School Partnership Programme

Northern Ireland’s Colleges work with hundreds of schools as part of the School Partnership Programme. The programme has over thousands of pupils across Northern Ireland.

The Colleges work in partnership local schools through the local Area Learning Communities.

As part of the School Partnership Programme, pupils from local schools attend their local College to study a range of vocational and academic programmes from Countryside and Environment, Childcare, Computing, Engineering, Media, Retail, Performing Arts and Travel and Tourism. These programmes range from Occupational Studies, BTEC and A Levels.

Area Learning Communities (ALC's) allows schools to look at and begin to plan, individually and collectively, for delivery on an area basis. ALC's provide a real opportunity to develop the Entitlement Framework and a shared responsibility for its delivery for all of the young people in an area.

The Curriculum Entitlement Framework will guarantee all pupils greater choice and flexibility by providing them with access to a wide range of learning opportunities suited to their needs, aptitudes and interests, irrespective of where they live or the school they attend. Schools will have to offer pupils access to a minimum of 24 courses at Key Stage 4 and 27 at post-16, and at least one third of these courses should be general and at least one third applied.

A growing number of schools are now engaged with their local College in innovative and creative approaches to collaborative working. There are currently Area Learning Communities (ALC's) established across the Northern Ireland within which schools and Colleges are working to increase the range of courses for pupils in the local area.