Scope Articles

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.

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.

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.

Northern Ireland needs a Programme for Government that’s fit for the future

4 Mar 2020

If we want to cut our cloth as best as possible for the short- and long-term, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals might be a good place to start.

A changing world is daunting for parents

26 Feb 2020

We look at Parenting NI’s second annual Big Parenting Survey, which explored concerns about tech – and asked parents about their hopes for their children.

More than a good start

9 Jan 2020

Sure Start is two decades old but still going strong. Scope takes a look at a long-running programme that has managed to stay fresh.

Reductive politics is on collision course with reality

18 Dec 2019

It wasn’t just election week, it was Brexit election week. Or was it? And what about the Stormont talks? Voters are more subtle than politicians and we stand at a policy crossroads. Without fixes there could be enormous public anger.

The importance of self-efficacy

12 Dec 2019

Self-efficacy is a person’s belief in their ability to succeed at tasks they take on. We should all know more about it, and its effects.

How is NI performing? (part three)

16 Oct 2019

Our third and final article looking at how our public sector is doing, by its own measure.

In education, religion’s reach goes far beyond segregation

8 Oct 2019

A new report from Ulster University has found that religion – and specific religious groups – hold sway at every level of the NI schools system.

How is NI performing? (Part two)

NI - it's a beautiful place (photo by Thomas Kelley on Unsplash)

8 Oct 2019

The second in our trio of articles taking an accessible look at how our public sector is doing, by its own measure.

How is Northern Ireland performing? (part one)

3 Oct 2019

The Executive Office recently published its year-end report looking at progress against outcomes in the draft Programme for Government. Scope takes a look at the bottom line.

Autism petition approaches 10,000 signatures

29 Aug 2019

Autism NI is calling for mandatory autism training for all teachers in Northern Ireland –organising a petition they will present at Stormont next month. Scope speaks with CEO Kerry Boyd.

Employers for Childcare publishes annual childcare report

27 Jun 2019

The need to restructure childcare in Northern Ireland has long been ignored. But the campaign for change is building momentum.

What can’t we afford? How economic inequality is about more than paying bills

19 Jun 2019

If wealth, rather than ability, drives educational achievement, we have to think hard about how we structure society to compensate for this.

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