The decision by Education Minister Paul Givan to not grant integrated status to the largest school in the north made headlines on Wednesday.
There have been calls to change the criteria for how schools become integrated after Bangor Academy and Sixth Form College’s application was turned down.
The minister said there was not enough evidence there would be enough Catholic pupils at the school for it to provide integrated education.
Another school in Bangor, Rathmore Primary School, had its application rejected for the same reason.
What is integrated education?
Integrated schools bring pupils and staff from Catholic and Protestant backgrounds, as well as those of other faiths or those with none.
These schools aim to support, protect and advance diversity, respect and understanding between those of different cultures and religious beliefs and of none.
There are currently 72 integrated schools in the north as of 2024 – 2 of these are nursery schools, 49 are primary and 21 are secondary schools.
By law, the Department of Education (DE) and the Education Authority (EA) both have a duty to encourage, facilitate and support integrated education.
How do schools become integrated?
Some integrated schools are created by groups of parents (Grant-Maintained Integrated), while others become integrated through the ‘transformation’ process (mostly Controlled Integrated).
If an existing school wishes to apply for integrated status, a secret ballot must first be held among parents.
This can be initiated by either the board of governors (BoG) or by a petition made to the BoG signed by 20% of the parents.
For the ballot to be successful, at simple majority is required and at least 50% of eligible parents must take part. If less than half of the eligible parents don’t vote, a second vote is held without any turnout limitations.
Following a successful ballot, the BoG must then submit a development proposal for a change of status to EA.
How does the department assess applications for integrated status?
The DE will consider a number of factors including any evidence of an unmet need for integrated education in an area, its sustainability policy, the number of schools and demand in an area and the likelihood of the school’s transformation being a success.
Religious balance is also considered, namely if it can be assured that ‘reasonable numbers’ of both Protestants and Catholics are likely to attend.
If a school has previously had low numbers from one community, it will need to demonstrate how it will attract pupils from its existing minority.
The DE does not define what a ‘reasonable number’ of Catholic or Protestant pupils is and adds that it takes a case-by-case approach.
A recommendation is provided to either the education minister or permanent secretary, who makes the final decision.
The decision on a development proposal is final and can only be challenged through the judicial review process.
