Clifton School in Bangor has been celebrated for its outstanding use of digital technology, earning top honours at this year’s Northern Ireland Schools ICT Excellence Awards.
The prestigious event, held at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast and hosted by Capita and the Education Authority, recognised Clifton as a leader in digital innovation among special schools. The school stood out for its forward-thinking approach to integrating educational technology, ahead of other shortlisted schools including runner-up Cedar Lodge School, Belfast.
The annual ICT Excellence Awards highlight schools across Northern Ireland that are transforming teaching and learning through the innovative use of digital tools. This year’s theme, ‘Making a Difference for Learners’, focused on how technology can enhance educational outcomes.
Clifton joined three other category winners: St Teresa’s Nursery School in Belfast, Holy Trinity Primary School in Cookstown, and St Colman’s College in Newry.
Professor John Anderson, chair of the innovation forum and head judge, praised the continued advancement of digital learning in schools:
“The ICT Excellence Awards were established 10 years ago – year on year we see dramatic improvement in the use of digital technologies by teachers to enhance learning for the benefit of their pupils.”
Marianne Betts, Capita’s Managing Director of Education, also commended the winners:
“All the finalists illustrate how vital the creative use of digital technology, including generative AI, can be to support learning and develop the future skills of children and young people. Congratulations to all the winners for this much-deserved recognition of their excellence.”
