Joined Up: Developing Good Relations in the School Community was produced by the Corrymeela Community and NICIE in 2005.
This resource was developed to support educators, enabling them to feel more confident in exploring controversial issues and fostering good relations within their school communities. It provides teachers, teacher educators, and school leaders with guidance on developing active learning approaches to navigate difficult conversations, whether these involve identity, division or diversity.
Joined Up is a process–led resource. While it includes key activities that can be implemented in the classroom, its primary focus is on building the skills and confidence of educators. It empowers them to respond to specific classroom needs and to address ethos development across the whole school.
This resource specifically explores:
- Understanding the Context: Teaching and learning in a contested society
- Creating an Inclusive Learning Community: A whole–school approach
- Building a Positive Learning Environment: Using group work and facilitation
- Exploring Controversial Issues
- Developing Programmes for Children, Young People, and Adults
- Developing a Model for Self–Evaluation
- Beyond Programmes: Learning for life
Corrymeela and NICIE are currently working together to develop a follow-up resource, connecting the process-led approaches of ‘Joined Up’ with the current educational, societal and global context. Watch this space for further updates and staff development opportunities!
Faith and Belief in School, Guidance for RE, assembly and religious practice in Integrated primary schools
In 2025, The Integrated Education Fund (IEF), the Council for Integrated Education and the Association of Principal Teachers in Integrated Schools (APTIS) launched ‘Faith and Belief in School, Guidance for RE, assembly and religious practice in Integrated primary schools’. You can access this here.
This guidance is the result of a research project commissioned by IEF, NICIE and APTIS and completed by Dave Thompson in 2024, which engages with the challenges facing Integrated schools in relation to faith and belief practices in our changing cultural context. The project has been generously jointly funded by the IEF and NICIE, with thanks to the Northern Ireland Office and a private donor.
The guidance covers a range of relevant topics, including:
- Faith and Belief in Integrated primary schools
- Developing Religious Education
- Guidance for assemblies and religious practice in schools
- Communication with parents