NEWS

Principal of Buick Memorial Primary School, Rikki Peters, named Northern Ireland Primary Principal of the Year Wednesday 14 October 2026 The principal of Buick Memorial Primary School in Cullybackey has been named Northern Ireland Primary Principal of the Year, recognising a decade of leadership and her commitment to helping children reach their full potential. Rikki Peters received the prestigious honour at the Local Women Magazine Education Awards, held at Belfast’s Europa

Former U.S. President Barack Obama and President speaking at the ceremony at Queen’s University Belfast Tuesday 13 October 2026 Former US President Barack Obama has praised Northern Ireland’s transformation since the Good Friday Agreement, while warning that peace and democracy must never be taken for granted, as he received an honorary doctorate from Queen’s University Belfast. Speaking at a special ceremony attended by students, staff and invited guests, Mr Obama challenged

Pictured with Finance Minister John O’Dowd are Ulster University students Erin Bradley (Second from Left) and Sean McClure, (Second from Right), along with Department for Infrastructure Permanent Secretary Emer Morelli. Tuesday 13 October 2026 University students across Northern Ireland are being offered the opportunity to earn £25,796 while gaining valuable workplace experience, with approximately 110 paid placements available through the Northern Ireland Civil Service for t

Chief Constable launches the PSNI’s latest Student Officer Recruitment Campaign Monday 12 October 2026 A starting salary of £35,000 and the opportunity to earn a university degree while working are among the incentives being offered as the Police Service of Northern Ireland launches a new recruitment campaign for student officers. The recruitment drive opened today, Monday 12 October, as the PSNI marks its 25th anniversary, with applications also being welcomed from experienc

Local people will develop their IT skills due to a series of computer classes currently being delivered by Inspire Wellbeing, following a £9,200 funding injection from The Gallaher Trust. Danielle Sheridan, Inspire Wellbeing, is pictured alongside James Perry MBE, a Trustee at The Gallaher Trust. Tuesday 06 October 2026 Almost 50 people in the Ballymena area are being given the opportunity to build essential digital skills through a new training programme backed by £9,200 fro

Alex O’Hara, centre, from The Castle Kitchen and Bar, Galgorm Collection, was crowned Cocktail Bartender of the Year at the inaugural Northern Ireland Hospitality School Cocktail Competition. Alex is pictured alongside judges, from left, Ashley Douglas, Director of Operations at the Northern Ireland Hospitality School, Paula McIntyre, celebrity chef, Paul Flynn, MCM Spirits and Giffards and Ryan Brown, Edward Dillon. Monday 05 October 2026 A Galgorm bartender has been crowne

(L-R) BSc (Hons) Food Innovation Management students, Olivia Acheson, Cookstown, and Ellen Nelson, Tobermore, along with Mr. Fintan McCann, Head of Food Education invite you to attend CAFRE’s Open Week from Tuesday 06 October to Saturday 10 October 2026 at Loughry Campus, Cookstown, Greenmount Campus, Antrim and Enniskillen Campus Sunday 04 October 2026 Students considering their next move after school can explore courses, facilities and campus life at the College of Agricult

A fantastic effort by the Ballymena Academy teams. Saturday 03 October 2026 Ballymena Academy made a perfect start to their Netball Northern Ireland League campaign, with all four teams securing victories away to Belfast Royal Academy on Friday. Four wins on opening day The Minor 1 and Minor 2 sides delivered particularly commanding performances, recording 22–1 and 28–1 victories respectively. Minor 3 also began their campaign on a winning note with a 4–1 result, before Junio

Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald has congratulated our further education colleges and students after they delivered a world-class performance on the global stage, bringing home a gold medal, bronze medal and five medals for excellence from WorldSkills in Shanghai. The Minister met some of the competitors and college representatives at Parliament Buildings before they headed to Shanghai for the ‘Skills Olympics’. Friday 02 October 2026 Ballymena’s Joe Wilton has been reco

Northern Regional College student Samuel Cairns Thursday 01 October 2026 A Northern Regional College student studying in Ballymena has helped create a short film selected among the top two UK entries in an Into Film programme — an achievement that took him to London to hear from some of the biggest names in entertainment. Samuel Cairns participated in a question-and-answer panel with representatives from Universal, Disney and Netflix, and was later invited back for an exclusi

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Thomas Gordon, helps launch the new Go Succeed AI Advantage Programme at the Ecos Hub in Ballymena Tuesday 29 September 2026 Small businesses across Mid and East Antrim are being offered practical help to use artificial intelligence in everyday work, from handling customer enquiries and processing documents to marketing and planning. The new AI Advantage Programme will combine five specialist workshops with tailored one-to-one mentoring,

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

Past participants Leah Baxter-Leslie, Nicki McNeill and Anjali Jose pictured with Naomi Hutchinson, NFSU Business Support Manager, Brigid McNabb, key trainer with Academy, and Dr Windsor Murdock, non-executive member NFSU. Thursday 24 September 2026 A programme designed to help local people into work while tackling recruitment needs in GP surgeries has recorded a 53% employment outcome after expanding from a Mid and East Antrim pilot to four academies in just 18 months. From

Horticulture students Charley Benson (Lisburn), Ramona McCluskey (Ballymena) and Barry Wheeler (Antrim) encourage prospective students to explore Greenmount Campus facilities at the upcoming Open Day Wednesday 23 September 2026 Greenmount Campus in Antrim is opening its doors next month to prospective students interested in careers ranging from landscaping and plant production to sports turf management and floristry. The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFR

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

Carly Heggarty, Equality and Wellbeing Manager at Northern Regional College and Shannon Murphy Education Support Co-Ordinator pictured with the Autism NI Award Monday 21 September 2026 Northern Regional College has achieved Autism NI’s Impact Award for Education after introducing practical measures designed to make college life more accessible and supportive for autistic and neurodivergent students. The recognition follows tailored Autism NI training for staff and the develop

Sunday 20 September 2026 Ulster University has achieved its highest-ever position in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, climbing 15 places to rank 34th in the UK. The university has also been named University of the Year, Northern Ireland, 2027, adding to a series of national rankings and awards for its teaching, research and student experience. Ulster University has more than 30,000 students, according to 2023/24 HESA figures cited by the university, with

(L-R) Caroline McKenna, Foodies Spokesperson, Eimear O'Sullivan, Corporate Affairs Director Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland Primary schools across County Antrim can now register for a new free food education programme aimed at helping young children build healthy eating habits and become more confident about fruit and vegetables. Lidl Foodies is open to schools across Northern Ireland and provides teachers of children aged four to seven with ready-made lesson plans, activit

Team Harryville Primary School ahead of their Dragon Boat Race challenge this weekend. Staff from Harryville Primary School in Ballymena have raised more than £2,500 so far for Northern Ireland Hospice — with donations still coming in ahead of their Dragon Boat challenge on the River Lagan this weekend. The school team will take to the water in Belfast on Saturday, September 19, as part of the charity’s Dragon Boat Race, joining teams from businesses, clubs and organisations

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal attended the School of Nursing & Midwifery at Queen's University Belfast on Wednesday where she met with midwifery students, lecturers and midwives. Student midwives preparing to care for women and babies across Northern Ireland have shown The Princess Royal how simulated practice helps them build clinical skills and confidence before facing the demands of maternity care. Princess Anne met students, lecturers and midwives at Queen’s Unive