NEWS

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

Pupils from Ballymena Dance Academy are set to take centre stage next week to compete at the Dance World Cup 2026 in Dublin following a sponsorship boost from local hospitality group, Galgorm Collection. Pictured with the pupils are (L) Lynsey Gordon, Chief Operating Officer at Galgorm Collection and (R) Greg Warner from Logans Executive Travel. Fifty-one young dancers from Ballymena are preparing to compete against some of the best talent from around the globe after receivin

Girls in Northern Ireland could soon be guaranteed the right to wear trousers to school under proposed legislation progressing through the Assembly, with North Antrim MLA and Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows describing the move as a matter of “common sense and personal choice”. The UUP leader and the party’s education spokesperson welcomed the Bill’s progress after supporting its Second Stage debate in the Assembly on Wednesday, July 1. The legislation seeks to ensure

Parents across Northern Ireland could soon have a stronger say in where their children go to school under plans unveiled by Education Minister Paul Givan to overhaul the current admissions system. The proposed changes would make it easier for schools to increase pupil numbers where there is parental demand, even in cases where families currently miss out on their preferred choice despite places being available elsewhere in the education system. Announcing the reforms in a Wri

Children with special educational needs across Northern Ireland are now expected to wait an extra year for long-promised improvements to support services after the implementation of new SEN regulations was pushed back until September 2027. The delay has sparked a political row at Stormont, with Education Minister Paul Givan expressing “serious concern” over what he says will be the direct impact on children, families and schools, while Alliance MLA and Education Committee Cha

Darragh pictured with his mum Fiona, sister Emily and dad Chris. A County Armagh father has spoken candidly about the daily realities of raising a child with a rare inherited condition that affects significantly more babies in Northern Ireland than elsewhere in the UK, as calls grow for greater awareness and improved access to emerging treatments. On International PKU Day (Sunday 28 June), Craigavon-based pharmaceutical company Galen Limited has joined patients, families and

Inset: Ulster Unionist Party education spokesperson and party leader Jon Burrows The appointment of a new independent behaviour adviser for Northern Ireland schools must lead to meaningful change in classrooms rather than simply creating another title, Ulster Unionist education spokesperson and party leader Jon Burrows has said. Responding to Education Minister Paul Givan’s announcement this week of a review of school behaviour policy and the appointment of behaviour expert T

Education Minister Paul Givan pictured with Tom Bennett who will lead on a review of behaviour policy and practice across schools. The way behaviour is managed in schools across Northern Ireland is set for a major review after Education Minister Paul Givan announced an independent examination aimed at helping teachers deal with increasingly complex behavioural challenges in the classroom. The review will shape a new Department of Education Behaviour Policy and updated practic

Groggan Primary School recently marked the occasion as principal Cathy Humphrey prepares to retire from a lifetime dedicated to education “That I cared.” After a lifetime spent helping children learn, grow and find their place in the world, that is how retiring Groggan Primary School principal Cathy Humphrey MBE hopes former pupils will remember her. For a woman who was recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours List in 2023 with an MBE for services to education in Northern Ir

Hot weather may be welcomed by many across Northern Ireland, but health experts are warning that prolonged exposure to heat and sunshine can have serious consequences, with rising numbers of sunburn injuries, heat-related illnesses and deaths linked to excessive temperatures. The Public Health Agency (PHA), alongside the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and the Children’s Burns Trust, is urging people to take simple precautions to protect themselves and t

Children enjoy one of the many events at Ballymoney Museum Ballymoney Museum has been shortlisted for one of the UK’s most respected heritage awards after being recognised by families as one of the country’s most welcoming places to visit. The museum, located in Ballymoney Town Hall, has secured a place on the shortlist for the 2026 Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Award and is the only museum in Northern Ireland to make the final selection. The annual award, which has

As schools prepare to close for the summer holidays, the NSPCC is warning parents and carers to think carefully before leaving children home alone after a significant rise in reports from worried adults across the UK. The children’s charity says its Helpline handled 7,452 contacts between April 2025 and March 2026 from people concerned about children being left alone or unsupervised – an 11% increase on the 6,719 contacts recorded the previous year. The figures have prompted

The risk of schools being forced to close because of deteriorating buildings is growing across Northern Ireland, with the Education Authority warning that years of underfunding have left the schools estate facing a maintenance backlog estimated at between £600 million and £800 million. The stark warning comes as the Education Authority (EA) says it is rapidly approaching a point where schools – or parts of schools – may have to close on safety grounds because essential repair

Stock image Becoming a first-time mum can be overwhelming, isolating and frightening. For one Ballymena mother, support from a local SureStart programme proved so transformative that she now describes it as being “integral to my survival” during some of the most challenging years of her life. “The past four years have been the best of my life,” says Ballymena mum Paige*. It is a statement she does not make lightly. During that time, she has also faced significant personal cha

DUP Bannside Councillor Tyler Hoey A proposal inspired by a Ballymena child who became overwhelmed before attending a community event is set to bring sensory support boxes into council buildings across Mid and East Antrim after receiving unanimous backing from local councillors. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council voted in favour of a motion brought forward by DUP Councillor Tyler Hoey during a meeting at The Braid on Monday, June 8, paving the way for officers to examine the

Children across the UK will be banned from using major social media platforms under landmark government plans designed to “give kids their childhood back”, in what ministers are describing as the most far-reaching package of online protections introduced anywhere in the world. The proposed measures would prevent under-16s from accessing platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X and YouTube, while also introducing sweeping restrictions on harmful online feat

Thousands of teenagers and young adults across Northern Ireland are set to be offered protection against a potentially life-threatening disease this summer, after the Health Minister announced a new vaccination programme targeting those considered most at risk of Meningococcal B (MenB). The one-off programme, expected to begin between mid and late July, follows multiple cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) identified in South East England earlier this year and aims t

8-year-old Jude and 10-year-old Ana from Belfast pictured at Danske Bank’s Donegall Square West branch. Children across Northern Ireland will now be able to open a bank account from the age of eight after Danske Bank lowered the minimum age for its Discovery Current Account in a move reflecting how younger children are increasingly learning to manage money before reaching secondary school. The bank has reduced the entry age for the account from 11 to eight and has also remove

Pictured staff from Kirkinriola Primary School, Ballymena: (L-R) Viola Stewart SEN classroom assistant, Emily McCaffrey Principal, Emma Laird SEN classroom assistant, Chloe Parr teacher, Gillian Todd classroom assistant, Emma Lee Adams SEN classroom assistant, Jodi Crawford teacher and Naomi Quaite SEN classroom assistant. A Ballymena school community is preparing to walk, scoot and rally together this week in support of a nine-year-old pupil facing the fight of her life aft

A young people’s group is to be given a key role in helping shape plans for a new skate park in Antrim. Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has approved proposals for a new “granite-style skate plaza” with floodlighting at the Peace Play Park beside Antrim Forum. Councillors backed the project during a meeting of the local authority’s Operations Committee last month. A report presented behind closed doors said the project would “adopt the design and engagement approach us