School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen's University

02/10/2026

🌟📢 SSESW students: discover where volunteering could take you!

According to research from the Deloitte Impact Survey, 82% of hiring managers say they are more likely to choose a candidate who has volunteering experience on their CV.

Volunteering is a great way to develop employability skills, industry knowledge and professional networks. It also demonstrates your motivation, empathy, kindness and commitment.

Join a number of organisations relevant to Social Sciences, Education and Social Work who will each take ten minutes to pitch their volunteering opportunities to you. After the quick pitches, tea, coffee, and treats will be available - please feel free to have a cuppa and stay for an informal chat with any of the organisations/projects you might be interested in volunteering with.

Participating organisations include: the Education Authority, NIACRO, NSPCC/Childline & Young Witness, Praxis Care, and Sólás.

Find out more and register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/exploring-volunteering-social-sciences-education-and-social-work-students-tickets-2000391591098?aff=oddtdtcreator

01/10/2026

Are you interested in a career within Crime & Justice and you're studying law or a non-law degree at Queen's?

Join us for an engaging panel event showcasing a diverse group of professionals working in the field of justice and criminality.

Hear their inspiring career stories and pick up valuable tips about the many paths you can take after graduation. You’ll even get to ask our panellists your own questions!

Don’t miss out on this chance to grow your network, get inspired, and imagine all the exciting possibilities ahead.
http://go.qub.ac.uk/careersevents
Register via MyFuture.

30/09/2026

🌍 Want to turn your passion for sustainability into action at Queen’s?

Become a Sustainability Student Rep and work with students and staff to help shape sustainability initiatives across the University. Share your ideas, get involved in projects and campaigns, and inspire others to make a difference.

Applications are open to undergraduate, postgraduate taught and postgraduate research students from all disciplines.

⏰ Apply by 5.00pm on Wednesday 7 October 2026.

👉 Find out more and apply: https://www.qub.ac.uk/about/sustainability/teaching/BecomeaSustainabilityStudentRep/

29/09/2026

🎓 Considering a PhD?
Come along to our Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences PhD Afternoon Tea on Thursday 8 October and chat with current PhD students about their research journeys, life as a doctoral student and available funding opportunities.

If you are considering a PhD within the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen's University, this is also an opportunity to find out more about postgraduate research within our School and speak to people involved in our research community.

Plus, enjoy a free Afternoon Tea while you explore your options. ☕🍰

📍 Great Hall
⏰ 1.45pm to 3.30pm

Spaces are free, but registration is required.
🔗 Register here: https://www.qub.ac.uk/Study/AHSS/phd/phdinformationevent/

28/09/2026

📚 New research from has found that a targeted reading intervention helped primary school pupils achieve the equivalent of five additional months of progress in reading comprehension and significant gains in vocabulary. 🎉

👏 Congratulations to School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen's University academics Dr Maria Cockerill and Dr Joanne O’Keeffe, and their co-authors at Michigan State University, on this significant Nuffield Foundation-funded study helping to advance our understanding of effective literacy interventions.
https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/ssesw/news/children-gain-five-months-additional-progress-reading-comprehension-targeted-intervention.html

28/09/2026

Earlier this week, we were delighted to launch the latest findings from the 2026 Kids’ Life and Times (KLT) and Young Life and Times (YLT) surveys.

The surveys provide a unique insight into the views and experiences of 10–11-year-olds and 16-year-olds across Northern Ireland.

The survey findings and summary reports are now available online.

KLT ➡️ https://www.ark.ac.uk/klt/2026/️
YLT ➡️ https://www.ark.ac.uk/ylt/2026/

School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen's University Queen's University Belfast Ulster University Ulster University Faculty of Arts Humanities & Social Sciences

23/09/2026

It was lovely to meet some of our new postgraduate students this afternoon over a cuppa in our student common room! Welcome to the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen's University — we're excited to have you join us and wish you all the best with your studies this year.

23/09/2026

Lovely to see recent graduate and prize winner Thomas featuring in this campaign!

We have launched our annual campaign to inspire people from any walk of life to study the Degree in Social Work.

You can find out how at 42, Thomas Sturgeon has just graduated from Queen's University Belfast with the Degree in Social Work, finishing top of his class. Six years ago, he'd never have believed it possible.

Whatever your age or background, it's never too late to say yes to social work.
Find out more about the Degree in Social Work and discover Thomas’ story - https://ow.ly/ima850ZQvOH

21/09/2026

🏆 Hear from 2024/25 prize-winner Aoife, whose placement in Canada gave her fresh insights into teaching.

✨ Feeling inspired? Learn more about our Initial Teacher Education (Post-Primary) programme:
🔗 go.qub.ac.uk/qubpgce

📅 Join us at our PGCE Info Session on Thurs 24th September to find out more!

21/09/2026

Languages Mentoring 2026/27 is now underway.
Languages Mentoring is a joint initiative between the QUB Arts, English and Languages and the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen's University at Queen's University Belfast. Now in its third year, the programme enables recently trained undergraduate students of French, Irish and Spanish to mentor Year 12 pupils in nine schools across Northern Ireland, helping them make informed decisions about studying languages at A-level.