Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four home nations of the United Kingdom:

1. England
2. Wales
3. Scotland
4. Northern Ireland

For general information see United Kingdom.

However, education is devolved by the UK government to the four home nations so that many details are specific to the home nation involved.

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by Paul Bacsich, Sero

Partners and Experts in Northern Ireland

None.

Northern Ireland in a nutshell

(sourced from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Ireland)

Northern Ireland (Irish: Tuaisceart Éireann, Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann or Norlin Airlan) is one of the four " home nations" (countries) of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west.

At the time of the 2001 UK Census, its population was 1,685,000, constituting about 30% of the island's total population and about 3% of the population of the United Kingdom.

Its capital (and largest city) is Belfast.

Northern Ireland consists of six of the nine counties of the Irish province of Ulster. It was created as a distinct division of the United Kingdom in 1921 though its constitutional roots lie in the 1800 Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland. For over 50 years it had its own devolved government and parliament. These institutions were suspended in 1972 and abolished in 1973. Repeated attempts to restore self-government finally resulted in the establishment in 1998 of the present-day Northern Ireland Executive and Northern Ireland Assembly. The Assembly operates on consociational democracy principles requiring cross-community support.

Northern Ireland was for many years the site of a violent and bitter ethno-political conflict - the Troubles - which was caused by divisions between nationalists, who are predominantly Roman Catholic, and unionists, who are predominantly Protestant, which has been the most prevalent religion. Since the signing of the "Good Friday Agreement" in 1998, most of the paramilitary groups involved in the Troubles have ceased their armed campaigns.

Owing to its unique history, the issue of the symbolism, name and description of Northern Ireland is complex, as is the issue of citizenship and identity. In general, unionists consider themselves British and nationalists see themselves as Irish, though these identities are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

Education in Northern Ireland

(Overview sourced from Education section in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Ireland and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Northern_Ireland)

Education in Northern Ireland differs slightly from systems used elsewhere in the United Kingdom, though it is more similar to that used in England and Wales than it is to Scotland. In particular school children take GCSE and A-levels as in England and Wales. In fact Northern Ireland's results at GCSE and A-Level are consistently top in the UK. At A-Level, one third of students in Northern Ireland achieved A grades in 2007, high compared with England and Wales.

Unlike most areas of the United Kingdom, in the last year of primary school children sit the eleven plus transfer test, and the results determine whether they attend grammar schools or secondary schools. This system was due to be changed in 2008 amidst some controversy, with the exception of north Armagh where the Dickson Plan is in effect. The eleven plus has since been abolished with the majority of Grammar schools now holding their own entry test, Secondary pupils are not required to take such a test for entry.

Another interesting but minor variant is that a child's age on 1 July determines the point of entry into the relevant stage of education unlike England and Wales where it is the 1 September.

Northern Ireland's results at GCSE and A-Level are consistently top in the UK. At A-Level, one third of students in Northern Ireland achieved A grades in 2007, compared with England and Wales

Northern Ireland's state (controlled) schools are open to all children in Northern Ireland, although in practice are mainly attended by those from Protestant or non-religious backgrounds.

There is a separate publicly funded school system provided for Roman Catholics, although Roman Catholics are free to attend state schools (and some non-Roman Catholics attend Roman Catholic schools).

Integrated schools, which attempt to ensure a balance in enrolment between pupils of Protestant, Roman Catholic and other faiths (or none) are becoming increasingly popular, although Northern Ireland still has a primarily de facto religiously segregated education system. In the primary school sector, forty schools (8.9% of the total number) are Integrated Schools and thirty two (7.2% of the total number) are Gaelscoileanna.

The universities are similar in approach to those in other home nations of the United Kingdom. There are two universities and a number of university colleges.

Colleges are larger and more multi-campus than elsewhere in the UK.

The Northern Ireland Department of Education (DOE) is responsible for the country's education policy except for the higher and further education sector for which the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) retains responsibility.

The Department of Education's main areas of responsibility cover pre-school, primary, post-primary and special education; the youth service; the promotion of community relations within and between schools; and teacher education and salaries. Its primary statutory duty is to promote the education of the people of Northern Ireland and to ensure the effective implementation of education policy.

Further and Higher education

Higher Education in Northern Ireland is overseen by DELNI, the Department for Employment and Learning. Its role is to formulate policy and administer funding to support education, research and related activities in the Northern Ireland higher education sector.

Higher Education in Northern Ireland is delivered through the following means:

• Universities:
  1. The Queen’s University of Belfast
  2. University of Ulster
  3. The Open University in Ireland
• University colleges:
  1. St. Mary’s University College
  2. Stranmillis University College
• Institutes of Further and Higher Education (16 in number)

There is just one HEI involved in the Higher Education Academy Benchmarking programme:

• Queen’s University, Belfast - with blog

ICT in education initiatives

Further Education

The JISC Regional Support Centre in Northern Ireland - RSCni - has carried out a number of ILT Health Check activities with colleges, using the same approach as Becta.

This Health Check is available, free of charge, to all Northern Ireland’s Further and Higher Education colleges. RSCni claims that it:

"is designed to allow RSCni and colleges working together, to identify how far they have developed with the implementation and use of ILT within Teaching and Learning.

The outcomes of this health check, whether it is a few tweaks to your ILT strategy or a radical ILT fitness plan, will help your college stay in ILT shape."

Lessons learnt

Information confirms that the only Virtual Campus initiative in Northern Ireland is:

• University of Ulster (Campus One)

General lessons

None known yet.

Notable practices

None known yet.

References

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> England
> Scotland
> Wales

> Countries