Page 8 - Mark Bain News Today

Having served the north Belfast community since its foundation by a Presbyterian minister in 1785, Belfast Royal Academy has never been more reflective of the diverse community of our capital.

Religious influence on education dates back long before the formation of Northern Ireland over a century ago.

The landscape of education is set up for division and needs an overhaul if it’s ever to fit in with the society the Good Friday Agreement was trying to achieve.

The eight chief executives of the key educational bodies in Northern Ireland have sent a strong message to government that the financial situation of schools must improve urgently after painting a bleak picture of what the sector is facing.

Our tables detail which schools are operating under the required number of pupils deemed ‘sustainable’ — therefore the minimum number considered viable for schools.

More than 60 schools across Northern Ireland have too few pupils for them to be considered sustainable by education officials.

By 2027 the Education Authority will have completed its five-year strategic planning review of the sector’s landscape in Northern Ireland.

A counselling and therapeutic service for primary schools is “unlikely to continue” after the end of this month, the Department of Education has said as it awaits news of what it expects to be “an extremely challenging budget”.

Match of the Day on Saturday night was watched by 2.58m TV viewers on BBC One. That’s up nearly half a million on last Saturday’s figure of 2.09m.

A key conference at Queen’s University later this month will focus on challenging sexism in schools – but organisers need more men to get involved.