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The Dissolving Boundaries Programme uses Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to facilitate cross-cultural educational linkages between schools in the North and South of Ireland and jointly funded by the two governments.

Since its inception (with the exception of 2005/2006) the programme has supported 60 new schools each year. Meanwhile many experienced schools remain associated with the programme either maintaining the link with their first partner school or embarking on a new link or links. Now in its eigth year of existence the Dissolving Boundaries community continues to provide opportunities for the development of mutual understanding through collaborative curricular work using virtual and real contact between children in the different school sectors in the north and south of Ireland.

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Dissolving Boundaries first developed from a successful pilot project entitled “This Island We Live On” in 1998/99. The two governments fund the programme and in the initial phase additional resources were provided by Dell computers and eircom. Schools at primary, post-primary levels and in the Special schools’ sector in the two jurisdictions participate in Dissolving Boundaries. The schools are selected on the recommendation of the ICT CASS personnel in the Education and Library Boards in Northern Ireland and the ICT Advisors from the Education Centres in the Republic. When a school has been identified the principal is invited to a ‘briefing meeting’ outlining what participation in Dissolving Boundaries would mean for their school. The principal then makes an informed decision on whether their school will participate.

Teachers attend a planning conference at the start of the school year when they form their partnerships and plan for the year ahead. Partnerships work by collaborating on a project centred on an aspect of the curriculum agreed upon by the teachers. Pupils use a range of information and communications technologies including video-conferencing, online discussion and collaboration through applications such as Moodle, MS Word or PowerPoint. They begin by exchanging personal profiles to build the groups’ interpersonal relationships and to develop their familiarity with the technology. The Programme also funds a face-to-face meeting between the participating pupils.

Working together pupils create such outcomes as collections of illustrated stories and poems; research findings on historical periods; citizenship and human rights issues etc. Projects range across the curriculum and have included almost as many topics as schools involved. One school for example wrote, rehearsed and produced a play using video-conferencing!

St.Mary's worked in partnership with St.Cecilia's College, Derry