Ronan Mullan

Shared Education: Leading a Post Primary Partnership


Our Lady of Lourdes High School, Dalriada School and Ballymoney High School

Our Lady of Lourdes High School, Dalriada School and Ballymoney High School are located within the town of Ballymoney. They have a long history of working together and have formed Ballymoney Learning Community in line with the Northern Ireland Entitlement Framework providing pupils with the opportunity to study additional GCSE subjects together. Since joining the Shared Education Signature Project in 2015, the post-primary partnership has developed and led a variety of Shared Education projects and initiatives, such as Sport, PDMU, Numeracy, STEM and Art. Many of which have become permanent fixtures amongst the three schools.

Staff, pupils and the local community have benefitted from a range of teaching and learning experiences through this collaboration as well as forming strong links with local businesses, funding streams, councils and University of Ulster.

Ronan is currently Numeracy Coordinator in Our Lady of Lourdes as well as being one of three Shared Education Coordinators, working alongside Stuart McMullan in Ballymoney High and Andrew Surgenor in Dalriada School. Ronan is an experienced practitioner who has had the opportunity to engage in Joint Practice Development (JPD) Programmes. Ronan has helped grow the partnership throughout SESP and is jointly responsible for the planning, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of Shared Education as well as overseeing its progression year on year.


Key learning When considering ways to develop your Shared Education Partnership

  1. Working collaboratively with colleagues across partnership schools to share practice and observe learning is fundamental to SESP

  2. Recognise the opportunities for subject areas / departments to be enhanced through Shared Education

  3. Sourcing external funding will help grow the partnership beyond the initial Action Plan and allow for extended student engagement opportunities

  4. The reuse of local bus companies and suppliers will help alleviate additional stresses during the planning and payment phase

  5. Involve the student voice and feedback when shaping Shared Education Programmes to ensure friendships, enjoyment and engagement is happening

Questions to consider when developing a Shared Education Partnership

  1. Is student voice informing the planning and evaluation of Shared Education within your partnership?

  2. Has there been an opportunity to collaborate across Departments to improve outcomes and experiences for students?

  3. Does your partnership provide staff with opportunities to share practice, expertise, resources and explore new learning together?

  4. Have you accessed external funding to support your partnership in sharing? Have you spoken with your local council to see how they can help?

Further resources

  1. A Pupil Pathway: A Resource for Teachers to Support Shared Education

  2. Developing Shared Education: A Framework for School Partnerships

  3. Joint Practice Development: A Menu for Schools, Partnerships & Clusters