The CREU Podcast

On Thursday 18th September 2025, Stranmillis University College launched a new research report 'Effective School Leadership in Disadvantaged Communities’.

Funded by the James Kane Foundation and the Mary Ann McCracken Foundation, the research examined 13 high-performing post-primary schools with over 50% Free School Meal entitlement. Through statistical analysis and in-depth interviews with principals, the project identifies the leadership characteristics, values and strategies that drive improvement, nurture pupil wellbeing and sustain success in challenging contexts.

This online research briefing shared the key findings and practical insights from the study, followed by a lively panel discussion about the key issues. Find out more about the report here: https://www.stran.ac.uk/effective-sch…

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Welcome/Opening Remarks:

Prof Jonathan Heggarty MBE (Principal and CEO of Stranmillis University College)

Angila Chada MBE (on behalf of the funders: James Kane Foundation and the Mary Ann McCracken Foundation)

Research Presentation:

Prof Noel Purdy OBE (Principal Investigator/Director of Research and Scholarship, Stranmillis University College)

Dr Karen Orr (Research Fellow, Stranmillis University College)

Dr Emilia Symington (Research Fellow, Stranmillis University College)

Panel Discussion chaired by Dr Karen Orr featuring:

Sir Robert and Lady Rosemary Salisbury (Educationalists and Former Headteachers)

Martin Moreland (Principal of Mercy College, Belfast)

Mary Montgomery OBE (Principal of Belfast Boys' Model School)

Kathleen O'Hare OBE (Former Principal of St Cecilia's College, Derry/Londonderry and Hazelwood Integrated College, Belfast)

Prof Noel Purdy OBE (Principal Investigator/Director of Research and Scholarship, Stranmillis University College)

In this episode, CREU research fellow Dr Karen Orr explores community-based approaches to tackling educational disadvantage in Belfast with Jackie Redpath (Chief Executive of the Greater Shankill Partnership), Claire Humphrey (Programme Lead for Improving Education Opportunity in Barnardo's Northern Ireland), and Angie Murphy (Education Manager, West Belfast partnership board).

In this episode, Director of CREU Dr Noel Purdy was joined by Nick Matheson MLA, member of the Alliance Party and current chair of the Northern Ireland Assembly's Education Committee.

As well as finding out more about Nick's own background and educational journey, we took the opportunity to discuss his perspective on the strengths of the education system in Northern Ireland, but also some of the big challenges; from the support for children with special educational needs, to the strikingly persistent gap in attainment between children from advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds, and, of course - always the hot potato -academic selection.

In this episode we explore the challenges of addressing underachievement in a multi-cultural inner-city primary school through the eyes of the leadership team of Fane Street Primary School.

Located in a working class area of inner city Belfast known as The Village, Fane Street Primary School is considered unique in Northern Ireland for the ways it has risen to the twin challenges of a local community emerging from conflict, to welcoming newcomer children and families from an extraordinary number of different linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Dr Sharon Jones sat down with Fane Street Principal Hilary Cunningham, Vice-Principal Gordon Nicholl, and Newcomer co-ordinator Sam Howarth to find out more about the history and development of the school, and how they work in partnership with pupils, their families and the local community to support learning and wellbeing.

For more information and updates on the work of CREU, go to:

Website: www.stran.ac.uk/research/creu

Twitter: twitter.com/strancreu

To find out more about Fane Street school, visit their website here: https://www.fanestreet.co.uk/

This episode was hosted by CREU Research Fellow Dr Karen Orr and Stranmillis lecturer and member of the CREU Management Committee, Dr Sharon Jones.

It was produced and edited by Graeme Watson.

In this episode, we were joined by Naomi McBurney and Tim Cairns of the Parental Engagement Group. In October the group published a discussion paper which has highlighted the financial, social and educational cost of school uniforms in Northern Ireland.

They claim that the significant financial outlay required to ensure that children’s attire conforms with the school uniform policy can not only pose serious financial challenges for parents on low and middle incomes, but has an impact on school choice, exclusion in the classroom, and children’s self-esteem and well-being.

Their preliminary research found that around a third of young people have experienced exclusion from a school activity for not wearing the correct school uniform, and that 75% have been disciplined in school for a uniform infringement.

Director of CREU, Dr Noel Purdy, sat down with Naomi and Tim to find more about their campaign to begin a public conversation about school uniforms, the evidence behind their claims, and what they hope to achieve.

For more information and updates on the work of CREU, go to:

Website: www.stran.ac.uk/research/creu

Twitter: https://twitter.com/strancreu

To find out more about the Parental Engagement Group, visit:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParentPEG

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParentEngagementGroup

Read the discussion paper on school uniforms here: https://www.haveyouseenthatgirl.com/peg/

This episode was hosted by Dr Karen Orr and Director of CREU, Dr Noel Purdy.

It was produced and edited by Graeme Watson.

An issue dominating conversations about education in Northern Ireland over the past few months has been transfer tests and access to grammar school places.

As the transfer tests were first postponed and then cancelled due to the pandemic, we have been left discussing the merits and pitfalls of contingencies and of the tests themselves, and what the consequences are for social and educational inequality. It has caused great controversy, partly because individual convictions about academic selection are deeply rooted, and partly because reliable data about the transfer process is so difficult to come by.

So what is the evidence?

For this episode, CREU director Dr Noel Purdy spoke to Dr Sam Sims from the Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities at the UCL Institute of Education in London, who published a research paper in 2019 entitled “Why do so few low and middle-income children attend a grammar school?”, to find out more.

For more information and updates on the work of CREU, visit our website at www.stran.ac.uk/creu

You can read more about today's guest, Dr Sam Sims, at his website samsims.education.

The CREU podcast is produced by Dr Jonathan Harris, and edited by Graeme Watson.

What's the (gender) difference?

In the past several decades, declining numbers of male primary teachers has accompanied the persistent educational underachievement of working class boys in Northern Ireland, leading some to suggest a causal link between the two. Surprisingly, however, there has so far been little research in this area.

In collaboration with the Controlled Schools Support Council (CSSC), the Centre for Research in Educational Underachievement (CREU) has now published the findings of a small-scale pilot study exploring the perceptions of male primary teachers, according to pupils, teachers, parents and principals.

To discuss the study, Dr Glenda Walsh is joined in this podcast by report authors Dr Jonathan Harris and Dr Noel Purdy from CREU, and Heather McKenzie from CSSC.

CSSC's chief executive Barry Mulholland also shares his thoughts on why this was an important study to be involved with.

Read more about the research and download the report here:

https://www.stran.ac.uk/whats-the-gender-difference-male.../