Instruction for Mathematics and Science in Primary and Lower Secondary Grades
In primary education, students are taught by a general classroom teacher.
Grade at Which Specialist Teachers for Mathematics and Science are Introduced
From the start of secondary education (Year 8), each subject is taught by a subject specialist. Teachers of mathematics, science, and IT/computing typically hold a bachelor’s degree in the subject they teach. Science teachers may hold a degree in a single field of science (e.g., biology, physics, or chemistry). The match between the subject specialization of practicing teachers and the demands of the curriculum was one of the issues considered by a wide-ranging review of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, commissioned in 2007 by the Department for Employment and Learning and the Department of Education. The Report of the STEM Review was published in 2009, and highlighted that fewer teachers specialized in chemistry than in biology and fewer still specialized in physics. It also noted that 10 percent of teachers were teaching outside their subject specialization and this occurs particularly in nonselective schools.17
Instructional Materials, Equipment, and Laboratories
There are no centrally published, approved, or assigned textbooks or resources that schools are required to follow. Teachers work with a variety of textbooks and educational materials from various publishers. The CCEA provides curriculum resources and guidance to support teaching and learning, which teachers may follow if they wish.18
Specialized science facilities, such as dedicated laboratories, are not found in primary schools. All post-primary (secondary) schools are equipped with such facilities.
Use of Technology
Calculator use is specified in the Northern Ireland curriculum in Key Stages 2 and 3. Increasing prominence has been given to the use of computer technology in the classroom in recent years, and using ICT is embedded in the Northern Ireland Curriculum as an essential cross-curricular skill alongside communication and using mathematics.19,20 All grant-aided schools are provided with computer hardware, management information systems, and network services through C2K, a project sponsored by the Education Authority on behalf of the Department of Education.21 The Department of Education invests in and regularly celebrates the use of ICT in schools; for example, the Digital Schools of Distinction initiative was launched22 in November 201523 to recognize and encourage best practice in the use of technology in primary schools.
Accommodation Policies for Instruction and Testing
With regard to accommodation policies for instruction, the Northern Ireland Curriculum aims to help all students reach their potential, and a range of curriculum resources is available to support teachers in meeting the diverse needs of students with special education needs.24
With regard to accommodation policies for testing, students with statements of special education needs who have been assessed as having severe learning difficulties or profound and multiple learning difficulties are exempted from statutory assessment. Other students with special education needs are assessed in the same way as the majority of students. At the end of Key Stages 1, 2, and 3, assessment takes the form of summative teacher assessment supported by externally provided assessment tasks. Schools may give additional support and make flexible arrangements for students taking these tasks to ensure they have access to the task requirements, as long as these do not affect the essential nature and level of the work being assessed and do not provide an unfair advantage.25