Who is your teacher and why does it matter? The lived experiences of history and citizenship teachers in Northern Ireland

Education research: Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, as in other divided and conflict-affected societies, the contribution of education and, particularly, the school curriculum in aiding social cohesion has long been recognised...

Editorial: Education research: Northern Ireland

Education research: Northern Ireland

Education in Northern Ireland (NI) is characterised by segregation along religious/sectarian lines underpinned by a long history of religious tensions and fractured politics. Ninety-three per...

A new agenda for teacher education research in Northern Ireland

Education research: Northern Ireland

The importance of teachers has long been recognised as central not only to the educational and personal development of children but also to societal wellbeing and economic growth (OECD, 2018)....

Education research: Northern Ireland

Education in Northern Ireland (NI) is characterised by segregation along religious/sectarian lines underpinned by a long history of religious tensions and fractured politics. Ninety-three per...

A closer look at the Future Schools Toolkit

Education research: Northern Ireland

The proliferation of schools, management bodies and sectoral support organisations reflects the socio-cultural and political history of division in Northern Irish society. However, as recognised...

Prioritising ‘fair’ play in Northern Ireland primary schools

Education research: Northern Ireland

For many years, Northern Ireland has been renowned for producing academically high-achieving pupils, and while this has been the case for some young people, issues of division and inequality are...

Learning from Covid-19 research in Northern Ireland: Resetting expectations for school–home–community partnerships

Education research: Northern Ireland

The impact of Covid-19 on learning experiences has dominated educational discourse over the past two years. Education practitioners and policymakers now have at their disposal a rich evidence base...

Digital futures in Northern Ireland: Beyond a virtual reality?

Education research: Northern Ireland

On a recent first trip outside Northern Ireland, following my two years or so of Covid-19 bubbling, I was struck by the national media coverage surrounding ‘our wee country’. With news of...

Inequalities in language learning: What are they and how can we fix them?

Education research: Northern Ireland

Young people in the UK are less likely to study a language in upper secondary school than their European peers, and not just because they already speak English (European Commission, 2017). In...

Gender diversity in the school workforce across the UK home nations

Due to the budgetary pressures of the 2008 financial crisis the then UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, announced a public sector pay freeze in 2010. In 2013 the pay freeze was...

Professionalism for those working with the under-threes: a Northern Irish perspective

Competing discourses in early childhood education and care

Northern Ireland has an established early childhood education and care (ECEC) system with some strengths, such as near-universal participation in pre-school education. However, for children under...

Competing discourses in early childhood education and care

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) has developed to meet different aims to encourage children’s holistic development; embed attitudes consistent with lifelong learning; facilitate...