The Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) and the Integrated Education Fund (IEF) have issued a joint statement in response to the ‘Department of Education Position Paper on Integrated Education’ detailed Ministerial Statement.
NICIE and the IEF have stated that they will both take time to fully consider and review the statement which was published earlier today by the Department of Education (DE).
The department’s Position Paper on Integrated Education aims to provide clarification on the legal framework governing Integrated Education and outline measures designed to support schools considering transformation to integrated status.
The Position Paper responds to the recent court judgment and transformation applications which have highlighted important issues about how the law relating to integrated education should be interpreted and applied. It also sets out a new approach to the collection of information for assessing ‘reasonable numbers of Protestant and Roman Catholic children’ to better support schools seeking to transform to integrated status.
In the document, Minister Givan states that integrated education is “a challenge for all sectors”.
“If Integrated Education is to expand in a way that meets the statutory definition, all sectors must be prepared to engage in that conversation. To date, the overwhelming majority of transformations have come from the controlled sector, while very few maintained schools have entered the process – and only one has completed it.”
He added: “A sustainable long-term approach requires participation from across the education system. In particular, the possibility of amalgamation between schools serving different traditions deserves serious consideration. Such approaches may offer one of the most effective means of creating schools with substantial representation from both communities.”
Meanwhile, the joint response by NICIE and IEF states: “We would like to express enormous disappointment at the decisions taken by the Education Minister to refuse Integrated status to several schools in Northern Ireland. Our thoughts are with the children, parents, staff, and wider school communities who were at the centre of these proposals.
“Rather than being able to focus solely on welcoming pupils back and planning for a successful year ahead, these schools are having to deal with the impact of a negative and devastating decision at the start of a new academic year.
“We appreciate the significant amount of time, energy and commitment each school has already dedicated to the Transformation process. We are committed to continuing to support them. “
The statement added that the NICIE and the IEF are proud of the many schools who have undergone Transformation to Integrated status.
“The evidence suggests that the majority of these schools have succeeded in increasing their minority intake over time. However, Integrated Education cannot be reduced to just numbers of Protestant and Catholic children alone.
“Many parents who chose Integrated schools do not fit into these traditional categories. Integrated Education promotes an intentional ethos which permeates every aspect of school life. It is also reflected in the governance of the school where Board members set the vision and ethos of the school.
“Parental demand for Integrated Education cannot be ignored. The Department of Education has a legal duty to not only measure demand, but it must also aim to meet that demand. This statement would indicate further barriers preventing schools from transforming to Integrated status. The question must be asked of the Department, how exactly do they intend to meet parental demand in these areas?
The statement concluded: “Integrated Education remains focused on the path towards a future where more children in Northern Ireland are educated together, side by side, learning from and with each other every day in an environment of respect and understanding.”
