All delegates who have registered for the BERA 2015 Annual Conference to be held on the 15th-17th September 2015, will have the opportunity to visit a local Belfast school. The schools site visit has been arranged as part of the ‘new and exciting’ innovation sessions happening at this year’s Conference. You will need to confirm your attendance at the site visits, as we need to arrange coaches to take delegates. Please confirm if you would like to attend the school site visits by Wednesday 26th August 2015 here.

School Site Visits
0484 – The role of education in divided and conflict-affect societies
Wednesday 16th September 2015, 4.22, Social Justice Innovation Session
As part of an innovation session at this year’s BERA conference, delegates are invited to participate in site visits to schools in Belfast. While the education system in Northern Ireland consists largely of religiously separate schools, attempts have been made to address the societal division associated with the two main communities in Northern Ireland through: establishing integrated schools, encouraging ‘shared education’ between the schools, and provision for the teaching of controversial issues associated with history and citizenship education. During the site visits delegates will meet with teachers and students to reflect on how different schools deal practically with societal division and promote social cohesion.
Prior to the visits, delegates will be provided with a briefing paper on the education system in Northern Ireland and with details on the particular school they will be visiting.
Following the site visits, delegates will be invited to the symposium, where they can share experiences from site visits and locate their observation within current research perspectives presented by symposium panel members on the role of education in divide societies.
We have limited places available at up to 12 schools for these site visits. Please indicate your preferred date and time. There will be coaches available to transport you to and from the schools from Queen’s University Belfast. Please confirm if you would like to attend the school site visits by Wednesday 26th August 2015 here.