A significant new research report on ‘Experiences of Education Among Minority Ethnic Groups in Northern Ireland’ was launched at Queen’s University on 20 June 2023.
The two-year research project examined school experiences among minority ethnic and migrant families and was carried out by a team of experts from the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen’s, including Dr Rebecca Loader (Principal Investigator), Dr Erika Jiménez, Dr Aisling O’Boyle, and Professor Joanne Hughes.
The audience at the launch, which included MME Thinktank members Eileen Chan-Hu and Maurice Macartney, heard how the research focused on four main topics: school admissions and transfer; school life and peer relationships; curriculum issues including representation of diversity and English language learning; and home-school relationships.
Speaking about the importance of the research findings, lead author Dr Loader said: “The composition of Northern Ireland’s pupil intake has changed over the past 20 years with 6.1 per cent of pupils now from a minority ethnic background, and 5.5 per cent are newcomer pupils. Providing an equitable educational experience for minority ethnic and migrant children and their families is a legal and social obligation, but there has been little previous research examining to what extent policy and practice are serving their needs”.
The Loader report represents a significant contribution to closing that gap.
Download the Executive Summary below, and visit this site to download the full report.
Pictured above at the launch event are (L-R): Ivy Goddard, Project Director, Inter-Ethnic Forum, Mid and East Antrim; Tiwalade Olatunbosun, Volunteer at Belfast City of Sanctuary; Dr Rebecca Loader, Queen's University Belfast; Dr Erika Jiménez, Queen's University Belfast; Israel Eguaogie, Co-ordinator at Belfast City of Sanctuary; Dr Aisling O'Boyle, Queen's University Belfast; Professor Joanne Hughes, Queen's University Belfast; and Kate Nicholl MLA, Chair of the All Party Group on Ethnic Minority Communities.
Posted: 9 July 2023