Specialist Schools – An outline...

The following information is taken from the Department of Education document ‘Specialist Schools Concept in the Northern Ireland Context’. It outlines the objectives of the Specialist school programme and the anticipated outcomes for schools. The full document is available from the Department of Education’s website

What is going on this year so far.........?

Objectives of the Northern Ireland Specialist School Model

It is primarily the process of self-evaluation and application of aspects of
an existing curricular strength, as a whole school development process,
that leads to the benefits of Specialism, rather than simply designation
as specialist. Specialist schools will identify and build on their particular
curricular strengths and, by sharing good practice, secure whole school
development and contribute to the development of good leadership in
schools. Requiring schools to take forward a community dimension, ie
with other schools, FE Colleges, businesses and the wider community,
will help them move from the current environment characterised by
competition to one of co-operation and collaboration. This will be
increasingly important as schools prepare to deliver access to the
Entitlement Framework for all pupils.

The core objectives of the Specialist School Concept in Northern Ireland
are:-
◆ To provide opportunities for pupils to benefit from wider learning
experiences and to ensure maximum impact of the available
expertise and resources, by promoting co-operation and
collaboration among schools and between schools and FE Colleges.
◆ To provide parents with greater choice among a range of schools,
which have differing areas of focus.
◆ To raise standards and realise performance improvement for all
young people.

Choice of Specialism
It is important that the range of specialisms, including vocational areas,
will enable schools to be innovative to develop strengths that are
relevant to Northern Ireland needs as well as the needs of the pupils in
the area served by the school.

LAUNCHING SPECIALIST SCHOOL STATUS – WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM NASA!

Wednesday 10th September – we were delighted to welcome NASA astronauts, on tour in Northern Ireland, to the school, to help us launch our Science Specialist status. All of our Year 9 and 10 pupils, along with Senior school Physicists had the opportunity to attend a presentation by astronauts, Dr Karen Nyberg and Mission Commander Mark Kelly, and take part by asking questions to our visitors about their recent experiences on board the Space Shuttle STS-124 mission to the International Space Station.
We also hosted pupils from some of our partner schools, Acorn Integrated Primary, Oakfield Primary, Whitehead Primary, Woodlawn Primary and St Nicholas Primary along with Year 10 students from Carrickfergus College and Downshire Community School. In addition, pupils from St Mary’s Magherafelt (a fellow Science Specialist school) and 2 of their partner primary schools, travelled to Carrickfergus to attend the presentation.
Pupils’ questions ranged from ‘What does the world look like from space?’ to ‘How did you cope when the toilets broke?’ (a reference to the much publicised break down of vital facilities on the Space Station)
The whole event was broadcast live over the internet and was the perfect way to launch our new status as a Science Specialist school.
The following article from The Belfast Telegraph details a little more about the visit of NASA astronauts to Northern Ireland…

NASA astronauts touchdown to visit Northern Ireland schoolchildren
By Kathryn Torney
Wednesday, 10 September 2008

NASA astronauts are in Northern Ireland today to talk to schoolchildren about their experiences of space travel.
The NASA shuttle crew, led by Mission Commander Mark Kelly, who is of Irish descent) completed their mission to the International Space Station in June 2008. The crew are now touring the whole of the UK as part of an educational programme organised by the International Space School Education Trust.
The Northern Ireland Science Park (NISP) hosted a welcome reception for the crew of NASA space shuttle STS-124 last night.
The special VIP event marked the first public unveiling for NISP’s newly refurbished Pump-House venue which includes an all-new interactive exhibition display on Belfast’s world-renowned industrial and maritime heritage.
Part funding from NISP has helped secure the Northern Ireland leg of the programme and has ensured that schoolchildren here benefit from the unique educational experience.

The NASA astronauts were also guests of Carrick Grammar in Carrickfergus where they were due to help launch the school as an official specialist science school.
Primary schools in the area and other post-primary schools also attended the event.
Astronaut Karen Nyberg talked to students about her trip into space. The pupils also had the chance to talk to her about space and space travel.
Carrick Grammar was awarded specialist status in June by the Department of Education. There are currently 34 specialist schools across Northern Ireland.

Last night at the Northern Ireland Science Park the crew conducted a DVD presentation on their mission from June and this was followed by a short question and answer session. Pupils from Coleraine Inst, Antrim Primary and St Anne’s Primary in Ballymena – which recently won prestigious UK science awards — also displayed their innovative ideas at the Pump House. NISP Chief Executive Norman Apsley said: “I am very pleased to be able to welcome the shuttle crew for this public unveiling of our newly refurbished facility, which will provide exciting new space for tourism, education and businesses alike. We hope to see even greater numbers of educational visits from local schools as a result of this visit.” Mission Commander Mark Kelly, a veteran of three space missions, said: “The crew are extremely pleased of the opportunity to visit Northern Ireland and to visit an area so intimately involved with the story of scientific innovation and maritime history. “We hope our experiences and the story of space flight will help inspire school children and increase the popularity of science-related subjects.”