Shared Education

McClintock Primary School working closely with Roscavey P.S. Beragh and St. Colmcille’s, Carrickmore are now one of the most innovative effective Shared Education Partnerships in the area.  We are proud to take part in the Shared Education Programme.

Our formal relationship first started in 2015 and has flourished ever since.  An Education Inspectorate survey found our partnership to be ‘an exceptional link with a clear vision, an exemplar of good practice for continuing professional development and provided a wide range of excellent learning opportunities for pupils.’

Here are a few examples of the successful work that the three school have done in recent years.

Pupil Involvement – Pupils from the three schools have engaged in a plethora of face-to-face engagements. 

Foundation Stage pupils from the three schools regularly visit each other schools to use and enjoy each other’s outdoor learning areas and play with each other.

Key Stage 1 pupils have met up to take part in team work activities.  Each school has made up a Maths Trail with pupils coming from the partnership schools to work together on a range of age appropriate Numeracy tasks.

Key Stage 2 pupils have engaged in reconciliation programmes, IT coding initiatives, shared writing activities, poetry writing, sport opportunities, mindfulness personal development sessions and internet safety. Pupils have used ICT to work together on coding projects and video conferencing to discuss common issues

Our Shared Education Partnership put on a drama performance at the Strule Arts Theatre in Omagh.  Each child at McClintock had the opportunity to participate in a wonderfully professionally led production to two fully packed appreciative audiences.

Pupils regularly travel together to external venues for enhanced learning experiences outside the classroom such as the Speedwell centre, the Ulster American Folk Park.

Our Shared Education Partnership put on a drama performance at the Strule Arts Theatre in Omagh.  Each child at McClintock had the opportunity to participate in a wonderfully professionally led production to two fully packed appreciative audiences.

Pupils regularly travel together to external venues for enhanced learning experiences outside the classroom such as the Speedwell centre, the Ulster American Folk Park.

The Pupil Voice has been acknowledged through appointing a shared Eco and Pupil Councils.  These committees have visited Fermanagh and Omagh District Council Offices, and Stormont in the past.

All pupils have benefitted in the past from experiences in the Arts such as music and dance.

Staff Involvement – Principals from the three schools have worked very closely together to develop initiatives and utilise opportunities to enhance learning experiences for every pupil, introduce reconciliation themes and provide for the professional development of staff.

Curriculum co-ordinators from the three schools regularly meet to share good practice and make progress in joint projects.  In Literacy we have worked together in improving writing and introduce the Accelerated Reading scheme. The three schools introduced the PAThS pastoral care and conflict resolution programme which now forms an important part of the three schools Personal Development and Mutual Understanding focus.

We introduced “Trusted Colleague Networks” as a means of improving the quality of Shared Education experiences.  Teachers from the three schools have frequently used their expertise in sharing knowledge on Special Needs provision, Numeracy, Literacy, Eco-Schools, Technology and World Around Us.

Classroom teachers meet with their year group peers to discuss common issues and plan together.

Teachers from each of the schools have attended Teacher Professional Learning module training in a variety of areas such as IT, Literacy, Numeracy, Reconciliation and Foundation Stage Play.

Classroom assistants have received training to assist them in their playground duties and grow their knowledge in areas such as Reading Partnership initiative, PAThS programme and team building.

Funding from the Department of Education and other external agencies have afforded funding for staff training that would not otherwise have taken place.  Along with the improvement of pupil experiences this has been a huge positive in participating in the Shared Education programme.

We constantly share resources and permit our premises to be used by other Shared Ed schools, in order to enhance the learning and teaching in the partnership.

Parents – We have had joint internet safety training for parents at each of our schools. These have been delivered by the PSNI.

For our youngest pupils we have arranged in the past Literacy Carousel sessions where parents and their children rotated around activities to assist with reading, writing, talking and listening.

The Educational Psychology service in conjunction with the three schools organised a Dyslexia Information Evening for Parents which was well attended and found to be very beneficial by parents.

Parents are updated through school bulletins and their views are always welcomed.

Board of Governors –  The Governors of the three schools have met together. 

A Governor responsible for Shared Education has been appointed in each school.

Shared Education is a regular item for discussion at Board of Governor meetings.

Conclusion – In conclusion at all levels we are collaborating closely together, to synchronise our planning, funding, learning and teaching opportunities for the benefit of all our pupils and school communities.