Stormont’s education minister visited NI’s first Irish-medium school where he was serenaded by the choir before being taken on a tour of the west Belfast facility.
Paul Givan was greeted by Bunscoil Phobal Feirste principal, Séamus Ó Tuama, pupils from the school council and Sinn Fein MLA Órlaithí Flynn shortly after the shool bell rang on Wednesday.
“The minister viewed a wonderful performance by the school choir, toured the school and discussed a number of issues including sports facilities, enrolments and increasing number of pupils presenting with Special Educational Needs,” his department posted on X.
Photographs show Mr Givan engaging with pupils around the classroom table and a digitised whiteboard where his name is scrolled on the screen.
It follows confirmation that one school has signed up to take part in a pilot project aimed at limiting the use of mobile in class when it launches in September with another eight to subscribe in the next academic year – around 8,000 pupils will be involved.
Mr Givan was also at St Ronan’s College in Lurgan which will be the first school to take part.
Glenlola Collegiate in Bangor, Friends’ School Lisburn, Hazelwood Integrated College and St Genevieve’s High School in Belfast, St Joseph’s Boys’ in Londonderry, St Fanchea’s College in Enniskillen, Larne High School and Markethill High School will join later.
The minister said the decision to proceed with the pilot came after examining the evidence and listening to the concerns of parents and teachers.
A book written by Lisburn author Sam McBratney has been named as one of the first new parents reach for when introducing their children to reading.
Ahead of tomorrow’s World Book Day, a new survey from high street retailer The Works reveals that Guess How Much I Love You remains a go-to book for parents across the UK.
Published in 1994 and featuring the Nutbrown Hares and the oft-quoted line “I love you right up to the moon and back”, the book has sold more than 56m copies worldwide.
The legacy has spawned a trail through the author’s home city of Lisburn, with Friends’ School Lisburn constructing a new ‘Guess How Much I Love You’ Garden to encourage a love of nature and literature to celebrate the school’s 250th anniversary this year.
Sam’s wife Maralyn said her late husband, who died in 2020, would have been humbled by the enduring love for his work.
“It’s remarkable the way the numbers have added up over the years,” she said.
“Sam loved knowing his words meant so much to so many people.
“He had been writing since 1976 and when Guess How Much I Love You came out ,we thought it would be another that might sell a few, then he’d move on to something else.
“But the first year it sold a million, another million the year after, and it hasn’t stopped.”
A former teacher at Harmony Hill Primary School in Lisburn, Maralyn will be back at the school this week to read to another generation for World Book Day.
“We’re up to around 56 million copies sold now and it’s difficult to believe,” she said.
“It’s been a best-seller in Germany; there’s an industry around it in the US; and I got another delivery of merchandise this week to look at.
“The Brazilian government ordered a million copies when they were starting a new literacy programme. And it was the number one seller in China after the government relaxed their one-child policy and international books started to be brought into the country.
“I’m just thrilled that Sam’s work lives on. We did get to a stage where we believed it would outlive us — and, sadly for Sam, that has been the case. But he would love to know his words still have such a part to play in so many young lives.”
Sam’s book ranked fourth in the survey by The Works; old and new classics remain most popular.
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson ranked the number one choice for new parents to read to their children, while The Very Hungry Caterpillar and the That’s Not My series complete the top three.
Helped by highly popular TV programmes, Peppa Pig and the Spot the Dog series are all still much loved, with classic characters Peter Rabbit and Winnie-the-Pooh also making the top ten. And, though for older children, many young readers get their first taste of the written word when parents pick up the Harry Potter series.
The survey also showed that 44% of parents read to their children from birth, with a further 27% of parents doing so from under the age of two. But it warned that parents who were late to reading to their children could be stunting their little ones’ progression.
Libraries NI chief executive Dr Jim O’Hagan said parents who don’t read to their children are missing out on providing them with “opportunities”.
“Reading is one of the most valuable skills a child can develop, opening doors to learning, imagination and lifelong opportunities,” he said.
“A love of reading starts early, and libraries play a key role in that journey.
“We are proud to be part of so many families’ regular routines, making reading a natural and enjoyable part of childhood, and World Book Day is an opportunity to celebrate the value books bring.
“Library membership is free. Children under 16 just need a parental signature and babies can join the day they are born.”
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“Many are concerned about the amount of time our young people spend on smartphones and there is overwhelming evidence of a negative relationship between smartphone use and adolescent mental health,” Mr Givan said.
“And many schools have a mobile phone policy which involves some type of restriction, but there are often challenges in fully enforcing these policies which means phone access is still easily available in toilets, in social spaces or corridors or at breaks. This can lead to safeguarding and other issues when inappropriately taken photographs or videos are used to bully, harass and invade the privacy rights of others.”
There has been criticism of the pilot project, which will cost around £250,000 and see magnetic pouches provided for pupils to place phones in during the school day
The Minister added: “Currently there are different policies across schools, however, in many cases there are challenges in implementing these policies. For the pilot scheme we wanted all of the participating schools to be implementing a consistent approach. The decision to fund the pilot will help to support schools and to reduce the additional workload involved with trying to develop new or enforcing existing policies. The pilot will also allow us to better evaluate the impacts of reduced phone usage.
“There has been considerable media coverage of the University of Birmingham’s recent research findings from a small study of 1,227 students. While the report concluded that the removal of mobile phones in schools is not enough in isolation to tackle the negative impacts of mobile phone usage, it also recommended that there is a need for new policies and approaches that address in-school and outside of school use.”
The Department invited expressions of interest for the pilot from schools and over 50 were received.
From these expressions of interest, nine post-primary schools representing a range of school types and geographical locations have been selected. The pilot will prevent pupils from using their phones during the school day. Pupils will have a pocket-sized fabric pouch with a magnetic latch that is sealed at the beginning of the school day and opened using a special unlocking base.
“Each of the schools have been very enthusiastic about taking part but I know that it means change for the pupils and change isn’t always easy,” the Minister continued.
“Sometimes people raise concerns about young people who need access to their smartphone during the school day, for reasons of health, disability, or other needs. I want to provide reassurance to parents that flexibility will be provided for these students.”
Welcoming the announcement, Mrs Fiona Kane, Principal of St Ronan’s College admitted the initiative marks “a significant change for students”.
“But we are confident that, with the support of parents and staff it will have a profoundly positive impact on academic engagement, achievement, social interactions, and overall student health and well-being. We look forward to working with the Department of Education to evaluate the benefits this approach can bring to our school community,” she added.
Rosalind McClean, Smartphone Free Childhood Regional Co-Leader for Northern Ireland added: “We welcome any steps secondary schools take in introducing measures to become fully smartphone free from bell-to-bell. With approximately one in four secondary schools registering an expression of interest in this pilot, we can see schools are welcoming help in this area.”