Orna Young Wednesday 30 th May 2013 attitudes towards current levels - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Orna Young

Wednesday 30th May 2013

 attitudes towards current levels of sharing in education, and

towards potentially increasing levels of sharing in education, amongst a range of

• Parents
• Teachers
• Young people

 mechanisms by which to increase levels of sharing in

education amongst primary and post-primary school-age children in the two pairs of interface communities; and

 achievable measures that would increase levels of sharing in

education amongst primary and post-primary school-age children in interface communities.

 Two primary schools:

• Star of the Sea Primary School (Catholic

maintained); and

• Carr’s Glen Primary School (Voluntary State

controlled)

 Two secondary schools:

• Belfast Boys’ Model Secondary School (voluntary

state controlled); and

• Little Flower Girls’ Secondary School (Catholic

maintained)

• March 2012 and January 2013
• Focus groups – Teachers and parents
• Questionnaires – Secondary school pupils

Context Context

• North Belfast
• Community Relations, Equality and Diversity (CRED)

policy and strategy

• Five levels of sharing in education

 Primary schools:

• One off events;
• One off project; and
• Learning together in the classroom (albeit on an ICT

basis).

 Secondary school;

• One off project;
• Learning together in the classroom;
• Whole school approach to sharing facilities between

schools; and

• Schools and communities sharing.

• Factors influencing school selection:
• Proximity/location of the school
• Community/family ties
• Parents’ experiences of the conflict
• Views on current levels of sharing

“The girls go there [to the other school]... they share trips and things ings like that. . They ey come

• me back

k feeli ling good

• d abou
• ut

themselves.” “The transfer test causes the class issues... it publicly humiliates children. “

• Views on future levels of sharing

“There needs to be more opportunities [for young people to come together], we are living in different times and the area’s

• changed. “

“I think it’s very important for the children to be out of their wee comfort zone and to be out meeting new people… the earlier they mix together the better.”

 Views on current levels of sharing

“There’s a strong link to the school, there’s a huge sense of community and that is something we are proactively trying to build on; that sense of community.” “You wouldn’t have seen girls in our uniform in Tesco near Woodvale in the past, now you do, I find that amazing.”

 Funding and resource allocation

“There’s nothing long term, no strategic vision or long term plan.” “The funding is so important for schools in these areas... We cannot ask our parents in our school to continually stump up that money; we just can’t do it. “

 94 pupils from Boys’ Model Secondary School  62 pupils from Little Flower Secondary School  Almost all of the Boys Model pupils (99% or

93 pupils) viewed their schools as being ‘mostly Protestant’

 94% of Little Flower respondents (or 58

pupils) viewed their school being “mostly Catholic”.

 Legac

gacy y of the conflict

 Fund

nding ing and resour urcing ing of shared red education ation initiatives atives

 Wi

Willingness gness to enga gage ge

 Existing

ting netwo works rks