NEWS

Slemish College Students Scarlet Kerr-McKillop and Darragh Martin Two Slemish College students, Scarlet Kerr-McKillop and Darragh Martin , were among the young people given the chance to step inside NI Water’s laboratories as the utility company kicked off the second year of its hybrid work experience programme. The pair joined aspiring scientists from across Northern Ireland for an immersive mix of virtual and in-person learning designed to give students aged 16 to 19 real-w

BBC Northern Ireland and the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment (CCEA) have teamed up to give pupils across Northern Ireland easier access to GCSE past papers through BBC Bitesize — marking a significant step forward in digital learning support. From Tuesday 2 December, GCSE learners can access past papers and mark schemes for six major subjects directly through BBC Bitesize. This is the first time that GCSE past papers have been made available via the plat

Education Minister Paul Givan is pictured at Anahilt Pre-school Playgroup, Hillsborough with pupils and Dara Graham, Preschool Leader. Education Minister Paul Givan has announced a major expansion of pre-school education provision, with an additional 102 pre-school settings  across Northern Ireland approved to offer full-time education from September 2026. This announcement represents the second phase of settings approved to transition to offering full-time places under the o

St Louis Grammar School, Ballymena St Louis Grammar School has secured its place among Northern Ireland’s top-performing post-primary schools, ranking ninth in the prestigious Sunday Times Parent Power 2026 guide . The annual league table, widely considered the definitive benchmark for school performance across the UK, will be published online on Friday 5 December and in print on Sunday 7 December. Nationally, St Louis Grammar also earns a strong position at number 65 within

Professor Linda Kelly, NIPEC Chief Executive; Health Minister Mike Nesbitt; Professor Maria McIlgorm, Chief Nursing Office A new Career and Development Model designed to support professional growth and long-term workforce retention across Northern Ireland’s nursing and midwifery professions has been formally launched. The model, unveiled this week at the Northern Ireland Practice & Education Council for Nursing & Midwifery (NIPEC) annual conference, provides a clear and struc

Pictured are the latest cohort of students from the Supporting Communities Scholarship Scheme, Noah Hought, Michael Cushenan, Caoimhe Layland McGroggan and Jelisejs Sestakovs, alongside Stephanie McKilliop, far left and Sandra Ross, far right, from Supporting Communities.  The Gallaher Trust has announced a further three-year extension to its scholarship schemes, securing £99,000 in funding to support disadvantaged young adults pursuing business or STEM-based studies in the B

BT has announced a major new Future Technology Research and Innovation (FTRI) programme at the BT Ireland Innovation Centre (BTIC) in Belfast, signalling what is expected to be £45 million of investment in Northern Ireland over the next five years. Launched by BT Group Chief Executive Allison Kirkby, the programme will significantly expand the region’s tech research capacity through new industrial research streams, advanced engineering projects and deeper collaboration betwee

Ulster Unionist Education Spokesperson Jon Burrows MLA has welcomed the introduction of a new emergency messaging system for schools, following the Education Minister’s admission that “communication failures” took place during the handling of Storm Amy. The recent review into the events surrounding the storm found that critical updates were not delivered quickly enough to schools, leading to widespread confusion as closure decisions were issued. Mr Burrows said the review h

Principals Sandra Sheeran (Ballykeel Primary), Karen McMaster (Camphill Primary), and Neil McCullough (Harryville Primary), governors, counsellor and parent representatives, with Minister Gordon Lyons, DUP North Antrim MLA Paul Frew, and Indeoendent Ballymena Councillor Lawrie Philpott. The Minister for Communities, Gordon Lyons , visited North Antrim on Wednesday following intervention from DUP MLA Paul Frew that helped secure continued funding for a counselling and therap

John Unsworth, EA Assistant Director; John Trueman, Director of Qualifications, CCEA; Angela Kane, Department of Education; and Sean Fearon, Education and Training Inspectorate; came together to host over 150 Early Career Teachers at Lagan Valley Island Conference Centre. More than 150 Early Career Teachers (ECTs) from across Northern Ireland gathered at Lagan Valley Island Conference Centre for a major professional development event jointly hosted by the Education Authority

TUV North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston Speaking in the Assembly on Monday (November 24), TUV North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston emphasised the importance of maintaining the Christian foundation of Religious Education (RE) in Northern Ireland’s schools, following a recent Supreme Court judgment. Describing the ruling as “the final stage in a calculated assault on the foundations of the controlled sector,” Mr Gaston highlighted the historical roots of the education system. “It is of

Ballymena Academy pupils Samantha Dunlop and Katie McNeilly who are through to the final stage of the ABP Angus Youth Challenge Ballymena Academy has secured a place in the final of the prestigious ABP Angus Youth Challenge, with two Year 11 pupils set to take on an innovative project aimed at advancing genetic literacy in beef production. The announcement was made today via YouTube , where pupils Samantha Dunlop and Katie McNeilly learned that their school had qualified for

Graduates of the Northern Ireland Hospitality School have doubled within the last year as support from the private sector also almost doubles. Pictured during the School’s graduation ceremony at Galgorm Resort are, from left, Djann Balmes, a former Bar Academy graduate who now manages the Conservatory and Gin Library at Galgorm Resort, Ashley Douglas, Northern Ireland Hospitality School Director of Operations and Brenda McGale, Britvic Ireland.  The Northern Ireland Hospitali

A Northern Ireland school will receive an extra-special festive surprise this December as local Full Fibre broadband provider Fibrus launches its new ‘Christmas Classroom’ competition. The initiative invites schools across Northern Ireland to nominate their Primary One, Primary Two, or P1/P2 composite classes for the chance to win a magical Christmas visit from Santa and the Fibrus Tinsel Team. The winning classroom will be treated to a sack filled with some of the most sough

TUV MP Jim Allister has sharply criticised a recent Supreme Court judgment on Religious Education (RE) in Northern Ireland, describing the ruling as a threat to the long-established Christian ethos within the region’s school system. In a strongly worded statement, Mr Allister said he was “deeply disturbed” by aspects of the judgment, particularly the court’s reference to the potential for “indoctrination” within current RE provision. “As someone who has consistently defended

The Mayor of Mid & East Antrim Cllr Jackson Minford joins with Women’s Aid CEO Gillian Creevy and St Colmcille’s Primary Vice Principal, Miss Catherine Stewart to launch Women’s Aid Heading For Healthy Relationships Primary School programme funded by the EVAWG Change Fund. A new preventative education initiative aimed at helping young people build healthy, respectful relationships has been launched at St Colmcille Primary School in Ballymena. The Heading For Healthy Relations

The Department of Education has published new School Uniform Guidelines to help schools across Northern Ireland prepare for upcoming statutory requirements expected to take effect from the 2026/27 academic year. The move follows the passage of the School Uniforms (Guidelines and Allowances) Bill, which cleared its Final Stage in the Northern Ireland Assembly on 13 October and will become law once it receives Royal Assent. Education Minister Paul Givan confirmed that the guid

Ulster Unionist MLA Jon Burrows has warned that families already struggling with the cost of living will be “hit hard” by the Education Authority’s decision to raise the price of school meals by around 20 per cent. The increase – equivalent to an extra 50p per meal – is due to take effect from January 2026, as part of a series of savings measures introduced by the Education Authority (EA) to tackle a £300 million funding shortfall. Mr Burrows, the Ulster Unionist Party’s Ed

Parents across Northern Ireland are bracing for higher school meal prices and potential changes to transport and music provision after the Education Authority (EA) confirmed a series of cost-saving measures to address a £300 million funding shortfall. The EA said the “regrettable” measures, which aim to deliver up to £30 million in savings, will begin to take effect this month. However, the organisation warned that even with these cuts, it will be “some distance” from breaki

Ian McMaw, Business Lecturer at the College of Agriculture Food & Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) Greenmount Campus and Richard Henderson, Head of Agriculture at AbbeyAutoline. AbbeyAutoline has reaffirmed its commitment to the future of Northern Ireland’s agricultural industry by renewing its partnership with the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) for the 2025/2026 academic year. As part of the CAFRE Industry Support Programme, AbbeyAutoline will once again o