NI Council for Integrated Education

NICIE was delighted to welcome SENCOs from across Integrated Education to the first meeting of our newly established SENCO Forum at Slemish College. Darren Curtis from Emotional Wellbeing Teams in Schools (EWTS) gave us a good insight into the work they do and the resources that are available for schools to use. This event provided an excellent opportunity for colleagues to connect, share best practice, discuss common challenges, and build a supportive professional network. The strong engagement and enthusiasm throughout the day highlighted the value of creating dedicated spaces for SENCOs to collaborate and learn from one another.

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to such a positive and productive forum. We look forward to continuing these important conversations and supporting inclusive practice across our schools.

Warm congratulations to Killyleagh Integrated Primary and Nursery School on achieving the Excellence in Integrated Education Award! The assessors were delighted to meet with so many people from the school and wider community, and to experience the way that you live out your Integrated ethos every day. Thank you to everyone involved for your warm welcome and for all the work that goes in to make this happen.

We are deeply saddened to hear that Mrs Sheila Greenfield has passed away. She was the first Principal of Lagan College when it opened in 1981, she showed tremendous courage and determination to lead a school that was the first of its kind. She leaves a fantastic legacy and we want to thank her for the strong foundations she set in those early days which encouraged the growth and development of Integrated Education.

Our thoughts are with Sheila's family and all who were gifted with knowing this inspirational women. We are also thinking of all those in Lagan College who will be especially feeling her loss.

Like many individuals and organisations, the Council for Integrated Education is deeply troubled by the violence and unrest we have seen in our streets over the past number of days. Our thoughts are with the victim of the attack in North Belfast and all those affected since.

We recognise the challenges facing schools as they support children and young people during this difficult time, particularly those who may be directly impacted or struggling to understand what is happening around them. We also wish to acknowledge post-primary pupils currently sitting formal examinations, for whom this is already a stressful period, now further disrupted by uncertainty and travel difficulties.

We are thinking of all those working to promote calm, understanding and peace.

We firmly believe that the only way forward is through non-violent approaches to conflict resolution. By engaging with one another respectfully and embracing our diversity, we can build a genuinely shared and inclusive society.

It is with great regret that we will have to postpone this evening’s Dunleath Lecture planned for 6pm-8pm at the Linen Hall Library. With a protest planned at Belfast City Hall at 6pm and the potential for multiple road closures, for safety reasons it is not possible to go ahead with the event. We are liaising with the venue to consider a new date and will be in touch once we have an alternative. Our apologies for the inconvenience.

Well done to the whole school community at Roe Valley Integrated Primary School on achieving your Excellence in Integrated Education Award! 🌟

The assessors really appreciated their time in the school, and were very impressed by all that you do to nurture and sustain your intentional Integrated ethos.

Thank you to everyone for making the assessors so welcome — and we hope you have a wonderful time celebrating this achievement! 🎉

Congratulations to Phoenix Integrated Primary & Nursery School, Cookstown on achieving their Excellence in Integrated Education Award! 🌟

The school has clearly demonstrated a high level of commitment, dedication, and intentionality in developing and sustaining its Integrated ethos.

A huge thank you to everyone involved for all that was shared with the assessors—and we hope you enjoy your well-deserved celebrations! 🎉

Lots of teaching and non-teaching vacancies within Integrated Education listed over on the NICIE website, including VP role at Windmill Integrated Primary School, Classroom Assistants at Hazelwood Integrated College (closing soon!) and numerous others.

https://buff.ly/KJ0Kq6A

Reminder! The Exploring Integrated Education – Transformation Programme has been launched, the deadline for applications is Friday 12 June at 5pm. There is a webinar you can join to find out more this Thursday 4 June 11am-12noon.

We are excited to have launched a new three-year Integrated Education support programme for schools considering acquiring Integrated status. The Department of Education NI endorsed programme will be delivered in collaboration with the Education Authority and supported by the Integrated Education Fund. We warmly invite you to explore this development opportunity for your school.

More information and details are available here https://buff.ly/lF3tGVn

We were delighted last week to have Sandra Patterson from Ulidia Integrated College and Eleanor Pinches from the Royal Meteorological Society deliver a session for Teachers’ Committee, which was entitled Environmental Education: An Integrated Approach

You can watch the session here:

https://buff.ly/5McQteg

Some useful relevant resources can be found here:
https://metlink.org/

Teachers' Committee Session with Sandra Patterson and Eleanor Pinches - Environmental Education Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.