News
21 November 2008
Pupils sit the final 11-plus test
More than 15,000 primary seven pupils across Northern Ireland are to sit the second part of the last 11-plus exam. ...
21 November 2008
Thousands switch schools in pursuit of better results
Thousands of pupils are switching schools every year in pursuit of better education - but figures show that more are transferring to non-grammars....
19 November 2008
Unique reward scheme begins search for projects which help kids stay healthy
maginative projects which seek to educate or improve the health of children and young people ...
18 November 2008
Backlog of school repairs hits £27m
The state of under-funding in the north's education has left as many as 28 schools with unfinished repairs estimated at more than £1 million each....
18 November 2008
Teachers may strike to get parity of pay
Schools may be thrown into chaos if a plan by Northern Ireland's largest teachers' union for industrial action in support of achieving parity with their colleagues in Britain is backed....
11 November 2008
Body calls for integration in faith schools
Church leaders must be convinced of the need to help create thousands more integrated school places, a report has urged....
11 November 2008
Education minister urged to retain 11 plus
Stormont Education Minister Caitriona Ruane has faced calls to retain the 11-plus transfer test until a proven alternative is identified. ...
10 November 2008
Drive to raise £20m to give 30 schools integrated status
Integrated education chiefs want to raise £20m to enable 30 single religion schools to attain integrated status over the next five years, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal today. ...
10 November 2008
Education on rights starts in the classroom
Schools in the north can improve their performance and cut indiscipline by putting respect for the rights of pupils and teachers at the heart of the classroom, a conference has heard....
07 November 2008
15,000 children sit last 11-plus
More than 15,000 children across Northern Ireland are to sit the first part of the last 11-plus. ...
07 November 2008
Union-organised petition calls for end to academic selection
Parents, principals, teachers, classroom assistants and university academics have come together to call for an end to academic selection. ...
06 November 2008
Churchmen call for an end to confusion over transfers
The north's four main Churches have urged politicians to stand back from established positions to end uncertainty surrounding the future system of transfer to post-primary schools....
05 November 2008
Churches bid to end exam deadlock
It is understood the four main churches in Northern Ireland are to attempt to help end the 11-plus stalemate. ...
03 November 2008
Striking teachers to return
Teachers and pupils at Movilla High School are to return to class today after a two-week strike....
30 October 2008
Hope for strike's end
There were hopes last night of a breakthrough in the Movilla High School strike after employers made a renewed offer to union representatives. ...
29 October 2008
Movilla parents 'angry'
Parents of pupils at Movilla High School who have missed two weeks of classes have said they are angry they have been forced to intervene in the dispute....
27 October 2008
School strike parents meet board
Parents of pupils from Movilla High School are to meet the South Eastern Education Board on Monday. ...
24 October 2008
Children to sit one paper in new test
Primary seven pupils will sit just one test paper next winter under education minister Caitriona Ruane's plans for a temporary new transfer system....
24 October 2008
School union withdraws proposal
The union representing striking teachers in Newtownards has abandoned a proposal to have a pupil taught in isolation....
23 October 2008
Exam to replace 11-plus in doubt
There were major doubts last night that the academic test being drawn up to replace the 11-plus would be ready in time for its planned introduction next year....
23 October 2008
Strike teachers meet over dispute
Teachers striking at Movilla High school are to meet on Thursday to decide whether they want to continue the dispute. ...
22 October 2008
Meeting follows selection plans
Education Minister Caitríona Ruane is to meet with Catholic grammar school principals to discuss their plans to keep academic selection. ...
22 October 2008
Pupil at centre of school strike
The pupil at the centre of a teachers' strike which has forced the closure of a school is to face a criminal prosecution...
22 October 2008
Up to £2 million spent on unused Ulster-Scots learning materials
Almost £2 million was spent producing Ulster-Scots learning materials but schools had no idea they existed, an inspection report has found....
21 October 2008
School strike 'abuse of rights'
Children's Commissioner Patricia Lewsley has said the strike by 25 teachers at Movilla High School is an "abuse of children's rights". ...
21 October 2008
'Super Learning' clinches success
A programme of 'Super Learning Days' run by a teacher has won Oakwood Integrated Primary School a Northern Ireland Training Award. ...
15 October 2008
Minister calls for resolution of strike
Education minister Caitriona Ruane has called for the resolution of a teachers' strike. Twenty-five of 37 teachers at Movilla High School in Newtownards, Co Down, have been on strike since Monday in a row over a pupil who is alleged to have assaulted a teacher in May. The South Eastern Education and Library Board (SEELB) said it would suspend the teachers' pay for breach of contract. In the assembly yesterday, Ms Ruane said the decision to suspend the teachers' pay would be reviewed if they agreed to take part in mediation. But the NASUWT union said it would not take part in mediation unless preconditions were met. A spokesman for the education board said it had "repeatedly advised the NASUWT that it was prepared to review its position". Mrs Ruane said: "The SEELB offered to review the decision to suspend pay if one of the parties involved agreed to mediation. "Everybody needs to start talking and get this resolved." She said a situation where 540 children were out of school and teachers did not feel safe could not continue. "There is a way through this," she said. ...
15 October 2008
Ruane: My way or free-for-all
Education minister Caitriona Ruane has said there are only two options for replacing the 11-plus - her way or a free-for-all....
14 October 2008
Strike school is closed to pupils
Movilla High School in Newtownards will be closed to pupils on Tuesday due to an ongoing strike by some teachers. ...
13 October 2008
Irish-medium education review calls for cooperation between Gaelic schools
Gaelic-speaking schools in Ireland and Scotland should enjoy closer ties, a report has said....
13 October 2008
Teachers strike over pupil attack
Twenty five teachers at a school in Newtownards, County Down, have gone on strike over a dispute concerning a pupil who assaulted a teacher. ...
10 October 2008
Religion less key to choice of school
More and more Protestant children are being enrolled in Catholic schools as their parents choose quality education over religion, the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools has heard....
08 October 2008
Non-grammar schools may have power to set own tests
Non-grammar schools banned from using the 11-plus to admit pupils may be given the power to set their own entrance tests from next year....
08 October 2008
Punishment for coaching unexplained
The Department of Education has so far been unable to explain exactly how minister Caitriona Ruane will punish schools who coach pupils for new grammar entrance exams....
06 October 2008
School reveals entrance exam plan
A grammar school in Londonderry has published a sample of a new selection test for parents of Year 6 pupils. ...
03 October 2008
Library board suspends meetings
The Belfast Education and Library Board has voted unanimously to suspend all its meetings in a row over a predicted budget deficit of £7.5m. ...
03 October 2008
Six more Catholic schools to defy Ruane
As many as six more Catholic grammar schools are poised to defy the education minister and announce they want to retain academic selection. St Michael's College in Enniskillen has become the latest school to say it plans to continue using testing to select pupils....
02 October 2008
Ruane continues consultation process with Principals
Education Minister, Caitríona Ruane, continued to gauge opinions from key education partners by meeting with post-primary principals from Newry, Kilkeel, Warrenpoint, Banbridge and Bessbrook....
02 October 2008
Sixteen pupils leave school
Parents who objected to a primary school being transformed to integrated status have withdrawn their children....
29 September 2008
.Truancy staff to take action
Education welfare officers who are members of the Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance are to take part in industrial action from today....
29 September 2008
Stakes could not be higher in facing future challenges
Local considerations need to be set alongside global practices when devising education policies, writes Dr Tom Hesketh, director of the Regional Training Unit....
24 September 2008
Faith-based education 'favoured by parents'
Faith-based schools to teach Catholics and Protestants together are a real alternative to integrated education, it has been claimed....
24 September 2008
Meeting over post primary education
Plans for the 11-plus examination are back in the spotlight....
12 September 2008
Parents 'want texts from schools'
Many parents would like school reports on their children's performance texted or e-mailed, a survey says. ...
10 September 2008
Deadline for new education body 'unrealistic'
Serious concerns were expressed today about the deadline for the establishment of the new single education authority for Northern Ireland. ...
27 August 2008
Gaelscoil sector welcomes proposals
A shake-up of Irish-medium education will facilitate future growth of the sector rather than halt its progress, it has been claimed....
22 August 2008
GCSE students jump for joy at exam success
Students across Northern Ireland who received their GCSE results yesterday have performed better than pupils from last year. ...
15 August 2008
Northern Ireland students score top marks yet again
A-level results in Northern Ireland are up again and remain comfortably ahead of Wales and England - largely due to a huge rise in the percentage of A grades....
15 August 2008
Students here still top of table
Thousands of teenagers are receiving their A-Level results - and students here have once again outperformed their counterparts in England and Wales....
11 August 2008
All-ability schools score in academic excellence
All ability schools do not need to sacrifice their all ability teaching to achieve academic excellence, it has been said....
08 August 2008
Ruane: my plans won't be stopped
Just weeks before the start of the new school term, Caitriona Ruane today pledged to push ahead with her plan to phase out academic selection -- despite serious stalemate at Executive level over the highly contentious issue. ...
31 July 2008
North's primary classes a third bigger than Republic's
Class sizes in Northern Ireland are now almost a third larger than in primary schools in the Republic....
29 July 2008
Project raises concern at lack of teacher diversity
The teacher education system in the north is facing significant challenges, an expert from the University of Ulster has said....
29 July 2008
School 'sad' at Ruane decision
The decision to reject plans for an integrated primary school at a religious interface in west Belfast may have set in motion the reversal of good work being done there to build bridges between communities...
23 July 2008
Catholic non-grammars top GCSE results table in north
Continuing a special report on school exam performance, The Irish News has compiled a list of non-grammar schools who scored the best GCSE grades last year....
22 July 2008
AQE grammar pupils tend to be from wealthy families
Under the guidance of The Association of Quality Education (AQE), 30 schools say they are introducing new tests to continue selecting top-performing primary pupils after the 11-plus ends....
22 July 2008
Breakaway grammars fare worst for results
Schools planning new 'breakaway' entrance tests are producing some of the worst A-level results among the north's grammars, new performance lists reveal....
21 July 2008
Crumlin creates online engineering first
Crumlin Integrated College is to become the first school in the north to introduce online delivery of the double award engineering GCSE....
21 July 2008
St Mary's in teacher training 'top 10'
St Mary's University College has been named one of the 10 best teacher training institutions in Britain and Northern Ireland....
11 July 2008
Grammar school lobby head denies plans to breakaway
Sir Kenneth Bloomfield, head of a group of schools preparing new entrance exams to replace the 11-plus, talks to education correspondent Simon Doyle about the plans....
11 July 2008
NI schools inspector to leave post
The first woman to be appointed chief inspector of schools in the north is to leave her post. ...
09 July 2008
11-plus A grade 'not vital for grammar schooling'
Pupils do not need to get an A grade in the 11-plus to benefit from a grammar school education, a leading advocate of academic selection has said....
08 July 2008
Physical attacks by primary school pupils on staff lead to 70 suspensions
Physical attacks by primary pupils on school staff led to 70 suspensions, new figures show....
07 July 2008
Radical changes needed as academic selection is ended
If academic selection is ended, there must be far-reaching changes in the education system, writes Bob Osborne of the University of Ulster....
04 July 2008
To regulate or 'un-regulate', that is the question at end of 11-plus
Education minister Caitriona Ruane has said she will consider "all her options" if she cannot legislate for her post-11-plus vision. Education correspondent Simon Doyle examines some of the alternatives...
03 July 2008
Ruane may bypass the executive on 11-plus
Caitriona Ruane has indicated she may at-tempt to bypass the executive and assembly to see her plans for a post-11-plus system introduced....
30 June 2008
'Plan for the long term'
Graduate teachers should look to the longer term when searching for full-time work, the head of the college that trains staff for Catholic schools has said....
30 June 2008
Ruane fights back after funding proposals row
The rights of Irish-medium schools should be respected and supported, the education minister Caitriona Ruane has said....
27 June 2008
Minister unwavering amid test turbulence
Ms Ruane has faced repeated calls to give greater detail on her proposals to replace the 11-plus....
26 June 2008
Ruane agrees to shut down Derry school
One of only three Irish-language post-primary schools in the north is to be shut down....
25 June 2008
No cash for Ruane to send letters on 11-plus
Caitriona Ruane has been denied money to send a letter to parents about her vision for a post-primary system without the 11-plus....
24 June 2008
Colleges' funding
Sir Reg Empey said yesterday that he had no intention of closing either St Mary's or Stanmillis teacher training colleges....
24 June 2008
Strategy to tackle poor literacy and numeracy
A new government strategy to tackle poor standards in literacy and numeracy has been established....
23 June 2008
Irish PGCE course offered at St Mary's
Increased demand for subject experts in Irish-medium post-primary schools has led to the creation of more places for trainee teachers....
23 June 2008
Teaching graduates jobs crisis deepens
Fewer than 40 of 800 graduate teachers got jobs in Catholic schools last year - and competition is expected to become even more frantic....
20 June 2008
Ruane warning on tests of AQE
Education minister Caitriona Ruane has written to all grammar schools expressing concern about plans for new entrance tests....
19 June 2008
PS heads receive sample grammar entrance tests
Samples of the questions that will be asked of children in new grammar entrance tests have been sent to primary school principals....
19 June 2008
Teaching assistant controls urged
The use of teaching assistants in schools should be subject to much tighter controls, a union has said. ...
18 June 2008
Rebel schools unveil test to replace 11-plus
Thirty grammar schools today released detailed information on the new common entrance tests which will be used to select pupils after the 11-plus is consigned to history later this year. ...
17 June 2008
Merger to see end of Dickson alternative
Catholic schools are poised to end their participation in the only education system that lets children into grammars without taking the 11-plus....
17 June 2008
Schools failing blind children says report
Blind children are not getting the support they need in school to excel with just one in six making it to third level education, new research yesterday revealed....
13 June 2008
Catholic schools council casts doubt on interim selection plan
Allowing academic selection to remain for three more years could cause more harm than good in the long term, Catholic educationalists have warned....
13 June 2008
Changes must not affect college's independenc
Changes to the way teaching colleges are funded should not affect the independence of the specialist institution that trains staff for Catholic schools, graduates have been told....
12 June 2008
Integrated college to shut after five years
Integrated education in Northern Ireland suffered a blow yesterday when the governors of a school opened less than five years ago said it must close next year because of a lack of pupils....
11 June 2008
Stormont clashes predicted for Ruane
More fiery clashes are expected between Caitriona Ruane and the Stormont education committee following the appointment of its new chairman....
09 June 2008
Inspectors slate vital PE classes in schools
Vital physical education classes for children are being ruined by poor quality lessons and substandard facilities, in-spectors have found....
05 June 2008
Ruane reveals first schools specialising in humanities
The first schools in the north to receive extra money to deliver expert tuition in the humanities have been named....
03 June 2008
Daydreaming pupils who stare into space in class are actually the most intelligent, finds study
They are often dismissed as daydreamers and told to pay attention. ...
02 June 2008
Fewer children leave school without a single exam pass
The proportion of school leavers achieving two or more A-levels or at least five good GCSEs has increased in the past five years, new figures show....
02 June 2008
Schools deadlines 'won't be met'
Groups set up to shape the future of NI's schools are unlikely to meet the deadlines set by the education minister an SDLP assembly member has said. ...
02 June 2008
Teacher training review launched
A review of teacher training provision has been launched by the assembly's Committee for Employment and Learning....
29 May 2008
Heads to tell of fears for staff
Head teachers have grave concerns about the health and well-being of school staff, a conference will hear today. ...
27 May 2008
Exams set to continue despite arson attack on city school
Teachers at a north Belfast secondary school badly damaged by arsonists were yesterday working to ensue disruption to student examinations is kept to a minimum....
27 May 2008
Turnitin software catches student plagiarism
Exam boards are using a sophisticated computer software programme that scans students' work and compares it with material published on the internet, to catch coursework cheats who have copied all or part of their GCSE and A-level projects. ...
22 May 2008
Call for 'rich and poor mix' in schools
A mix of rich and poor children in schools can improve educational performance, teachers will be told today....
20 May 2008
Teaching unions get ministerial briefing
The new test being lined up to replace the 11-plus will "under no circumstances" distort primary school teaching, unions have been told....
19 May 2008
McGuinness says 11-plus deadlock can be broken
The deadlock over reform of the 11-plus transfer system can be broken, the deputy first minister has said. ...
16 May 2008
Exams board 'needs more time to prepare tests'
The body tasked with designing a new exam to replace the 11-plus says it needs more money to have the test ready in time....
16 May 2008
Executive divided by education proposals
Northern Ireland's new education proposals left the power-sharing executive in Belfast hopelessly divided last night. ...
15 May 2008
Mixed reaction from school principals and politicians
The minister's plans for bilateral schools and a temporary reprieve for academic selection received a mixed reaction last night from school principals and politicians....
14 May 2008
Three-year exam plan to replace 11-plus test
The system to replace the doomed 11-plus is to involve a new transfer test but for three years only....
12 May 2008
Joining of services to improve unions' skills supply
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) and the Association for College Management (ACM) are to give members of both unions access to the services provided by the other....
12 May 2008
Pupils' religious symbols facing potential restriction
Education Minister Caitriona Ruane hopes to issue guidance before the end of term which could restrict religious symbols being worn by pupils on school uniforms....
12 May 2008
Study plans for post-11-plus era before deciding on their merit
The Irish News, like many other media, has devoted much time and energy to the issue of the 11-plus, academic selection and the proposals to replace it....
08 May 2008
Rise in pupil suspensions for booze issues at school
More children than ever before are being suspended for coming to class drunk or bringing booze to schools, new figures reveal....
08 May 2008
Teacher college merger criticised
MLAs have criticised the proposed merger of Stranmillis University College and Queen's University. ...
06 May 2008
'Counterproductive' to send child to school at 4
A leading early years education expert has embraced suggestions that parents may be able to delay the start of their children's schooling by a year....
06 May 2008
Schools lobby for conflict funds
A number of schools in Belfast's "areas of conflict" have been left struggling following the end of a special fund, head teachers have claimed. ...
01 May 2008
11-plus plans in two weeks
Proposals for a new system to replace the 11-plus will be revealed in two weeks, education minister Caitriona Ruane has said....
30 April 2008
Principals in the dark over minister's vision for future
When Caitriona Ruane announced in December that "there will be no 11-plus in 2009", she said children in Primary 5, their parents and teachers could now "focus on the job in hand"....
29 April 2008
Expert welcomes change in primary school starting age
A leading early years education expert has welcomed suggestions that parents may be able to delay the start of their children's schooling by a year....
28 April 2008
P1 starting date set to be delayed by a year
The end of the 11-plus is set to allow parents to delay their children's start to primary school by a year....
28 April 2008
Project aims to tackle exclusion of Travellers
Traveller children must be given the same educational opportunities as their settled peers, the education minister has said....
28 April 2008
Ruane talks tough on funding
The Education Minister yesterday repeated she would refuse to provide funding for schools which set their own entrance exams once the 11-plus is ditched later this year....
28 April 2008
Teachers warn of strike in protest about pay
Teachers have warned they are considering strike action to improve pay and working conditions....
17 April 2008
Closure threat to Catholic teacher-training college
The specialist college that trains teachers for the north's Catholic schools has warned that it may be forced to close over plans to link the way it is funded with its student numbers....
17 April 2008
Teacher training college could merge with university
One of Northern Ireland's two dedicated teacher training colleges could merge with Queen's University....
15 April 2008
Ex-army base to become school site
A pioneering educational village of Catholic and Protestant schools would be a source of new hope for Co Tyrone, education minister Caitriona Ruane said yesterday. ...
11 April 2008
Parents and teachers air views on selection
Concerned parents and teachers were among those who attended a special meeting in Ballymena last night to discuss the future of education in the Province - and more specifically, future transfer provisions following the proposed scrapping of the 11-plus....
10 April 2008
Specialist school steps up efforts to stay open
Northern Ireland's only specialist school for children with cerebral palsy is continuing its campaign to search for cash to keep it afloat....
08 April 2008
Teachers' sick leave costing £50m a year
Over £50 million has been spent covering for teachers absent from the classroom through sickness....
03 April 2008
Entrance tests loom on the horizon for post-11-plus era
Fears have been raised of an entrance exam free-for-all after the end of the 11-plus, with pupils facing multiple tests when applying for post-primary schools....
02 April 2008
Resignation call over school test
A teachers' union has urged the board of governors at a Londonderry grammar school to resign after it decided to introduce its own entrance examination. ...
26 March 2008
Delegates told of 'major changes' to the system
A major gathering of teachers has been told of comprehensive changes planned for education, north and south....
26 March 2008
Teachers 'will retire later' after changes to pensions
Changes to lucrative pension payments for teachers will see more forced to work into their sixties rather than retire 10 years ahead of other workers....
20 March 2008
Still waiting for Ruane to clear the fog on transfers
The Department of Education has confirmed that Caitriona Ruane has not yet posted the letter she promised to parents and schools in response to 'media scaremongering' over the time taken to finalise a new school transfer system. ...
20 March 2008
Top Catholic grammar to introduce own selection test
Northern Ireland's top Catholic grammar school is to introduce its own entrance tests - having earlier dismissed the suggestion out of hand....
20 March 2008
Top grammar plans own '11-plus'
A top grammar school has broken ranks by unveiling plans to set its own alternative to the doomed 11-plus....
18 March 2008
Free children from national curriculum, says watchdog
The head of the body responsible for monitoring teaching standards will make an impassioned plea today for ministers to release pupils from the stranglehold of the national curriculum and give teachers the freedom to decide what should be taught....
18 March 2008
One-third of teachers threatened
One in three teachers has been threatened by pupils, according to a survey to be published today. One in 10 has suffered actural physical harm as a result, said the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), whose conference starts in Torquay today....
14 March 2008
Call for teacher suicide training
The Ulster Teachers' Union is calling for more suicide awareness training for teachers....
14 March 2008
Hundreds of exam results upgraded
Almost 900 grades in last year's GCSE examinations in Northern Ireland were upgraded after pupils queried their marks....
14 March 2008
North's teachers tired of being 'second best' in pay scale rates
A series of teachers' conferences have again raised concerns about pay and working conditions....
14 March 2008
Pupils' documents left in attic by former education service worker
Sensitive files outlining the medical histories of scores of schoolchildren were left lying for years in the attic of a former education service worker, it was revealed yesterday. ...
07 March 2008
Clergyman to head radical new school shake-up body
One of the most prominent members of the Protestant clergy involved in education will head a group tasked with a radical shake-up of schools....
07 March 2008
Teachers demand 10% pay increase
All principals and teachers - including some earning almost £100,000 a year - are demanding a 10 per cent pay rise....
05 March 2008
Minister doles out homework on the post-primary schools shake-up
Plans to merge grammar, non-grammar and even primary pupils are to be brought forward early next year, the education minister has said....
04 March 2008
Catholic teachers press Ruane
The largest union at Catholic schools has demanded Caitriona Ruane quells "hysteria" surrounding her vision for a post 11-plus education system....
03 March 2008
Charity school seeks £200k help to safeguard its future
The only charity school that caters for children with cerebral palsy needs £200,000 a year to safeguard its future...
03 March 2008
Reveal post-11-plus plans Ruane urged
Education minister Caitriona Ruane must provide more detail about her plans for post-primary education to help teachers prepare for what is coming, SDLP education spokesman Dominic Bradley said....
29 February 2008
Teachers slam 'anti-learning' schools policy
A leading teachers' union yesterday criticised Northern Ireland's hard-hitting proposed new school improvement policy claiming it was produced "without one iota of consultation" with teachers' representatives....
28 February 2008
Memory issue 'hits 10% of pupils'
One in 10 children might have a "working memory" impairment that causes them to do less well than expected at school, research suggests....
28 February 2008
Schools failing pupils on sex education - report
Most schools are failing to provide training for teachers tasked with delivering sex education, a Health Action Zone report has found, with pupils afforded only about two hours of relationship and sexuality education a year....
28 February 2008
Teachers hit by shock rise in number of school attacks
Attacks on school teachers in Northern Ireland have soared in six years, a trade union has claimed. ...
27 February 2008
Call for protection after teacher is knocked out
There were calls today for better protection for Ulster's teachers after a secondary school principal was punched in the face and knocked out....
27 February 2008
MLAs to propose own transfer syste
The Assembly's education committee is to bring forward its own proposals for a new system of school transfer in a bid to break the deadlock over finding a replacement for the 11-plus....
27 February 2008
School attendance: Bullying main reason for skipped classes
Bullying, or poor relations with teachers, are more likely to cause pupils to miss a lot of school than attitudes at home, which have previously been blamed, research has found. ...
21 February 2008
Rights to be taught in classroom
A new initiative aimed at teaching primary school children about their human rights is to be launched later....
21 February 2008
Schools beating queues at the touch of a button
Cashless catering systems could be the future for schools across the north, as the days of rummaging in blazer pockets for cards or coins are consigned to history....
18 February 2008
Literacy and numeracy task force to be set up
A government task force to tackle poor standards in literacy and numeracy is to be established - almost a year after it was first pledged....
18 February 2008
Scheme to make pupils aware of human rights
A scheme that fosters an understanding of human rights among teachers and helps develop human rights education in the curriculum is to be extended to all primary schools in Ireland....
18 February 2008
Welcome for package to help teaching principals
The largest employer of teachers in the north has welcomed plans for a multi-million-pound package to assist teaching principals....
13 February 2008
Robinson in call for Executive to find an 11-plus replacement
The Executive must be involved in finding a replacement for the 11-plus, Finance Minister Peter Robinson has insisted. ...
12 February 2008
Assistant numbers up despite pupil decrease
The number of classroom assistants being employed is increasing at a time when school rolls are falling annually....
04 February 2008
Pilot scheme allows pupils to get in touch with nature
A learning initiative that aims to inspire children through positive outdoor experiences is being piloted in the north....
01 February 2008
11-plus questions still remain unanswered after stormy meeting
A stormy education committee meeting ended yesterday with members claiming that que-stions about minister Caitriona Ruane's post 11-plus plans remained unanswered....
01 February 2008
Schools may face cap on poor kids
Top schools may face a limit on the number of poor children they can admit to prevent a 'postcode lottery' when the 11-plus goes....
30 January 2008
Nettle-grasping education body will snub parties
A planned string of school closures could be accelerated by a body being set up to replace education boards because it will exclude politicians....
28 January 2008
Opening of Irish-medium education conference
Education minister Caitriona Ruane will today join principals, teachers and classroom assistants at the opening of the Irish-medium education sector's annual conference....
23 January 2008
Education wins £400m extra to boost spending
Spending on education is to increase by almost £400m a year by 2010-11 compared to 2006-07, the Finance Minister Peter Robinson announced today. ...
23 January 2008
Failing schools are given warning
Schools in Northern Ireland which do not come up to standard could close if they do not improve, the Department of Education has said....
23 January 2008
Shake-up teachers 'will quit'
Teachers across Northern Ireland may leave the profession if the education system turns comprehensive, a grammar school principal claimed today. ...
21 January 2008
New teachers to be briefed on English job opportunities
New teachers struggling to find work in the north are being invited to learn more about job opportunities in England....
21 January 2008
Tips on numeracy tutoring explored
More than 130 people from the post-16 sector have taken part in a conference exploring new ways of teaching numeracy. ...
18 January 2008
New learning support centres for Coleraine Primary Schools
Education Minister, Caitríona Ruane, has announced that applications to establish Key Stage 1 and 2 Learning Support Centres at three Coleraine primary schools have been approved....
17 January 2008
New integrated schools bring Ulster total to 62
Two new integrated schools have been officially opened in Moira and Ballynahinch. ...
17 January 2008
Ruane refuses to answer transfer plan questions
Caitriona Ruane refused to answer questions about her plans to shake up the school transfer system because she is still finalising details, her department said last night....
15 January 2008
Schools' plan 'will hit teachers'
Teachers in Northern Ireland face compulsory job losses in the next year, an education union has warned....
10 January 2008
Rural schools switched on to the renewables
Minster Michelle Gildernew MP MLA has launched Phase Two of the Switched on Schools initiative, at Moat Primary School, Lisnaskea....
08 January 2008
New autism centres for western board primary schools
Education Minister Caitríona Ruane has announced the establishment of autism support units at two schools in Derry and Enniskillen....
08 January 2008
Our brightest pupils are honoured by top award
Three young academics have been recognised by one of Northern Ireland's most prestigious accolades, the Hans Sloane Award. ...
07 January 2008
Almost all teachers retire in their fifties
Teachers are enjoying a 10-year head start into retirement, as almost all leave the profession in their fifties. ...
07 January 2008
Ulster's education boards in huge law fee payout
The Department of Education and Ulster's five education boards shelled out more than a third of a million pounds on legal fees last year, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal today....
03 January 2008
Almost all children get schools they want
Almost every child is being admitted to his or her first-choice secondary school - casting doubt on fears of a 'postcode lottery' when the 11-plus goes....
03 January 2008
Robinson in 11-plus row with Ruane
Peter Robinson has cast doubt on the status of Education Minister Caitriona Ruane's statement on the future of academic selection....
21 December 2007
New GCSE: bite-sized exams and no coursework
Pupils will be able to retake GCSE modules to improve their grades under an overhaul of the qualification that will also end coursework in most subjects....
18 December 2007
Schools with new AQE test have north’s richest pupils
Schools planning to keep their own entrance tests after the 11-plus is abolished have the richest pupils in the north, government figures show. ...
17 December 2007
Nipsa to take strike vote
All out strike action by classroom assistants caught up in Ulster's longest running pay dispute is on the cards for January, it was claimed today. ...
17 December 2007
'Test' schools accept D grade pupils
Only six of the 25 grammar schools planning to introduce a common entry test in 2009 accepted all their pupils with a B grade or above in their 11-plus last year, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal today. ...
14 December 2007
Alternative 11-plus plan snubbed by grammars
Almost two-thirds of the north's grammar schools - including the entire Catholic sector - appear to have snubbed plans by a breakaway group to use new entrance tests after the 11-plus is scrapped. ...
14 December 2007
New school system must benefit every one of our children
Education minister Caitriona Ruane sets out her plans for reform of the "antiquated" 11-plus transfer system....
13 December 2007
Heads welcome 11-plus axe plans
Plans to axe the 11-plus and replace it with a system led by pupil choice was welcomed today by the Association of Headteachers of Secondary Schools. ...
10 December 2007
Assembly to debate student fees
Controversial plans to try and raise student fees are to be debated in the Northern Ireland Assembly....
07 December 2007
05 December 2007 - Education has a role in raising homelessness awarenesses - Ruane
Education Minister Caitríona Ruane has launched a new schools information pack on homelessness. Speaking at the launch at Damhead Primary School, Coleraine, the Minister said: “Homelessness is a problem that can affect virtually anyone in our community. It can have devastating impacts on families and children so it is important that we raise awareness as early as possible. ...
05 December 2007
Minister drops marks in 11-plus reform test
The latest plans to reform the transfer process faced opposition from unionists and grammar supporters last night, while schools awaited more details of the way ahead. ...
05 December 2007
Schools to press on with own test
Efforts to introduce a common entry test for grammar schools after the 11-plus is axed next year will go ahead, it was confirmed last night. ...
04 December 2007
Nipsa to suspend strike action
Nipsa has been demonstrating for months over changes to pay and conditions for new workers involving post regrading and methods of calculating salaries....
04 December 2007
Ruane reveals transfer plans
Education minister Caitriona Ruane will today make a long-awaited announcement about a replacement for the 11-plus - proposing children make key choices at 14. ...
04 December 2007
Ruane reveals transfer plans
Education minister Caitriona Ruane will today make a long-awaited announcement about a replacement for the 11-plus - proposing children make key choices at 14. ...
03 December 2007
Classroom assistants are to suspend their strike action
Nipsa classroom assistants are to suspend their long-running strike action tomorrow....
30 November 2007
Nispsa to hold ballot on latest pay offer
Striking classroom assistants' union Nipsa has agreed to ballot its 3.300 members on whether to accept a pay offer from employers....
29 November 2007
Maths initiative bringing fun to the class
Hundreds of Ulster schoolchildren have been learning that numbers can be fun thanks to an initiative aimed at impoving numeracy. ...
28 November 2007
Test
Test story...
27 November 2007
NIPSA classroom assistants back on strike
Strike action by NIPSA classroom assistants is today continuing despite three other unions ruling out industrial action....
15 November 2007
Education Minister expresses disappointment at planned strike
Caitríona Ruane, has spoken of her disappointment at planned strike action by NIPSA that will affect special schools...
14 November 2007
Minister's hints over successor to 11-plus
The Education Minister has given her clearest indication yet of what system will replace the 11-plus...
13 November 2007
A revolution in teaching promises the solution to dyslexia
A ground-breaking project has had extraordinary success in helping hundreds of dyslexic children...
09 November 2007
The clock is ticking as minister hunts for 11-plus replacement
Less than two months remain for the Education minister to find a replacement for the 11-plus...
07 November 2007
Launch of North South Research Project to attract leaders in Teaching
An international OECD conference took place in Dublin today on School Leadership Development Strategies. ...
06 November 2007
Teachers in threat to join strike action
The education crisis deepened today as Ulster teachers threatened industrial action...
02 November 2007
Risk aversion intruding on young lives
Children should learn to cope with name-calling, according to a leading children’s play expert...
01 November 2007
Schools strikers urged to put vulnerable pupils first
NIPSA was last night blasted for its failure to give assurances to special needs pupils...
31 October 2007
Union talks to determine school assistants’ action
Today there will be discussions to determine whether or not the classroom assistants go back on strike. ...
30 October 2007
Pupil numbers in north to fall by 10,000 over next four years
There are now more than 55,000 empty desks, according to education minister Caitriona Ruane....
26 October 2007
Big payout even as number of pupils falls
A new school curriculum and children living in disadvantaged areas will benefit from a multi-billion-pound package for education...
25 October 2007
Call for child protection measures
Common measures to protect children from sex crimes, abuse and bullying should be introduced across Ireland and Britain...
22 October 2007
Pupil choice signals a big change for schools
A 11-plus replacement where pupils make their own academic choices at 14....
22 October 2007
The Award for Teaching Assistant of the Year
Mrs Anne Hegarty was awarded Teaching Assistant of the year at the National Teaching Awards 2007 ...
19 October 2007
New Responsibilities for the Council
Today 19th of October 2007, the Council assumed responsibility for approving the qualifications of all those wishing to join the profession ...
19 October 2007
Pupils set to select a school at age 14
A transfer model which allows pupils to make their own educational choices at age 14 without academic testing looks likely...
15 October 2007
Classroom strike may be suspended
NIPSA will consult its members on suspending industrial action this week...
12 October 2007
Minster chairs first RPA meeting
The Minister updated the chairpersons of the RPA affected organisations at a meeting last night...
12 October 2007
Ruane sets out vision for education
The Minister addresses delegates of the ANIELB conference at Slieve Donard...
10 October 2007
Grammar schools test 'would be legal'
The plan for 40 grammar schools to set their own common entry test to replace the 11-plus has progressed...
09 October 2007
Assistant strike ‘will close schools’
An all out strike has begun involving NIPSA'S 3,000 aggrieved classroom assistant members...
04 October 2007
Government told planned new curriculum will fail
new school curriculum will fail unless teachers and principals receive adequate government support, unions have warned. ...
03 October 2007
Unison suspends strike ballot to consider offer
Unison now plans to consult all members on the package proposed by employers last week re the classroom assistant dispute ...
02 October 2007
Schools may merge to form integrated college
Plans are under way to merge two Co Down schools...
28 September 2007
Student Teacher tops the class at Queen's
Catherine Creighton is announced as the GTCNI Student Teacher Award Winner at QUB ...
27 September 2007
Minister greets first female principal of Stranmillis
The Minister for Employment and Learning, Sir Reg Empey, today visited Stranmillis and St Mary’s University Colleges...
26 September 2007
Classroom assistant's pay fight continues
Children in schools across Northern Ireland face serious disruption today...
26 September 2007
Minister faces the music on 11-plus
Members of the pro-grammar school lobby will today issue a face-to-face warning to Education Minister ...
24 September 2007
Ruane acts on Classroom Assistants' Dispute
the Education Minister has told the Assembly that she will intervene in the classroom assistants’ dispute...
24 September 2007
Scheme to put pay to educational segregation
Educational segregation could lessen under a new £3.7 million collaboration scheme...
21 September 2007
Teachers 'open to cyber bullying'
Cyber bullying is having a serious impact on teaching staff in Northern Ireland...
18 September 2007
Ruane tells student teachers they can shape the lives of young people
The Minister was speaking to incoming Post graduate certificate in education (PGCE) students at Queen’s University...
13 September 2007
Chief Inspector calls for colloboration in Education
The benefits for young people and joined-up working across government was discussed at local Conference today ...
13 September 2007
Revised Curriculum will help in achieving potential
Caitríona Ruane has said that the revised curriculum will prepare young people for today’s world...
11 September 2007
Education Bossess sell land too cheaply
School lands in Belfast, Tyrone and Derry were sold off for £4M below the market value ...
10 September 2007
Schools alone cannot help poor
Children from disadvantaged backgrounds need to do more than just attend a good school...
06 September 2007
Pressure mounts on Ruane to find 11-plus replacement
Teachers, unions and politicians today united to demand the Education Minister resolves the 11 plus dilemma...
05 September 2007
Union hits out at plans for grammar school tests
Plans by grammar schools to set entrance exams could skew the new curriculum, teaching unions have claimed...
04 September 2007
Grammar schools in breakaway plan
Forty Grammar Schools are considering a common entry test to replace the 11-plus...
03 September 2007
Testing Times as new term begins
Pupils and teachers across the Province start back at school today amid uncertainty over key planks of education policy...
17 August 2007
School produces 5 Oxbridge prodigies
Antrim Grammar School celebrates five students, who are set for Oxbridge after A-level success...
16 August 2007
A Level passes up again
Record numbers of students scored top grades in their A-Levels today ...
16 August 2007
GTCNI Congratulates Teachers and Students
GTCNI congratulates teachers and students with the release of excellent A Level Results...
14 August 2007
One in four pupils record poor results
Thousands of children are recording poor results in secondary school exams ...
13 August 2007
Ulster class assistants set to vote over further strike action
Schools across Ulster are bracing themselves for major disruption in the new term...
09 August 2007
Figures reveal pupil explusions
Overall, fewer young people are being put out of school permanently...
08 August 2007
Parents from South 'lying for school places'
Parents living in the Republic are lying about their family's address to get their children into schools in Northern Ireland...
08 August 2007
Ruane announces decision on nursery provision
Caitríona Ruane, has turned down proposals to establish nursery provision at maintained primary schools...
06 August 2007
Oxbridge trainee teachers 'twice as likely to get jobs'
Trainee teachers from some universities in England are more than twice as likely to actually end up in the classroom...
03 August 2007
Report reveals NI child poverty
A new report reveals that child poverty in Northern Ireland is even worse than first feared...
02 August 2007
Ruane: we must teach business in schools
Schools must ensure what they teach meets the needs of the business community if a strong economy is to be built in Northern Ireland...
31 July 2007
Ban Video Phones in Schools
Children's commissioner Patricia Lewsley last night called for a ban on mobile phones in schools ...
31 July 2007
Discipline fears raised by lack of male teachers
More than a million pupils in primary schools in the UK have no men teaching them....
31 July 2007
RPA will improve education - Ruane
Caitríona Ruane has told education organisations that she will be leading the reforms, which will improve the administration of education...
30 July 2007
Money needed to repair vandalised schools could pay for 46 teachers
The Department of Education has faced a bill of almost £2m to cover the cost of vandalism at schools ...
30 July 2007
Review of Irish Medium Education should be bold and brave - Ruane
Caitríona Ruane has told the Project Board set up to review Irish-medium education...
27 July 2007
Senior Teaching Posts dominated by men: report
A report by the Republic’s Department of Education found male teachers still get more senior teaching positions than their female colleagues at all levels...
26 July 2007
Thousands of teachers scramble to find jobs
Falling pupil numbers and school closures are blamed for teachers trying to find jobs...
25 July 2007
Bedtime stories a problem for many parents
One in 10 parents struggle to understand the bedtime stories they read to their children...
25 July 2007
Good education equals good business
Caitríona Ruane has highlighted the importance of education in delivering a strong economy...
20 July 2007
Education reforms delayed
A central body for education will be established by April 2009 at the latest...
20 July 2007
Promise of £1,000 for straight As at A-level
A-level students are to be offered cash rewards by Queen’s University Belfast...
20 July 2007
Young teachers fail to get jobs
More than a third of those who qualified as teachers within the last six years have not got jobs...
16 July 2007
Teachers exhausted by heavy workload
Teachers are suffering depression, insomnia and difficulties with their home life because they are overworked...
11 July 2007
Too many men in top school jobs say unions
Men occupy alomost half of all principal posts despite women accounting for the majority of the teaching force...
10 July 2007
Immigration trends raise prospect of Polish school in NI
A first Polish-language school could become a reality with enough children to create a chain of Polish-medium schools across the north...
09 July 2007
NI Teacher Statistics Released
The GTCNI has released it’s 2nd Annual Digest of Statistics ...
09 July 2007
Recruiting male teachers 'will not close gender gap'
The report, Gender and Education: The Evidence on Pupils in England, indicated that there was no case for adopting “boyfriendly” teaching methods in an attempt to close the gender gap....
06 July 2007
New award scheme gets top marks
Year 10 pupils at an Ulster secondary school have participated in a new award scheme...
06 July 2007
Stranmillis Student Teacher Awarded
Sharon Armstrong was Awarded the GTCNI Student Teacher Award ...
05 July 2007
Minister criticises A-levels as limiting
Caitriona Ruane says she prefers the Republic’s more rounded Leaving Certificate to A-levels...
05 July 2007
Unique Troubles textbook published for pupils
It is hoped the book Troubled Images will be employed by teachers in secondary schools...
04 July 2007
Parents up in arms over Executive’s comic book
A comic which aims to promote and defend the rights of children has been criticised by parents...
29 June 2007
40% of School Children Bullied
Nearly half of primary school children in Northern Ireland feel they have been bullied, a new report revealed...
28 June 2007
Ulster's new schools authority won't be meeting its timetable
The minister admitted the deadline to establish the new single education authority for Northern Ireland by April 1 2008, was now highly unlikely...
19 June 2007
Award Winning Teachers
The 2007 Teaching Awards for NI announced the winners at the Waterfront Hall ceremony yesterday...
19 June 2007
Expenditure on DE services over £1.7 Billion says Ruane
Caitriona Ruane, today announced that expenditure on Education in 2006-07 was £1.712billion...
18 June 2007
Booklet Celebrates Teaching Professionals
Teaching: The Reflective Profession launched by the Minister...
15 June 2007
Celebrating the Teaching Profession
GTCNI launches a major competency document for all teachers in Northern Ireland today...
15 June 2007
Guidelines publication for teachers is launched
A new publication has been launched by the General Teaching Council ...
14 June 2007
Schools funding rethink is urged
A change in the funding mechanism of Ulster schools would 'revolutionise' Northern Ireland's education system....
07 June 2007
Ulster school pupils facing uncertain future
A decision from the Assembly is awaited on the crux issue of academic selection ...
06 June 2007
Education must be at the heart of our community
Presbyterian General Assembly is addressed by Caitríona Ruane...
04 June 2007
Primary Schools' fury over planned changes
Half of NI's primary schools are involved in an ongoing row over major education changes ...
31 May 2007
Education review plans to hire more top officials
The head of the planned Education and Skills Authority will be assisted by eight deputies when the new body is launched....
24 May 2007
Revised Curriculum will raise school standards - Ruane
"The revised curriculum being introduced on a phased basis from September 2007 will improve children’s future prospects"...
21 May 2007
"Strong education system is based on committed teachers" - Ruane
Commitment and dedication plays an important role in the lives of young people...
18 May 2007
We must work together, Ruane tells Education Committee
Caitríona Ruane, addresses the Assembly Education Committee ...
17 May 2007
Tories for academic selection in North
The Conservative Party has said it supports the "retention of academic selection and the grammar/secondary school system"...
14 May 2007
'100,000 NI children in poverty'
More than 100,000 children in Northern Ireland - one in four - are living in poverty. ...
10 May 2007
Opportunity for all Children in Education
New education minister underlined her commitment to providing equality of opportunity...
09 May 2007
NASUWT backs strike which may cause chaos
Members of the north's largest teachers' union have said they would support a strike...
04 May 2007
Just one in 40 violent children is expelled
Just one in every 40 pupils who violently attacked their teachers have been expelled, new figures reveal...
03 May 2007
11-plus 'must be a Stormont priority'
The Northern Ireland Assembly must make it a priority to decide what will replace the 11-plus exam...
03 May 2007
VSO seek primary and secondary teachers
VSO to hold an information evening on 22nd May in Belfast for primary and secondary teachers with at least 2 years experience....
01 May 2007
A Passion for Teaching
GTCNI Annual Lecture Monday 30th April 2007 The Great Hall, Queens University Belfast ...
13 March 2007
First Survey of Teachers
The General Teaching Council today released the findings of its first survey of Teachers....
07 December 2006
Cross-nation research into mutual recognition of teaching qualifications
Cross-nation research into mutual recognition of teaching qualifications...
05 October 2006
World Teachers' Day 2006
On World Teachers' Day 2006 we celebrate teachers and their enormous contribution to learning and social development....
03 October 2006
termtalk September 2006
The latest edition of the General Teaching Council newsletter termtalk is now available to download in the publications sections of this website. Anyone who would like to be added to the mailing list for this publication please contact us on (028) 90333390....
25 September 2006
GTCNI By-Election Results
The General teaching Council for Northern Ireland has announced three new members who will serve on the Council for the next four years. They are as follows:...
12 September 2006
GTCNI Co-Sponsor Awards Programme To Honour Outstanding Youth Volunteers
GTCNI co-sponsor awards programme to honour outstanding youth volunteers ...
08 August 2006
GTCNI Pilot Bursary Programme - Phase Two
GTCNI Pilot Bursary Programme - Phase Two...
26 June 2006
GTCNI Election Results - News Release
GTCNI Election Results...
22 June 2006
GTCNI Launches Charter for Education
GTCNI Launches Charter for Education...
16 June 2006
The Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards
Do you have students in your school who deserve to be recognised for their volunteer work? Then encourage them to apply for the Pramerica Spirit of Community Award! This new programme recognises post primary, secondary-level students from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland for community service activities, and is co-sponsored by the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, (NAPD) and the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland, (GTCNI). ...
15 March 2006
Leading Education Academic Addressed GTCNI's First Annual Lecture
The body that represents Northern Ireland’s teaching profession has been charged with developing a concept of ‘democratic professionalism’. ...Latest News
21 Nov 08Thousands switch schools in pursuit of better results
Thousands of pupils are switching schools every year in pursuit of better education - but figures show that more are transferring to non-grammars.
21 Nov 08
Pupils sit the final 11-plus test
More than 15,000 primary seven pupils across Northern Ireland are to sit the second part of the last 11-plus exam.
GTCNI Updates
13 Nov 08Equality commission chief criticises 11-plus
Children should not be burdened with deciding their academic future at the age of 11, the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland warned yesterday.
30 Oct 08
New Teacher Statistics Released
The General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland has today released its third annual Digest of Statistics.
© Copyright 2006 Biznet Solutions