Shared Learning Through Science

Lumen Christi College - school site
Foyle and Londonderry College - school site
Fountain PS, Long Tower PS
Nazareth House PS
Lisnagelvin PS

The Shared Learning through Science partnerships involves 2 strands; the provision of weekly KS2 Science classes for 4 local Primary Schools and 2 additional GCSE subjects for pupils from Lumen Christi and Foyle and Londonderry College. In total over 300 pupils have gained access to key curricular subjects that have been provided by this partnership over the last three years.

GCSE Engineering and Astronomy - Lumen Christi College and Foyle and Londonderry College have extended pupil choice at KS4 by working collaboratively to provide the above classes on a shared basis. Pupils attend GCSE Engineering classes twice a week at the local Further Education College, thus completing the course in one year. GCSE Astronomy is held on a weekly basis in Lumen Christi College, both courses have proved popular with pupils enhance the educational benefits for participants from both schools.

KS2 Science Classes - Pupils from Long Tower and Fountain Primary Schools and Londonderry Model and Nazareth House Primary Schools are paired together for weekly KS2 Science classes at Lumen Christi College. Classes are hosted by science teachers from Lumen Christi, providing the pupils with the added benefits of specialist science provision. In addition to benefitting the pupils, the teachers from the primary schools also get the opportunity to gain new skills in the delivery of KS2 Science. The face to face classes are supplemented by fortnightly video-conferencing sessions between partner primary schools.

Primary Science Strand - Initially this strand consisted of two primary schools however this was doubled in the second year of the programme. Primary schools are paired on a cross-sectoral basis and pupils attend weekly science classes in Lumen Christi College, enabling primary school pupils to avail of the high class facilities in Lumen Christi. The classes are hosted by Science teachers from Lumen Christi, which is a Specialist School for Science there is also capacity for teacher training for the primary school staff, in addition to the science classes Lumen Christi staff are also developing online teaching material for STEM subjects for use in primary schools.

GCSE Engineering and Astronomy - Pupils from both post-primary school expressed interest in these subjects, but numbers were not sufficient to justify providing the subjects in either of the schools – having identified this issue the schools collaborated through SEP in order to provide a single shared class in each of the subjects, providing enhanced choice for pupils of both schools.