Who is on the Erasmus Committee 2025/2026?
3rd Class: Bailey Murphy
4th Class: Fionnuala MacLean
5th Class: Sadhbh Hannon, Keelin McCarthy
6th class: Ruby Hogan, Evan Whelehan
Here is our Erasmus Committee this year:
What is the Erasmus Committee?
We set up our first Erasmus Committee called the European Development Team (EDT) in 2019 in our school. Every September pupils from 2nd - 6th classes are asked if they would like to run for the election to be on this team. Pupils must put forward their plan/manifesto outlining all the things they want to do to be a voice for pupils on this team. Pupils in each class vote for and elect the pupils they think will make a difference.
The Principal works with the newly elected team. She guides them on how a committee runs and the positions of Chairperson & Secretary are elected by the committee. The Committee meet once every month.
The aim of the Erasmus Committee is to build awareness about European education and to develop European activities, events and policies in our school. A very small percentage of our pupil population in this school come from outside of Ireland so we want to build links with European schools to make our school a more inclusive and culturally diverse place.
Another aim is to help the school develop their Erasmus objectives. We have an Erasmus Plan for our school where we want to build links with European schools. We have received funding for Erasmus projects.
In 2021/2022 12 members of staff travelled to visit schools in Europe.
In 2022/2023 pupils and staff travelled to schools in France and Spain.
In 2023/2024 staff travelled to Sweden, Denmark and France to visit schools.
In 2024/2025 staff and pupils visited schools in Sweden and Spain.
This year, staff will visit schools in Turin and Bari in Italy and in Murcia, Spain.
There will be continued funding for projects like these so that, over the years, all classes will have a chance to travel when they are in 5th/6th classes. You can follow our Erasmus journey on our website here: http://ballymittyns.ie/page/European-Projects/82919/Index.html
Our Erasmus Committee help to promote the aims and objectives of these Erasmus projects.
The Erasmus Committee is led by the school Principal Audrey McCarthy.
What will the Erasmus Team (ET) do for our school this year?
- Our Erasmus Team will sit and develop a committee with a Chairperson & Secretary elected. They will then plan the yearly events and activities which they will promote through this website, newsletters etc.
- The ET will actively follow the staff who will go on different mobilities this year to Italy and Spain.
- The ET will prepare a programme of events and activities for our Spanish Erasmus visitors in March 2026 and any other visitors who arrive.
- The team will also get ready to host Erasmus School Week in May 2026. During this week the team will build an Erasmus corner where we can put up ideas about any special events in our school such as Erasmus School Week etc.
- The ET will organise Inclusion and Diversity week in May 2026 and organise activities, speakers, events and competitions to promote inclusion and to celebrate difference in our school.
- Some of the members of the ET will help in the preparation of a Parents' information session to promote Erasmus+ and to inform parents about what is happening in our school to promote Europe. This will also be an important part of preparing the next group of pupils who will travel to European schools in 2026/2027.
- Finally, our ET will ensure that pupils and staff in Ballymitty NS are active participants in Europe!