Aspire

11/04/2026

All of us at Aspire would like to wish our very own Olivia the best of luck this evening!! ✨🌹✨🌹

🌹Meet the Roses through to the 2026 Derry Rose Selection🌹

Olivia O'Kane is representing The Flax Inn

Olivia is a final-year Speech and Language Therapy student, soon to graduate, and is passionate about supporting communication and inclusion for all. Alongside her studies, she teaches speech and drama to young people and works part-time in her family’s local pub.

A talented performer, Olivia holds a teaching diploma in speech and drama and public speaking, and enjoys singing, baking, and reading. She is a strong advocate for those who are visually impaired and is committed to raising awareness and promoting accessibility.

With compassion and determination, Olivia is dedicated to using her voice to support others and create positive change

To attend the selection in Everglades Hotel this Saturday 11th April - Tickets are available online only

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/derry-rose-of-tralee-selection-tickets-1986098773897?aff=oddtdtcreator

26/11/2025

We would like to congratulate Caine Ross on being presented with the Ronald Marsh Award 2025. This award is presented annually by New Era Academy to the learner who gains the highest mark across the UK and beyond in Grade 5 Public Speaking. Caine is a very recent addition to Aspire, and completed this exam with his wonderful former teacher, Amelia Deehan, whom Aspire holds in very high regard. We would like to congratulate Caine and Amelia on this wonderful accolade.

Aspire are thrilled to note that a total of 4 out of 11 awards were in the Magherafelt area- 3 with Aspire and 1 with Amelia! ✨

30/10/2025

Bernard Price Certificate of Excellence! 🏆

A huge congratulations to Leah, who has been awarded the Bernard Price Award – Certificate of Excellence after achieving the highest mark in her Grade 5 Interview Technique exam!

In Grade 5 exams learners must:
🌟 Introduce themselves confidently to the examiner
🌟 Create a stand-out CV and chat about their experience
🌟 Bring two career-related articles to read + discuss
🌟 Talk about different types of interviews and how to prepare for success

The interview technique exams help learners gain vital skills that will help them throughout their life — congratulations to Leah, and well done to Aspire!

17/10/2025

Dr Ciara Fitzpatrick has been announced as the winner of the Sr. Aengus Fitzpatrick Award. This award is presented annually by New Era Academy to the learner who achieves the highest mark in the UK and beyond for the LNEA Teaching Diploma. This is an incredibly demanding qualification which is comprised of a dissertation, performance practical and teaching practical. Ciara managed to do this while managing three very young children and working as a Law Lecturer and Researcher. It is particularly fitting that Ciara is the recipient of this award, as Sr Aengus was renowned for her social inclusion and belief that Speech and Drama should be available for all to benefit from. In her life and work, Dr Ciara Fitzpatrick is wholly committed to social justice. We know that Sr Aengus would be delighted that Ciara carries the torch for her this year. We are thrilled for Ciara, and her teacher, Mrs O’Brien! ✨

17/10/2025

We would like to congratulate Leah McKinley Higgins on being presented with the Bernard Price Award 2025. This award is presented annually by New Era Academy to the learner who gains the highest mark across the UK and beyond in Grade 5 Interview Technique. This is an amazing achievement, and we are delighted for Leah, and her teacher, Aisling.✨

17/10/2025

We would like to congratulate Aoibheann Pickering on being presented with the Jenny Seagrove Award 2025. This award is presented annually by New Era Academy to the learner who gains the highest mark across the UK and beyond in Grade 8 Reading. This is an amazing achievement, and we are delighted for Aoibheann, and her teacher, Mrs O’Brien✨

27/08/2025

We would like to congratulate Nuala on being presented with the Aspire Achievement Award for the academic year 2024-2025. This is a particularly significant award as it included her performance in her LNEA teaching qualification. Well done, Nuala!

24/08/2025

Today was our annual training day, which always marks the start of our new academic year. We are passionate about training and professional development so that we can offer the best possible experience to our pupils. We were very fortunate today to receive training from the icon that is Nurse Teresa Mitchell, who provided fantastic First Aid Training to all the team. We then had some in house training sharing best practice and getting aligned for the year ahead. We always finish with getting our team photo- looking at today’s photo makes us very proud of how far we’ve come. In 2017, we started off as a team of four. We welcome our new staff and are excited for the future! Robyn is not pictured as exciting times are imminent for her little family, but still very much part of the team!

20/08/2025

Each academic year, we present the ‘Aspire Star Award’ to the pupil who embodies the ‘spirit’ of Aspire. This year, Lorcán was nominated by his teacher, Éabha for working so hard and being a really kind classmate. Lorcán is a worthy winner- well done!

01/04/2025

We would highly recommend these sessions. A fantastic opportunity for anyone seeking support with GCSE Science.

Hosting at The Tobin Centre, Moortown!
We’re excited to be the venue for this fantastic Year 11 Double Award Science Revision series!

Led by experienced, specialist teachers, these sessions are designed to give students the edge they need heading into exams.

Session Dates:
• Sat 3rd May – 🧪 Chemistry (C1)
• Mon 5th May – ⚡ Physics (P1)
• Sun 11th May – 🧬 Biology (B1)
Time: ⏰ 10am–3pm | 📚 Resources provided

Prices:
• £60 per session 💷
• £150 for all 3 (paid upfront) 💡
• £30 deposit per session required ✅

Limited places available – don’t miss out!
To book, contact Dan at 📞 07985 160802

09/01/2025

Delighted to have had the wonderful Tara from Pretzel Play delivering her amazing training at Aspire this evening!

Well done to the staff at Aspire
They completed an in-service training tonight with myself.
This is the second time I have provided training to the wonderful staff who are very invested in their pupils.

Some of the staff have been attending Aspire speech and drama from they were 4 years old and now teach here inbetween university and other part time jobs- What a testament to the impact this service makes.
We are standing here in front of the affirmations jars wall which the staff implemented after the last training in June. The children love it and use it prior to their Speech and Drama exams.

If you would like an in service staff training, where I come to you- reach out or send a direct message

I can assist with proposals for funding and provide a tailored training for your individual services and staff.
Tara