadan Gaeilge, atá ar fáil trí Leathanach Baile LearningNI, le NI Maps. Ba é

An tÁisaonad i gColáiste na hOllscoile Naomh Muire a d’aistrigh é. Ligeann scorán simplí

d’úsáideoirí an suíomh a úsáid i mBéarla nó i nGaeilge. Má roghnaítear Gaeilge, ligeann sé

d’úsáideoirí an suíomh a aimsiú i nGaeilge.


twenty nine

For Primary these include the Personal Development and Mutual

Understanding materials Living, Learning Together; the Ideas for

Connecting Learning and the Thematic Units for use across a range of

areas of learning; and the Thinking Skills and Personal Capabilities story

books Éist Agus Smaoinigh (Listen and Think).

These materials are available in both hard copy and on the NI

Curriculum website (www.nicurriculum.org.uk) with voiceovers for use

by children and parents to support learning at home.

At Key Stage 3, the Education for Employability thematic units will be

available in Irish.

In addition, a range of materials to support Mathematics and

Numeracy and Financial Capability will also be available for Foundation

to Key Stage 3. These include: Making Sense of Money (Foundation

Stage); Talk Money, Talk Solutions (Primary); and Talk Money, Talk Maths

(Key Stage 3).

A number of new resources specifically for IME have also been

produced. The bespoke IME resource Féasta Focal (A Feast of Words),

for example, provides structured activities and games to support pupils

who are experiencing difficulties with the recognition of the first 200

high frequency words in Irish reading materials.

Copies of all of these resources will be distributed to schools

throughout 2010. If you require any further information,

please contact:

Primary

Eoin O Coisneachain: [email protected]

Philip Sheerin: [email protected]

Key Stage 3

Paul Pimley: [email protected]

Irish Medium Resources A new range of resources for Irish Medium Education (IME) is now available from CCEA.

A number of materials which are already available in English have now been translated

and adapted for IME.


Are you ever stuck for a piece of information in your daily routine?

Are you doing research for a qualification or a project? Do you

need to find out how to run a project effectively? Do you want to

find out more about a range of issues such as how the brain

works, emotional intelligence, learning or what constitutes good

practice in working with parents?

If the answer is ‘yes’ then the Regional Training Unit’s

Management Resource Centre may be a source of help that you

have not yet made use of.

The centre’s collection of books, periodicals and sources has been

built up over seventeen years with the aim of supporting the

work of RTU in its leadership training for the school sector, the

Board sector and the broader education sector in Northern

Ireland. Anyone working within the education sector in Northern

Ireland is welcome to make use of the stock and the information.

The collection of books, journals and audio-visual resources

focuses on the topics of management and leadership in general

and management and leadership of education in particular. There

are also books on psychology, ICT and other issues that affect the

leadership of an organisation. For access to the catalogue please

visit: http://www.rtuni.com/resourcecentre/.

The Management Resource Centre librarian is happy to help with

any information requirements. Education professionals are very

welcome to call in during the opening hours which are from

10am until 5:30pm every weekday. Lunch is usually at 12:30 but

arrangements can be made to accommodate you at whatever

time you arrive.

If you would like to find out more about the RTU’s Management

Resource Centre please call Alma Abbs (the manager/librarian) on

028 9061 8121, or email [email protected].

Professional Learning MattersAnnually, more than 2000 educational professionals throughout the

Northern Ireland schooling system attend the RTU Summer School.

The Summer School is designed to be a professional development

and networking event with the emphasis on: high quality and

relevant programmes; professional dialogue; professional learning

that matters; and exploration of topical and innovative issues. It will

have purpose and meaning for: an individual's classroom practice;

school leadership; and system wide policy/strategic developments.

The goal of Summer School is to offer a rich and varied programme,

where professional learning matters. It is intended for a broad

constituency of education professionals including: classroom assistants;

teachers; SENCOs; middle and senior leaders; school principals; school

support and development officers (CCEA, ELBs, CASS, C2k, RTU, CCMS,

NICIE, CNaG); ETI inspectors; governors; and education administrators.

The theme for this year’s annual Summer School is 'Professional

Learning Matters'. There will be five strands: learning and teaching for

pupil success; leadership and management - improving schools; ICT

and digital technology - 21st Century schooling; system wide

strategic issues linked to NI education priorities; and safe and

healthy schools.

This year’s event will run from 17-20 August 2010. RTU’s full Summer

School Prospectus is available online at www.rtuni.com. Please

disregard the official application closing date as some places may

still remain. Please contact RTU directly on 028 9061 8121 to

check availability.

Regional Training Unit’s Management Resource Centre


Documents

41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 - … Training Inspectorate ... Summer School 2010 and RTU’s Management Resource Centre ... Curriculum and some of the latest resources available