Shared Education
St. Patrick’s College are in partnership with Banbridge High School as part of their shared education programme. We have an established history over the last 10 years of working together on curricular provision. We have been on similar journeys over the last number of years in our pursuit of excellence to ensure our schools are learner centred, providing the highest quality of teaching and learning.
Our shared programme has expanded to subject specific projects with the support of many external agencies. We have continued to develop a range of external links in supporting, informing and guiding the course of activities. These have included providers and facilitators covering the areas of vocational enhancement programmes. These providers have been used to build capacity within each school in enhancing existing provision.
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Shared literacy and numeracy classes
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Art project – Joint workshops and St Georges Market
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Music – collaboration on composition
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History – The Normans, the Ulster American Folk Park & Carrickfergus Castle
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Shared Sport Academies: UUJ
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Languages - Promote Inclusion and Cultural Diversity (NICILT)
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Geography – (The Boulevard)
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Religion – Mosque and Synagogue
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LLW – Youth Service and Clanmil Housing
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Year 8; mindfulness, compassion and resilience course
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CEIAG – Joint Year 13 Interview Skills Evening (Local Businesses)
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Parent Workshops – (REIM Internet Solutions)
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Careers Fair
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Years 13 & 14 Study Skills
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Love for Life Workshop (Years 12 & 14)
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Danske Bank Finance workshop
At Post 16 both schools have engaged in shared workshops on student health and well-being and well as social engagement outside the learning environment including University Open Days and Team Building Activities.
We operate a synchronised timetable pattern across the schools. This has been designed to support us in moving forward for further shared curricular provision and to facilitate weekly classroom contact between the two schools, in each school and at other venues.
Staff involved are also skilled pastoral practitioners who are able to develop and build students self confidence in talking about and sharing with each other a range of sensitive and controversial issues. This allows both our schools to assess possible barriers of ethos that may exist which can be addressed in helping both sets of students to access curricular provision with each school.
Students are encouraged through their student voice (school councils in both schools and student focus groups) to articulate to stakeholders about their Shared Education experiences.
Our shared education programme is all inclusive and continues to provide opportunities for pupils to develop firm friendships with pupils from other schools, backgrounds, ethnicity, etc. The programme also equips our pupils with the necessary skills to enable them to become effective and active participants in society.
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