The department has looked at data from school admissions and surveys to assess demand for integrated schools across NI.
There is no Northern Ireland-wide demand from parents for more integrated schools, according to the Department of Education . Instead demand for school places is "uneven," and has been highest in areas like Mid and East Antrim, Ards and North Down, and Belfast.
But in council areas like Derry and Strabane, Causeway Coast and Glens, and Fermanagh and Omagh there are too many integrated school places. However, the head of the Integrated Education Fund Paul Caskey said there was "clear unmet demand" for integrated education.
"Whilst not all integrated schools are oversubscribed, many are, and in some areas parents and young people do not have a realistic choice of any integrated school within their local community," he said. It opened with 28 pupils in a former scout centre and has since grown to around 1,500 pupils. There are now over 28,000 pupils in integrated schools, and the number has increased over the past decade.
In rejecting the bids, Givan said that there was not enough evidence that there would be enough Catholic pupils at each school for it to provide integrated education. Some non-integrated schools, though, also have a mix of pupils from different religious backgrounds and those who are not religious. So what is the demand for integrated education, according to the department?
The department has looked at data from school admissions and surveys to assess the demand for integrated schools across Northern Ireland. Its analysis suggested that there was no shortage of places in integrated primary schools, and oversubscription - where there are not enough places to meet demand - was "not a significant issue". The department said that there was "consistent oversubscription in certain council areas" including Mid and East Antrim, Ards and North Down, Lisburn and Castlereagh, and Belfast.
That survey suggested that there was most support for integrated education among parents in Ards and North Down, Lisburn and Castlereagh, and Belfast. What about other studies into integrated education? The Northern Ireland Life and Times survey annually monitors public opinion among around 1,200 adults in Northern Ireland. Over half of those who responded to the most recent survey in 2024 said they would prefer to send their child to an integrated school.
Parents can also vote for their child's school to transform into an integrated school in a process known as transformation. What has the reaction been to the department's analysis? In a statement accompanying the publication of the report, Givan said that "this evidence shows that demand for integrated education is present but uneven.
""This reinforces the need to plan proportionately, using reliable evidence and aligning with wider demographic and sustainability challenges in education in Northern Ireland. ""Evidence gathered through Department-sponsored surveys indicates that there is clear unmet demand at both a societal and behavioural level for integrated education," he said.
Please follow us on Google to support us United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
– would their education be better if we lived in Europe?I see every day how hard it can be to navigate the system, and often wonder whether it would look any different if we lived elsewhere
Read more »
U.S. Department of War Seizes on AI to SuperiorityThe Department of War imposed partial restrictions on AI use, favoring a few chosen AI companies, and renegotiated contracts with other AI labs, leading to Anthropic's unique situation.
Read more »
DWP giving state pensioners extra £114 a week who have 9 bone conditionsThe Department for Work and Pensions has published a full list of bone conditions
Read more »
Blue Badge crackdown calls for all but two health conditionsThe Department for Transport has been urged to reform Blue Badge parking permit eligibility
Read more »