GALLERY: Donegal schools make a good CASE for collaboration

This school year, three Donegal schools continued their Peace IV collaborative learning journey.

Scoil Mhuire, Gleneely; Donagh NS, Carndonagh; and St Columb’s, Moville, participated in the Peace IV initiative: Collaboration through Sharing in Education (CASE).

CASE is for primary and post-primary schools in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties of Ireland. Its focus is on schools with no or limited previous experience of providing shared education opportunities to their children and young people.

CASE aims to build a culture of good relations among school children and to equip them with the skills and attitudes needed to contribute to a society where the cycle of sectarianism and intolerance is broken and a culture of collaboration and co-operation is the norm.

The theme for the school year 2019/20 was positive mental and physical well-being. 

Pupils from all three Inishowen schools had a very fulfilling experience, getting to know their friends in neighbouring schools, and learning how to take care of their health. They engaged in team building sports, lessons around anti-racism, friendship, internet safety and nutrition.

Pupils also enjoyed yoga and mindfulness sessions as part of their shared education. Teachers worked collaboratively to ensure enjoyable activities that promoted pupil participation and engagement with their peers.

Members of the local community were also invited to host learning activities for the children, thus promoting strong links with the local community. During the Covid 19 closure, pupils continued their learning through a variety of active challenges, prepared in partnership by the staff from the different schools, and posted on each school’s website. 

Léargas and The Education Authority in Northern Ireland andwork in partnership to implement the Peace IV Collaboration through Sharing in Education (CASE) programme.