SJC Consultancy and The National Children’s Bureau and have been commissioned by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) to undertake an impact evaluation of Shared Education and celebrate its successes through a series of case studies and a week of social media activity.
Shared Education has been delivered by two projects:
- Sharing from the Start (SFTS) - delivered in partnership across early years settings by Early Years – the organisation for young children; the National Childhood Network (NCN); and The Fermanagh Trust.
- Collaboration and Sharing in Education (CASE) - delivered in partnership by The Education Authority and Léargas, involving primary and post-primary schools.
Watch the SEUPB CEO, Gina McIntyre, launch the final impact report below.
The impact of Shared Education
The objective of Shared Education, part of the EU PEACE IV Programme, is to create a culture of good relations amongst school children in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties of Ireland. It equips children with the skills and attitudes needed to help build a more cohesive, peaceful and prosperous society.
Key findings: The evaluation found positive impact across a range of outcomes:
- 83% of teachers agree that PEACE IV Shared Education has improved integration & engagement with peers from a different community background.
- 73% of teachers reported Shared Education has led to children making friends in the shared classroom
- 94% of teachers said that Shared Education has led to improved educational outcomes by giving access to a wider educational curriculum experience.
- 93% of teachers agree Shared Education enhanced their ability & confidence to lead Shared Education Initiatives, while 97% felt it enhanced teaching & learning at their school.
Read the Shared Education Impact Evaluation Executive Summary
“The benefits for the children have been immense. They have become confident, tolerant, and thoughtful learners.”
Shared Education, delivered across Northern Ireland and the Border Counties of Ireland, has benefited:
- 115,261 children with reported improvements in communication skills and stronger links to other communities
- 494 schools (106 pre-schools and 388 primary/national and post-primary schools)
- 2,360 teachers who now have the capacity to facilitate Shared Education
Shared Education in practice
“Children have learnt about each other’s cultures and traditions in a holistic way without any preconceptions at this early age. We feel that this input will have lasting benefit on children to see everyone as one and focus on integration rather than a segregated community for their future ahead.”
The compilation video below highlights just some of the exciting and educational shared activities that partnerships have taken part in during the programme.
Summary videos
Read a summary of case studies from Shared Education
Research outputs and case study reports from Shared Education
All research outputs, including reports and video compilations, can be viewed below.