The Programme for Government sets the overarching direction for strategic planning in Northern Ireland, with the Children and Young People Strategy underpinning its implications for children and young people.

This is supported by other, education specific strategies, and these inform the Department of Education's (DE) priorities which are outlined in their draft five-year Corporate Plan 2023-28, Every CHILD. Key priorities actions are then included in the EA Business Plan. 

The EA's Vision is 'To inspire, support and challenge all our children and young people to be the best that they can be."

The Communications Strategy is a key enabler to support the delivery of key strategic priorities outlined in the EA’s Business Plan.

Whilst the scope of communications can be very broad, encompassing everything from operational and service-led interactions and communications, right up to key strategic announcements, for the purpose of this strategy, activities will focus largely on school, youth service, major project, media, stakeholder, internal and social media communications.

A separate piece of work is being undertaken to improve service responsiveness and satisfaction levels (outside of the remit of this strategy) which will complement the Communications Strategy.

Whilst the strategy will have a core focus on controlled schools and staff (teaching and support staff) who are directly employed by EA, it will also need to be flexible to ensure appropriate messaging for all school communities on a wide range of service wide issues including (not exhaustive), Special Educational Needs (SEN), transport, admissions, free school meals, education and development opportunities etc. Also, as the new EA Controlled Schools' Unit (CSU) is established, the three year strategy will be developed further.

It is important to note that whilst the Communications team will help support in co-ordinating actions and activities, the strategy and key actions need to be owned, supported and delivered by the entire organisation at both a strategic and operational level to ensure successful implementation (see Pillar 1).

There is currently excellent collaboration with the Department of Education, sectoral bodies, Trade Unions and other key stakeholders on key issues. Moving forward it is critical these relationships are further strengthened through the delivery of the strategy and in promoting key messages.

“Inspiring, supporting and challenging children and young people to be the best they can be by effectively engaging, communicating, delivering and continually learning and improving.”

Make a difference for children and young people:

• Voice of child
• Voice of Youth Services
• Voice of our Staff
• Voice of Schools/other Settings
• Voice of Parents/Carers

Our Legal Duties

EA’s Equality Scheme sets out our commitments under Section 75 (s75), including engaging with stakeholders, and particularly children and young people, when developing and delivering our services. At the core of this, is ensuring that those most impacted by our decisions have a clear voice in how they are made. 

In addition, EA has a clear legal duty to consult with our stakeholders, particularly children and young people, on proposed decisions that affect them. This applies to both individual cases and wider service delivery. This duty can come from:

• Direct legal requirements
• EA policy requirements
• Established consultation practices
• The level of impact on individuals

EA has a duty to encourage, facilitate and support integrated education and supports DE in its duty to encourage and facilitate the development of Irish-medium education which involves engagement with stakeholders in this regard.

Tailored Engagement

Whilst EA’s legal duties to consult and engage, as outlined above, are outside the scope of this strategy, they are interlinked, and this will be reflected in the Engagement Framework (see Pillar 2 actions) being developed. Stakeholder feedback we receive, and relationships built through the implementation of this strategy, will help inform and strengthen how we meet these important obligations.

In line with a consistent Engagement Framework, to help inform decisions made we will:

• Use stakeholder mapping to identify who we need to engage with
• Create clear engagement plans
• Develop targeted communications plans

This will ensure that the voice of those impacted, particularly in protected equality categories, is heard. EA’s Consultation and Engagement Guidance is available to support consideration of such engagement.

Accessibility

In developing the strategy, EA is firmly committed, under Chapter 6 of its Equality Scheme, to ensuring our communications are accessible to all stakeholders, meeting our statutory equality duties, and reflecting best practice in inclusive communications. 

We will:

• Consider impacts on all Section 75 groups and protected characteristics when planning communications.
• Ensure all digital content meets Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards.
• Provide materials in different languages/alternative formats as appropriate or on request.
• Use plain English and clear language in all communications and consider that some communications may require Easy Read versions for adults and children.
• Consider when BSL/ISL translations would benefit the Deaf Community.
• Consider the ‘digital first’ and not ‘digital only’ principle to meet the needs of ‘harder to reach’ staff and service users.
• Ensure there is a fair representation of Section 75 groups in EA materials and messaging.
• Ensure a consistent approach to the use of images, including photography in corporate publications, which reinforces a positive image of people with disabilities accessing our services.

The three-year Communications and Engagement Strategy is based on 7 key pillars as outlined below. Under each pillar are the key actions and activities that will be taken forward in Year 1 (as set out in Appendix 1). The overall strategy and action plan will then be reviewed on an annual basis. The delivery of the actions will be dependent on the level of resources available.

• Organisational Ownership and Cultural Change
• Strategic Approach
• Child and Parent Centred
• School and Youth Focus
• Proactive Media and Political Engagement
• Supporting Staff
• Promoting the Work of EA

Pillar 1: Organisational Ownership and Cultural Change

Effective communication is fundamental to EA’s success and is the responsibility of every member of our organisation, not solely the Communications team. From frontline staff to senior leadership, each person plays a vital role in how we communicate and engage with our internal and external stakeholders.

The key is to embed communication excellence as a core organisational value rather than just a function of the Communications team.

Pillar 2: Strategic Approach to Improving Communications and Engagement

It is essential there is an overarching approach to how we communicate and engage, ensuring that we listen, involve and respond effectively to all stakeholders, including children and young people, parents/ carers, schools, youth services and our staff.

This is critical for providing a clear sense of direction; setting out the vision, values and priorities of the organisation; and introducing a clear framework for measuring outcomes.

Pillar 3: Child Centred and Parent/Carer Focused

Children and young people and their families are at the core of communications. It is essential they get the information they need throughout their educational journey.

It is equally important that parents and young people shape how we design, implement and improve services, for example (not exhaustive), SEN, pupil support services, youth services etc.

For younger children, engagement will be mainly via their parents/carers; and for older children there are opportunities through, school, youth services and other initiatives to have a voice on issues that are important to them.

Pillar 4: Supporting Schools/other settings and Youth Services Delivery for Children and Young People

Significant feedback from schools around the need to improve how EA communicates with them; enhancing service responsiveness; and involving the voice of school leaders in shaping service design and service improvement moving forward.

This improvement piece is broader than the scope of the Three Year Communications Strategy but there are a number of specific actions that will be taken forward as part of it (outlined in Appendix 1).

Also, it is important that as an organisation, we maximise opportunities for greater collaboration with schools/other settings and Youth Services to promote and support the delivery of these key services.

Pillar 5: Proactive Media and Political Engagement

It is critical that there is a proactive approach to engaging with the media and political that representatives to build greater confidence in the organisation; articulating clear messages in partnership with DE and other sectoral bodies; creating a clearer understanding of the role and function of EA; setting challenges and developing issues into context; challenging misinformation; and promoting and raising awareness all of the excellent work across the organisation.

Pillar 6: Supporting Staff to Deliver Excellent Services

The EA’s greatest asset is its dedicated and professional staff. The EA is firmly committed to delivering on its wide range of responsibilities towards all colleagues, including effective leadership and engagement.

In line with the direction set by the EA People Plan 2024-29, we are firmly committed to ensuring that the voice of our colleagues is at the core of what we do, and how we do it.

This is essential for ensuring that colleagues feel valued, part of EA, and are empowered to make a difference.

Leadership, visibility and internal communications and engagement play a key role in how we deliver this.

Pillar 7: Promoting the Work of EA

Feedback from both EA staff and schools, as well as parents and carers highlighted a lack of awareness of the role and work of EA.

It is important that, as part of the strategy, there is a strong focus on raising awareness of what EA does, how we do it and the impact of this work.

Not only is this critical for staff morale, it is essential for building trust and confidence in the organisation which strengthens collaboration, relationships, and service design to ultimately improve outcomes for children and young people.

Reporting - To ensure the Communications Strategy is being effectively delivered; is having a positive impact on children and young people, parents and carers and schools; and that we listen and respond to feedback received, it is important that we regularly report on progress, ensuring any emerging risks are appropriately managed.

This will be taken forward through the following mechanisms:

• Bi-annual reports on progress will be provided to Performance and Engagement Committee.
• Quarterly updates via the School Leadership Forum’s Communications and Customer Excellence workstream.
• Corporate Directorate activity will be collated as part of the established Corporate Plan reporting process and reported through to Corporate Leadership Team.
• Quarterly and annual social media reports for Communications Team setting out trends against targets, analysis of content performance and recommendations where improvements can be made.

Year 1 and Year 2 Action Plan

Pillar 1: Organisational Ownership and Cultural Change

Pillar 2: Strategic Approach to Improving Communications and Engagement Year 1 Actions

Pillar 3: Child Centred and Parent/Carer Focussed Year 1 Actions

Pillar 4: Supporting Schools/other settings and Youth Services Deliver for Children and Young People Year 1 Actions

Pillar 5: Proactive Media and Political Engagement Year 1 Actions

Pillar 6: Supporting Staff to Deliver Excellent Services Year 1 Actions

Pillar 7: Promoting the work of EA - Year 1 Actions (in addition to the actions listed in the above sections)

The success of this Communications Strategy will be measured using the Outcomes Based Accountability framework as outlined below.

Please note that as the strategy will be launched in December 2025, targets as set out below relate to Q4 2025/26 and Year 1 (2026/27). They will be reviewed and updated for Year 2 2027/28 and Year 3 (2028/29).

NI School Leadership Communications and Customer Excellence sub-group

How we engaged:

The group, which comprises of Principals from a range of sectors and phases were given early sight of strategy which was tabled for discussion at subgroup meetings.

What we heard

Key feedback was:

• Positive and welcome document which addressed a lot of the key issues school leaders had raised in Landscape Review and through the NI School Leadership Forum.
• Welcomed emphasis on improving and streamlining EA’s weekly communications with schools.
• Asked for a specific section on schools to be included, setting out support for schools in pillars and Year 1 actions.
• Highlighted need to better define engagement and communications with children and young people.

You said, we did:

As a result of the feedback a specific pillar was added into the strategy in relation to supporting schools, with associated Year 1 actions. In addition, the pillar on engagement with parents/carers and children and young people was better defined.

Schools

How we engaged

Through a school baseline survey, circulated to all Principals (response rate was 322), which included questions to baseline satisfaction levels with EA communications and seek feedback for areas of improvement.

What we heard

Key feedback was:

• Information Overload Challenges: Principals reported feeling overwhelmed by the volume of emails with multiple attachments, making it difficult to prioritise and identify important information. Teaching principals particularly struggled with managing the ‘barrage of information’.
• Communication Relevance Issues: Information sent was often perceived as irrelevant to specific school sectors, overly wordy, and lacking clarity, making it difficult for principals to discern important information.
• Timing Issues: Communications were often sent at inappropriate times, such as late Friday evenings or outside school hours, creating challenges for Principals to address them promptly.

You said, we did

• This feedback was in line with views from NI School Leadership Forum which had already shaped the strategy and there is a specific commitment in Year 1 actions to improving EA weekly communications with school leaders.
• The data provided will provide a robust baseline for measuring progress moving forward.

Children and Young People

How we engaged

Through a workshop with Children and Young people from Lisburn Castlereagh Youth Council and Youth Voice Ards North Down – representative of Section 75 groups.

What we heard

Key feedback was:

• Prioritise digital communication channels that directly reach young people, focusing on Instagram and TikTok rather than Facebook. Use emails, text messages, Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams, avoiding traditional letters which young people report are easily lost.
• Create engaging, youth-friendly content that is visually appealing (vibrant colours, emojis), concise (30-second videos with music), and features real people rather than AI voices. Ensure content is relevant and interactive.
• Address topics young people care about, particularly mental health, career guidance, life skills (CV writing, financial literacy), cyberbullying, and SEN support in mainstream schools. Young people want to know how these issues are being addressed rather than ‘brushed away.’
• Improve youth involvement in decision-making, conducting regular consultations, demonstrating that feedback is taken seriously.
• Ensure accessibility for all by avoiding overly formal language, providing options for those with dyslexia or visual impairments, offering translations for language barriers, and maintaining non-social media communication channels for those with limited internet access.

You said, we did

As a result, we have incorporated the following into the strategy:

• In the Year 1 actions plan – fully take on board the feedback re content, digital channels and relevance.
• In conjunction with Youth Service, commitment to exploring how we can embed Our Voice more systematically across the organisation to ensure children and young people have the opportunity to shape services, initiatives and improvements that directly impact them.
• Commitment to co-producing materials with parents/carers and children (as appropriate) and young people for key campaigns and projects.
• Added in Section 8 into the strategy setting our commitment to equality and inclusion.

Parents and Carers

How we engaged

Through a survey issued to parents distributed via the NI School Leadership Forum to baseline current satisfaction levels with EA communications; gain insights into how they would like to be communicated with; and to capture feedback on what is working well and areas for improvement. In total there were over 1,000 responses.

What we heard

Key feedback was

• 7.28 (out of 10) parents said information from EA was relevant to their needs.
• 7.17 (out of 10) said information was timely.
• Communication preferences: email is the most preferred method, followed by school-based communications.
• Alternative formats - 82% of respondents said they did not need any other formats for communications. 12% said they required easy read formats, whilst 1% requested video with subtitles. Less than 1% suggested audio or screen reader compatibility or Braille.
• Language and accessibility – 96% of respondents preferred to receive communications in English, 17% preferred Irish. Other language preferences included Polish, Portuguese, Lithuanian, Romanian, Bulgarian, East Timor, Russian, Spanish and Turkish.
• Service engagement priorities: parents primarily engage with EA for school admissions, transport services, and emergency updates, with special educational needs, free school meals, and uniform grants also being significant areas.
• Information needs: parents most want additional information about emergency updates, transport services, school admissions, and special educational needs. 

You said, we did

• As a result - we have incorporated the feedback on communications preferences and content into the strategy and Year 1 actions. The feedback in relation to language and accessibility also shaped Section 8 of the strategy ‘Equality and Inclusion’.
• The data provided will provide a robust baseline for measuring progress moving forward.

Education Authority Staff and Board

How we engaged

Through Assistant Directors’ Forum, HR and Corporate Services Directorate Management Team, Corporate Leadership Team and EA Board's Performance and Engagement Committee.

What we heard

Key feedback was:

• Positive document which set out a clear strategic and proactive approach.
• Scope to utilise the NI School Leaders Forum when engaging with parents.
• Needed to ensure that, as well as schools, there was an emphasis on youth services and other settings.
• An outcomes-based framework to measure progress was critical in demonstrating progress.
• Highlighted that communications needed to be tailored to meet the need of specific stakeholders.

You said, we did

• As a result of the feedback, a greater emphasis on youth services and other settings was incorporated, along with the suggestion of utilising the NI School Leadership Forum for parent/carer engagement. There was already a strong commitment in the strategy to an outcomes-based framework and also tailoring communications for specific audiences.

Department of Education (DE) and Sectoral Partners

How we engaged

DE Press Office and sectoral partners were provided with a draft copy of the strategy and asked to provide feedback on it.

Key feedback was:

• DE highlighted the need for a greater reflection of how EA and DE work together and for this to be expanded upon in the actions.
• CCEA highlighted the opportunity to strengthen how CCEA and EA can work together more closely where appropriate on communications and engagement. They also referenced previous discussions around setting up a wider strategic NI Education Communications Group led by the Department as an important step in achieving shared goals regarding partnership working.
• CSSC highlighted the need to more explicitly set out how the strategy would support controlled schools and how it would align with the new EA Controlled Schools’ Unit and subsequent comms plans.

You said, we did

As a result of the feedback:

• The strong collaboration with DE and other sectoral partners was made more explicit in the strategy and also expanded upon in the actions, particularly under Pillars 2 and 5.
• Further definition was added under Section 3 ‘Scope’ to emphasise that, whilst the strategy will have a core focus on Controlled schools and staff (teaching and support staff) who are directly employed by EA, it will also need to be flexible to ensure appropriate messaging for all school communities on service wide issues. This includes (not exhaustive), SEN, transport, admissions, free school meals, education and development opportunities etc. Also, as the new EA Controlled Schools’ Unit is established, communications support for controlled schools will be reviewed, aligned to the Three Year Communications Strategy.

EA Communications Team

How we engaged

Through presentations and discussion at team meetings, emailing the strategy out for formal comment, and facilitating a full day workshop

What we heard

Key feedback was:

• Positive document that provided the team with direction moving forward.
• Welcomed the emphasis on organisational responsibility and strategic input from Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) and Directorate Management Teams (DMTs).
• Highlighted need to ensure that Year 1 actions were deliverable.
• Highlighted need for processes to be introduced as part of implementation to help team prioritise workloads.
• Highlighted need for more direction and guidance on school support requests given the significant increase in demand.
• Highlighted need for additional training for EA staff to support the communications team with drafting of key content.

You said, we did

• As a result of the feedback the Year 1 actions were streamlined and prioritised and key asks were incorporated into the strategy.

Trade Unions

How we engaged

All Teaching and Support Staff Trade Unions (TUS) were provided with a letter summarising the work to develop the strategy and also a copy of the draft strategy to provide feedback on.

In addition, TUS colleagues were invited to attend engagement sessions to discuss the strategy further and to provide feedback. Representatives from Ulster Teacher’s Union, Unite the Union, NASUWT and NAHT attended sessions.

What we heard

Key feedback was:

• TUS welcomed the development of the strategy and commitment to improving communications.
• Need to provide a clearer definition of ‘staff’ and who the strategy was aimed at.
• Opportunity to broaden engagement with schools beyond school leaders to key roles e.g. SENCOs.
• Lack of awareness re School Leadership Forum amongst TUS and schools – opportunity for further awareness raising and collaboration.
• The constructive engagement which currently takes place with TUS on key issues could be made more explicit.
• Further consideration should be given to communications with frontline staff.
• A consolidation of accessible and up to date policies into one online directory.
• Periodic reviews of online resources to ensure contemporary relevance, accuracy and adherence to the strategic priorities.

The adoption of a ‘quiet hours’ policy 

You said, we did

As a result, we have built the following into the strategy:

• Revised the definition of staff under key audiences.
• Under Pillar 4 actions broadened the scope of engagement with school leaders to include key roles – e.g. SENCOs.
• Highlighted the constructive engagement which takes place between EA and TUS, including a commitment to develop this further.
• Included an action under Pillar 6 to explore and identify opportunities to improve communications with frontline staff.
• Work to develop an online resource for schools and also develop social media policies was included, but this is now more explicit in the strategy.
• A point was added to Pillar 4 to set out the expectations that communications from EA, unless by exception, should be sent out during working hours twice a week. The proposal re the development of the adoption of a ‘quiet hours’ policy has been forwarded to HR colleagues to consider further through TNC (as it sits outside of this strategy).
• An action (outside of strategy work) was taken to provide a briefing paper to TUS on the NI School Leadership Forum to aid further collaboration.
• In relation to accessibility – Section 8 of the strategy sets out a clear commitment to equality and accessibility and work is ongoing to further enhance the accessibility of the EA website through third part testing and implementation of recommendations; review of accessibility statement; and use of ReachDeck (across a range of EA digital platforms including the EA corporate website) which provides text-to-speech, reading and translation services) will be reviewed further.

EA’s Joint Consultative Forum

How we engaged

Through a presentation and discussion took place with EA’s Joint Consultative Forum, comprising of a wide range of stakeholders, including Section 75 groups, community and voluntary sector organisations, TUS, sectoral partners etc.

What we heard

Key feedback was:

• Improve principal engagement – only one-third of principals responded to key annual survey. Work to increase principal engagement and survey participation for future initiatives.
• Enhance parent/carer outreach – particularly those not affiliated to specific groups.
• Principals would like more opportunities for face-to-face meetings to learn more about the work of EA, not a digital approach only.
• Streamline school communications - address the issue of system-level emails to schools, being mindful of the teachers’ pay deal agreement regarding communication volume.
• Utilise existing union channels - collaborate with unions to disseminate information through their established communication channels, providing an additional avenue to reach staff.

You said, we did

This feedback was in line with from NI School Leaders Forum and also senior EA staff which has shaped the strategy with a specific commitment to improving EA weekly communications with school leaders and also with parents/carers.

EA Heads of Service

How we engaged

Through a survey issued to Heads of Service to gain a better insight into how services were engaging with stakeholders; what was working well; what the barriers were and what could be improved, with the aim of developing a consistent engagement framework for the organisation.

What we heard

Key feedback was:

• Develop a revised organisational approach to communication and engagement, to enhance partnership working and collaboration among EA’s stakeholders, including greater levels of alignment and integration.
• Voices, experience and expertise of children and young people, parents/ carers, schools, youth services and staff should be at the heart of EA service design to help us improve how we deliver our services and respond to our service users in the future.
• Engagement needs to be tailored to meet the need of specific stakeholders, and a flexible approach should continue to be adopted.
• Scope to utilise existing forums to engage with specific stakeholders, for example, the NI School Leadership Forum when engaging with school leaders and parents/carers, and the Joint Consultative Forum when engaging with community and voluntary groups.
• Resource and time constraints were highlighted by Heads of Service as the main challenge in stakeholder engagement.

You said, we did

As a result of the feedback, an Engagement Plan will be developed, as part of Pillar 2 actions to provide a framework for effective and consistent engagement across the wider organisation, with a focus on engaging with children and young people, schools, parents/carers our staff, political and key stakeholder groups.