Department of Education

Demand for SEN places still exceeds supply

Number of SEN children at risk of no school place reduced to 50

Education Authority (EA) chief executive Richard Pengelly has now written to a number of schools

Schools may be instructed to set up SEN provision amid crisis over places

The Supreme Court has begun hearing an appeal on the legality of Religious Education in Northern Ireland schools.

Supreme Court hears appeal on school RE

BBC presenter Chris Packham says autistic people are not broken and do not need to be fixed.

Autism rates in Northern Ireland up fivefold in 16 years

Dermot Devlin (left) and Brian Pelan at the Botanical Gardens in Belfast. Dermot has called for urgent action to address a lack of accessible taxis in Northern Ireland

Campaigner seeks urgent action to address lack of wheelchair-accessible taxis

The Department of Education, run by the DUP's Paul Givan, will issue its response to the Supreme Court sex ruling in advance of Equality Commission guidance, the News Letter understands.

Supreme Court sex ruling: Givan to publish schools policy ahead of ECNI guidance

Northern Irish students have a slightly shorter Christmas break than their peers before it's back to school

When schools go back after Easter, and NI's other term dates for 2025

These state primary schools had some of lowest absence rates in Northern Ireland

The 19 top Northern Ireland primary schools for attendance rates

Northern Ireland business hub Catalyst has announced the appointment of Patrick McIlveen as its new head of entrepreneurship, with responsibility for overseeing its entrepreneurship support programme

Northern Ireland business hub appoints new head of entrepreneurship

These secondary schools boasted some of Northern Ireland's highest attendance rates in the last school year

The 15 best secondary schools for attendance in Northern Ireland

Storm Eowyn caused widespread damage across Northern Ireland in January

Weather: Met Office issue yellow weather warning for parts of Northern Ireland

Education minister Paul Givan is launching a new school uniforms bill: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

New Stormont bill is aimed at making school uniforms more affordable

The competition aims to fuel a passion among industry professionals

Ad Feature Department of Education and McLaren launch competition

Many parents have voted overwhelmingly for their schools to transform to integrated status

Letter: Conversion of schools to integrated status should be supported

Electricity engineers inspect damage by fallen trees blocking Eglantine Road near Hillsborough following Storm Eowyn

Stormont Executive allocates over £17m to deal with impact of Storm Eowyn

A classroom

Ten schools still not able to open today but will provide remote learning
Around 7 schools in Northern Ireland will remain closed today (Tuesday) due to structural damage caused by Storm Éowyn.
Gemma Murray

Stormont Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibald

Departments must now live within means following funds allocation – Archibald

Members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union in Northern Ireland have voted overwhelmingly in support of industrial action

Teaching unions vote for industrial action over pay

Education Minister Paul Givan is pictured with Fearghal McKinney, Head of the British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland, and members of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service

Defibrillators to be provided to all schools in Northern Ireland.

Education Minister Paul Givan has launched a public consultation on a review of the eligibility criteria for free school meals and uniform grants

Eligibility for free school meals and uniform grants reviewed

Education Minister Paul Givan

Parents and guardians asked for views on future of childcare in Northern Ireland

The protest at the Girls' Model School in Belfast, November 14

Government warns parents they have a legal duty to get children in school

Comptroller and Auditor General Dorinnia Carville

Strategy to manage crumbling schools’ estate unsustainable, auditor finds

Morning View

Editorial: Some honesty is needed over the inefficiencies in school provision

Rev Brian McClung says the parents who send their children to Newtownabbey Independent Christian School (pictured) are not wealthy and can ill afford having VAT added to school fees.

Benn meets Free Presbyterians about VAT on school fees

Play-based school-age childcare services offer important play-based developmental opportunities for children whilst enabling parents to remain economically active

Letter: Views sought on childcare services

Education minister Paul Givan Pic Colm Lenaghan/ Pacemaker

Loyalists 'advise education minister Irish language school should not proceed'
Members of the Loyalist Communities Council have met with the education minister, DUP MLA Paul Givan.
Adam Kula

Justice Minister Naomi Long has criticised the cost of school phone pouch scheme

School phone pouch scheme 'hard to fathom' says Naomi Long

Surplus school places

'Sectoral nature' of NI schools made removal of surplus places difficult

The Royal Courts of Justice, where the High Court and the Court of Appeal sit in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Legal action has been commenced against Northern Ireland's Department of Education over a data breach, which the department said involved a spreadsheet containing the names, email addresses and titles of 407 individuals who had expressed an interest in attending the End-to End Review of SEN events across Northern Ireland being sent in error

Legal action against Department of Education over data breach

The Nipsa trade union is to ballot PSNI civilian staff on potential industrial action. Photo: Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

School support staff in NI to vote on backdated pay rise and one-off lump sum

Pupils at Cairnshill Primary School celebrating after hearing the news

Cairnshill Primary School celebrates approval to become integrated

Pupils at Cairnshill Primary School celebrating after hearing the news that the Department of Education has approved their Development Proposal to transform to Integrated status

Northern Ireland school celebrates after gaining integrated status

Letters to editor

Letter: Education minister's energy is admirable

Education Minister Paul Givan said an 'end to end' review of SEN provision was nearing its conclusion

'Entirely unacceptable' hundreds of SEN pupils still without school place

Education Minister Paul Givan during a visit to a Sure Start centre in east Belfast, where he announced a new childcare subsidy scheme is to be offered to working parents in Northern Ireland as part of a £25 million package of measures

Givan unveils new childcare subsidy scheme as part of £25m support package

Cathy Murray from Ballynahinch and her son Logan Rush, who is five. He has special needs and the ongoing industrial action causes serious disruption to his routine.

School strike action 'just can't go on' says Cathy

Sarah Martin from Newtownabbey says that her son, Ethan, aged 4, depends heavily on regular routine and his behaviour becomes very challenging when he cannot get to Hill Croft Special School.

'Children with additional needs to be severely impact by strikes'

Robin Swann leaving the Clayton Hotel in Belfast after giving evidence to the UK Covid-19 inquiry hearing.

No ‘specific isolation facilities’ in Northern Ireland at pandemic outbreak

Alliance's South Belfast MLA and the party's education committee chair Nick Mathison are calling for integrated education to be available to every parent in Northern Ireland.

Integrated education for every child – Alliance

The modern, state of the art education facilities will be shared between Ballycastle High School and Cross and Passion College and will be funded primarily through Fresh Start funding for Shared and Integrated Education. CREDIT BALLYCASTLE HIGH SCHOOL

Work set to begin on new Ballycastle campus

L-R: Health Minister Robin Swann; UUP leader Doug Beattie and UUP MLA Mike Nesbitt speak to members of the media in the Great Hall of Parliament Buildings at Stormont. Photo: David Young/PA Wire

UUP accuses coalition partners of backtracking on health service pledge

Health Minister Robin Swann and Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibald - whose budget was backed by Sinn Fein, the DUP and Alliance Party.

Swann votes against budget - warning of 2% health cut

Pupils at Lurgan Model Primary School celebrating their successful parental ballot to transform to integrated status

Historical Northern Ireland school jumps for joy after gaining integrated status

Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris has imposed new sex education plans on Northern Ireland which require all secondary pupils to be taught how to access abortion and contraception.

Welcome that abortion classes will not exclude moral discussions

The Campaign against RSE organised a parade to the offices of Secretary of State Chris Heaton Harris in Belfast on 2 September 2023 to protest against his imposition of compulsory contraception and abortion lessons on all post-primary pupils in Northern Ireland.

73% oppose Heaton-Harris plans for compulsory abortion lessons

Pro-transgender activists protest against a rally called 'Let Women Speak' in Belfast in April 2023, which was called in opposition to trans ideology; there has been a huge upsurge in the numbers of children claiming to be transgender in recent years

Transgenderism: 'Time to overhaul official advice to NI teachers'

The Independent Review of Education in Northern Ireland, which was a key commitment in New Decade New Approach, raises major concerns of an ongoing “funding crisis”.

Independent review identifies £291m shortfall in education budget

Cairnshill Primary School - Google maps

School classrooms closed after problematic RAAC concrete identified in building

DUP Education Spokesperson Diane Dodds says the Department of Education’s consultation on Relationships and Sexuality Education must take account of the ethos and values of schools.
Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.

Sex education consultation must consider school ethos says DUP

Unite the union workers' protest Stormont in March 2022. Photo: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press.

Industrial action by school support workers to coincide public transport strike

Schools across Northern Ireland are facing major disruption and possible closures on Thursday

Thousands of non-teaching staff strike leaving schools facing disruption

A mural on the old Unite building in central Belfast

Unite reveals plans for a two-day education strike mid-month in pay dispute

The Education Authority has confirmed that an IT system used by schools across Northern Ireland allows teachers to record the transgender identities and preferred pronouns of children without parental knowledge. The information has been brought into the public domain by TUV leader Jim Allister via the BBC Stephen Nolan Show.
Photo by Stephen Hamilton / Press Eye.

Stakeholders and parties silent on school trans row unearthed by TUV

Pupils and staff at Sion Mills Primary School celebrating their successful parental ballot to transform to Integrated status.

Primary School celebrates transformation to integrated status

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