NEWS

Monday 19 October 2026 Schools across Northern Ireland have been told they do not need to report threatening emails to police or the Education Authority, as Education Minister Paul Givan condemned the hoax that caused widespread concern and disruption on Monday morning. The guidance follows reports from up to 300 schools that received the same email containing a generalised threat, prompting some schools to close temporarily while the majority remained open. The Police Servic

Sunday 18 October 2026 Families across Northern Ireland whose children were losing childcare subsidy support because of their July or August birthdays will now be able to continue receiving financial assistance while their children remain in Primary 7. Education Minister Paul Givan has confirmed changes to the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme (NICSS), addressing an inconsistency that left some families without support despite their children remaining in the same scho

Tuesday 29 September 2026 Primary 6 and 7 pupils could receive additional literacy and numeracy support, alongside help preparing for the move to post-primary education, under a new programme backed by up to £600,000. The initiative is being delivered through the Department of Education’s existing RAISE programme, which already operates in Ballymena and 17 other localities across Northern Ireland. Schools can apply for funding to provide targeted support during the 2026/27 ac

Teachers across Northern Ireland are set to begin action short of strike from Monday, September 28, with restrictions potentially affecting extra-curricular activities, meetings, cover arrangements and communications outside teachers’ allocated working time. The escalation comes after months of negotiations over teacher and school leader workload, with unions arguing that stronger guarantees are needed to turn recommendations from an independent workload review into meaningfu

Tuesday 15 September 2026 Teachers, parents and pupils across Northern Ireland are being asked to share their experiences of behaviour, disruption and safety in schools as part of a review that will shape new government policy. Education Minister Paul Givan has launched a Call for Evidence seeking views on the scale of behaviour problems, their impact on learning and staff wellbeing, and what schools need to improve standards. The exercise forms part of the Department of Educ

SDLP MLA for East Londonderry, Cara Hunter Girls will be guaranteed the choice to wear trousers at every school in Northern Ireland from the 2027/28 school year, as Education Minister Paul Givan faces fresh criticism over why the change was not made sooner. SDLP Opposition Education Spokesperson Cara Hunter MLA has joined Ulster Unionist Party leader and Education spokesperson Jon Burrows MLA in welcoming the outcome while challenging the Minister over the months of political

Girls across Northern Ireland will be guaranteed the choice to wear trousers as part of their school uniform under revised legally binding guidelines issued by Education Minister Paul Givan. Ulster Unionist Party leader and Education spokesperson Jon Burrows MLA has welcomed the move as a “common-sense outcome”, while claiming the Minister could have resolved the issue earlier without the Education Committee having to pursue legislation. The revised Department of Education gu

Four primary schools—including two in the wider Love Ballymena coverage area—have vowed to continue building inclusive school communities after Education Minister Paul Givan rejected their applications for integrated status. Larne and Inver Primary School and Killowen Primary School in Coleraine were refused alongside Ballyhenry Primary School in Glengormley and Downshire Primary School in Hillsborough. The four ministerial decisions were dated Sunday 30 August, immediately b

Families applying for funded pre-school places in Northern Ireland face a significant change to admissions rules next year, as Education Minister Paul Givan moves to restrict which households receive priority under the current social disadvantage criterion. The Minister has confirmed that only families receiving benefits specifically named in the existing regulations will qualify for priority when applying for a pre-school place next year. The move will end the practice of tr

Inset: Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows MLA New support for newly qualified teachers must come with protected time and proper resources rather than adding to already heavy workloads, Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows MLA has warned. His comments follow the launch of an enhanced induction programme for teachers beginning their careers in Northern Ireland, including a new online learning platform alongside face-to-face training and live webinars. While welcoming

Inset: UUP Party Leader Jon Burrows Teachers are sacrificing evenings, weekends and family time to keep schools functioning, Ulster Unionist leader Jon Burrows has warned, as Education Minister Paul Givan expressed hope that negotiations could avert industrial action over workload. Mr Burrows called for a fundamental rethink of teachers’ working days following teaching union votes in favour of industrial action, suggesting that reform could require reopening the Jordanstown A

Schools across Northern Ireland face the prospect of industrial action over teacher workload, with Education Minister Paul Givan saying progress in summer negotiations could still prevent disruption. Responding to teaching union ballot results, the minister said agreement had been reached on a range of disputed issues and pledged to continue talks with unions and employers. But unions say teachers need changes they can see in schools and classrooms, warning that unresolved wo

Northern Education Minister Paul Givan Northern Ireland’s integrated education bodies have challenged Education Minister Paul Givan to explain how he will meet parental demand after expressing “enormous disappointment” at decisions to refuse integrated status to several schools. The Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) and the Integrated Education Fund (IEF) said school communities were facing “a negative and devastating decision” at the start of the academic year, despit

Pupils’ community backgrounds would be recorded separately from their religion under proposals aimed at changing how schools seeking integrated status demonstrate they can bring Protestant and Catholic children together. Education Minister Paul Givan has set out plans for a new monitoring question as he urged schools to build integration before applying for formal recognition—and accused integrated education campaigners of having “lost their way”. For families and schools, th

Education Minister Paul Givan A major shake-up of how teachers are trained, supported and prepared for leadership throughout their careers has been launched in Northern Ireland, including dedicated funding for schools and a new Centre for Educational Excellence and Improvement. Education Minister Paul Givan has published Leading Together for Excellence: A TransformED NI Strategy for Teacher Professional Learning, replacing the Department of Education’s decade-old Learning Lea

Inset: Education Minister Paul Givan Schools across Northern Ireland are being told to become mobile phone-free during the school day as Education Minister Paul Givan launches a 12-week consultation on whether the approach should ultimately be backed by legislation. Strengthened Department of Education guidance published today makes clear that pupils should not routinely have access to personal mobile phones during the school day, although individual schools will retain flexi

Pupils from Cambridge House Grammar School who received their GCSE results on Thursday morning. More than 32,000 young people across Northern Ireland have received their GCSE results today, with a slight increase in the proportion achieving the key benchmark of grade C/4 and above. Figures released on Thursday, 20 August, show 83.6% of students achieved grade C/4 or higher, compared with 83.5% in 2025. The proportion receiving the highest grades also rose marginally, with 31.

Taryn Simpson and Hannah Spence who received results today for Level 3 Health and Social Care from Northern Regional College in Ballymena. Taryn is heading off to study Adult Nursing at Queen’s University Belfast, while Hannah progresses to study Psychology at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh. Northern Ireland has recorded the best A-level results across the UK, with 86.9% of entries achieving a grade C or above, as thousands of young people receive their A-level, AS-le

Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald is pictured with Justin Kerr, head of the Department for the Economy Careers Service. The Department has 78 careers advisers on hand to support people reach their chosen pathway. Thursday 13 August 2026 Young people receiving A-Level, AS and vocational results across Northern Ireland today are being reminded that professional careers advice is available to help them decide what comes next. Whether results have opened the door to a first-c

The Education Authority (EA) has confirmed more than 4,400 school places for children with special educational needs (SEN) ahead of the new academic year, but has warned that Northern Ireland’s current approach to meeting rising demand is “running out of road”. Officials say intensive work throughout the year has enabled thousands of children changing educational settings for September 2026 to receive confirmed placements, with work continuing over the summer to finalise the