Scope Articles

Education relies on pupils’ mental health

11 Aug 2020

Local children will soon be back at school. Catching up on education is vital – but so is pupils’ mental health. Scope looks at a new report from Barnardo’s NI that gathered evidence from teachers and other education staff.

The impact of COVID-19 and educational attainment in NI

7 Aug 2020

Sean McKay, former Director of Audit at the NI Audit Office argues that the status quo is not an option for our education system when schools return.

The economy: the long, hard road ahead

7 Aug 2020

It will take Northern Ireland’s economy between four and five years to recover from the Covid-19 economic crash, according to an Ulster University report released this week.

Covid-19 and our young people: Don’t. Look. Down.

Don't. Look. Down. Oblivion - image by by Carlos Delgado; CC-BY-SA

5 Aug 2020

The pandemic has highlighted many economic weaknesses. A terrible downturn is inevitable, and young people will be worst affected. Throw in other factors, like climate change, and new thinking seems necessary.

Why Boris needs to join up the dots on obesity

31 Jul 2020

It may have been a giant leap for Boris Johnson, but his plans to help us lose weight are but a small step in the battle against obesity.

Staycations, beaches – and millions of pieces of plastic

A seal tangled with plastic near Rathlin Island

28 Jul 2020

Northern Ireland’s coastlines are beautiful. They are also strewn with litter. We all need to think about plastic waste.

On Kindness: rediscovering human nature

24 Jul 2020

What if the spontaneous outbreaks of kindness which have been such a feature of the pandemic were shown to be a true reflection of the human condition, not just a response to a crisis?

Should Northern Irish children sit transfer tests this year?

21 Jul 2020

Covid-19 has left children out of school. Parents are petitioning for academic selection to be significantly delayed - or simply cancelled - for the coming year.

Facemasks: the facts

17 Jul 2020

The controversy over facemasks is emblematic of the dangerously shambolic government response to Covid-19. And it's not just public health that’s at stake.

Hey, remember Brexit?

15 Jul 2020

2020 is our annus horribilis. Until, perhaps, 2021.

Audit Office publishes new guidance on whistle blowing

3 Jul 2020

New guidelines on how public sector bodies should deal with concerns raised by staff and the public have just been published.

Northern Ireland is failing children with special educational needs

2 Jul 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic has drawn attention away from the ongoing crisis of SEN provision in the education system. There is no easy fix.

Shades of Green: Ireland's recovery plan

26 Jun 2020

The argument for a green recovery to the pandemic is growing across the globe, as Scope reported last week.

Childcare is infrastructure - investment is essential

25 Jun 2020

The Executive has plenty on its plate but now is the time to look at childcare in Northern Ireland.

Will the pandemic lead to a greener world?

19 Jun 2020

This week 57 charities, including NI Environment Link wrote to the Prime Minister demanding all elements of any recovery package be consistent with reaching net zero emissions by 2050.

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