Year 2 Action Planning - OPEN!

Adobe for Education - Pupil Showcase

Over the last term of the 2025 academic year, teachers from 11 ASPIRE partnerships were upskilled in the use of Adobe for Education.  Facilitation took place over one full day and numerous after school pop in sessions, whereby staff learned new skills, tips and tricks that were passed onto their pupils during shared lessons.  The pupils created many wonderful digital pieces including shared ASPIRE partnership logos, AI generated characters and scenery as well as learning how best input specific and detailed descriptive langauge to ensure their AI creations came to life as they expected.  Have a look at some of the fabulous pieces of digital art that were created.

Nettlefield PS & St Matthew's: adobe.ly/aspireeastbelfast

St Anthony's PS & Millington: adobe.ly/aspirecraigavon

Groggan PS, Millquarter PS, Dunclug PS and St Brigid's PS: adobe.ly/aspirenorth

Microsoft 0365 - Pupil Showcase

Holy Cross Girls PS and Wheatfield PS have been improving their digital skills by using Microsoft 0365.  Their teachers had training sessions lead by the EA Edis Team which enabled them to better equip their pupils on all things Microsoft.  The teacher and pupil facilitation ended with a showcase day held in Holy Cross Girls PS, where the pupils presented their learning to their peers.  We can not wait to see what they create digitally next year together!

Dream Space - Pupil Showcase

Dream Space at W5 Life, in Belfast, held several showcase events with ASPIRE Shared Education school partnerships in June 2025 for children and young people.

Previously, teachers from the partnership schools had taken part in professional training workshops, where facilitators delivered a session on how to use Minecraft Education and utilise its tools in classroom settings. The teachers took this knowledge to go back to their partnership classrooms and work with their pupils to design a new community centre.

Pupils then showcased their learning of Minecraft Education software tools at the event by providing a guided tour of the community venue they created to a pupil from their partner school. 

Children and young people from both partnership schools also worked together to programme robots to navigate obstacle courses and challenges using coloured coding cards.

2025/26 ASPIRE Applications now OPEN

ASPIRE Project goals

The overall objective of the project will be to increase the number of children, educators and leaders engaged in sustained partnerships with those from different backgrounds. This will lead to both changes within educational settings and the wider community, building a more peaceful, prosperous and cohesive society.  

Eligibility

PEACEPLUS ASPIRE Strand 1 - Schools eligible to apply include those that have not yet accessed any of the funded Shared Education Projects, and schools or partnerships that have previously participated in the CASE Peace IV and Sharing from the Start Projects.  Please note: Schools that have been engaged in Mainstreamed Shared Education and are receiving funding to support pupil-to-pupil engagement are not eligible to apply

Applications close at midday on Friday 13th June 2025

To apply, please click on the link  - https://www.easds.org.uk/ 

For more information on the project and eligibility criteria please contact: ASPIRE@eani.org.uk

For more information on PEACEPLUS and Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) go to: www.seupb.eu

Educators gather for ASPIRE Peace and Reconciliation Workshops

Over the month of May, there have been 7 regional workshops (Lough Neagh, Newry, Antrim, Letterkenny, Omagh, Belfast and Sligo) delivered to ASPIRE partnerships on the theme of Peace and Reconciliation.  The days began with a hands-on session designed to equip educators with practical strategies for teaching sensitive and controversial issues in the classroom. The workshops emphasised the importance of fostering peace and reconciliation through education, a cornerstone of the ASPIRE programme’s mission.

In the afternoon, participants were guided through the application process for the upcoming academic year. ASPIRE aims to expand its reach beyond the 24,096 pupils currently engaged in Shared Education initiatives.

These events reflect a growing commitment to cross-community collaboration and professional development in education.

Digital Education Professional Learning Sessions 

45 Primary and Post Primary partnerships attended the ASPIRE project’s Professional Learning Launch on Monday 3rd March 2025, at W5 building in Belfast, focused on the theme of Digital Communication. 

Over April and May, facilitators from the event, provided workshops for teachers on the different software packages, including Adobe, Minecraft Education and Just2Easy toolkit. 

All educators took this learning back into their partnership classrooms and delivered a mini-series of lessons with pupils, which will culminate in showcase events in June 2025. 

ASPIRE Launch

Click here to view ASPIRE Launch Video on Vimeo 

The ASPIRE PEACEPLUS project, which will build positive connections between children and young people from different socio-economic, cultural, and political backgrounds, was launched at Monaghan Peace Campus, in County Monaghan on 8th April 2025.                                                                         

ASPIRE (Advancing Shared Partnerships through Inclusive Relationships in Education) is led by the Education Authority (EA), alongside Léargas, Early Years- the organisation for young children, National Childhood Network and the Fermanagh Trust. The project is supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).  Through collaboration between and within pre-schools and schools ASPIRE will promote good relations and empower children and young people to contribute to a more cohesive, peaceful and prosperous society. 

The project, which will receive €34.5m (£29m) in PEACEPLUS funding from the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), aims to engage with up to 110,000 pupils and 1,761 educators in long term cross-sectoral and cross-border partnerships over the next four years. Project partners will also work with stakeholders to harness digital technology to develop and deliver innovative and creative programmes and resources for pupils, educators, and wider communities.

Minister for Education, Helen McEntee said:

“The ASPIRE Project, in supporting inclusion and collaboration, exemplifies the values of partnerships, which are essential in creating environments in which children, young people and educators from all backgrounds can be empowered and can succeed.  Building strong, supportive partnerships is at the heart of fostering an inclusive education system that serves all backgrounds. It also holds immense potential to strengthen our educational framework and help to build meaningful connections across the island. 

"It is fantastic to see that up to 110,000 students will engage with ASPIRE in the coming years, and I look forward to seeing the positive impact the project has on the educational landscape for all."

Education Minister for Northern Ireland, Paul Givan, said:

“The ASPIRE cross border, cross community programme will support more pre-school settings and schools than ever before to provide high quality, shared learning experiences for significant numbers of children and young people.

“I am confident that through the wide range of exciting and innovative opportunities from ASPIRE, the project will contribute to real and long-lasting change, harnessing the power of co-operation for years to come.” 

Special EU Programmes Body (SEPUB) Chief Executive, Gina McIntyre, said: 

“Bringing children and young people from different communities and different backgrounds together at the earliest opportunity is vital 

to breaking down divisions and segregation, and provides an opportunity to create an integrated, equal and shared society. I would like to congratulate the Education Authority and all the partners involved in this transformational project, ASPIRE. 

“The support from the PEACEPLUS programme for the Shared Learning Together Education Programme is designed to increase the level of virtual contact between young people from diverse communities – including those experiencing socio-economic deprivation and this programme will support tens of thousands of children and young people to see that differences between each of us is not a cause for division but celebration and an opportunity for learning and growth. 

“I look forward to closely following the delivery of what is a diverse and ambitious programme that will have a lasting impact on this and future generations of young people.”

ASPIRE Project Manager, Antoin Moran, said: 

"The ASPIRE Project represents a significant step forward in promoting good relations and facilitating opportunities for children and young people, educators and communities from diverse backgrounds to come together to develop positive partnerships and move towards building a more peaceful and prosperous future.”

A series of symposiums and festivals of learning will be facilitated during the four-year programme. This will enable a range of educational partners to share learning and explore new approaches to embedding collaboration across the programme area. These events will build relationships and networks between all educational stakeholders with an aim to forging long lasting relationships beyond the lifespan of the project.

Digital Launch

W5, Belfast