The Open Learning Programme in the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work, in partnership with the Education Authority’s Intercultural Education Service, is offering four online professional development courses for teachers and support staff in primary and post-primary schools. The aim of Working with Newcomer Pupils in Schools is to help develop best practice in intercultural education and to ensure the integration and attainment of pupils with different ethnic backgrounds and home languages.

The four online courses are for: 1. Teachers (primary), 2. Teachers (post-primary), 3. Support Workers (primary), 4. Support Works (post-primary).

There will be four compulsory units and four optional units (five in post-primary). Students must complete five units but they may choose to do more.  These will be open from September-May and may be completed at any time.

Compulsory units:

• Intercultural Awareness
• Assessment and Planning
• Curriculum Access: Early Days (helping new pupils to settle in and making lessons accessible)
• Curriculum Access: Moving On (developing the language needed for curriculum access)

Optional units:

• Welcome and Communication
• Working with students who are not literate
• Working with withdrawal groups
• Leadership and management (auditing current school provision; drawing up action plans; monitoring and reviewing)
• Preparing students for exams (post-primary)

The courses will be open for enrolment from mid-August at www.qub.ac.uk/ol and will start from Monday 24 September 2018.