P5 have thoroughly enjoyed meeting with their Shared Education friends and taking part in a wide range of sporting opportunities together. These sessions have helped pupils build new friendships while exploring how sport can connect people from different backgrounds.
The focus for this year group was how sport can promote peace, reconciliation, and positive relationships. Pupils have explored how young people engage with different sports across their communities, comparing rules, skills, and values, and discovering how sport can bring people together across traditions.
Through shared coaching sessions in mixed teams, children develop teamwork, communication and problem‑solving skills. Reflection activities and digital recordings—such as photo stories, interviews and digital logs—help pupils think about respect, cooperation and the unifying power of sport.
The project began with a “Shared Team Challenge” day featuring icebreakers. Throughout the sessions pupils had the chance to play various sports including hockey, rugby, football, gaelic football, hurling and wheelchair football as well as various team games. It concluded with a Shared Sports Festival where pupils took part in mixed‑team games and presented what they have learned about peace, reconciliation and friendship through sport. Pupils also worked in mixed‑school groups to create a short digital showcase on “How sport can bring people together.”