NEWS RELEASE – For Immediate Release
Monday, 7 April 2014
NICIE calls for all pre-school education to be integrated.
Parents of children seeking pre-school places have been today informed whether or not their children have been successful in gaining a place in the pre-school of their choice. NICIE welcomes the Department of Education’s commitment to preschool education but challenges the way in which this provision is aligned to sectoral interests.
Yet again this year around 120 families seeking a place in integrated pre-school settings have been unsuccessful. Unlike other parents who may be offered a place in a single identity pre-school setting, there is no alternative choice for those seeking an integrated education for their child.
Noreen Campbell, CEO of NICIE said:
“Once again integrated schools have found themselves in the position of not being able to accommodate all families who seek an integrated choice for their child at pre-school. NICIE recognises that preschool education is non sectoral and therefore, in theory, it should be integrated. Unfortunately this is not how the system works. Where preschool education is attached to schools it is perceived to be either Catholic or Protestant in type. Where nursery schools are located in single identity areas, they are assumed to be also single identity.
“Last week, we saw the impact of segregated education on the educational outcomes of Protestant working class boys. Today we see our three years olds identified as Catholic or Protestant as they start on their educational journey. It is time to connect the educational dots and ensure that we see children, not as the inheritors of tribal identity, but as individuals embarking on a voyage of discovery.
“NICIE calls on the minister of education to ensure that all preschool provision is genuinely non sectoral which encourages and caters for a diverse enrolment. He should do so by only funding those settings which show that they are providing an ethos which speaks clearly of its welcome to all and as clearly rejects the early stereotyping of children into Catholic or Protestant groups. Preschool education should not be seen as the means to provide children for a segregated system. Building a united community and developing a shared society must start somewhere and some time. The place is in preschool, the time is now.”
For further information or to arrange an interview with a spokesperson please contact Noreen Campbell, Chief Executive Officer at (028) 9097 2910 or at 9097 2835, or mobile 07878721327or via email to ncampbell@nicie.org.uk or via email to lmcivor@nicie.org.uk
Notes to the Editor
In Northern Ireland, about 93% of children attend schools which are either exclusively or predominantly Catholic or Protestant. The first integrated school, Lagan College, opened in 1981 with 28 pupils. There are currently 62 integrated schools in Northern Ireland, 20 second level colleges and 42 integrated primaries, altogether educating over 22,000 pupils.
- A recent Millward Brown survey found that 83% of parents in Belfast believe that integrated education is a vital part of building a shared future in Northern Ireland. 72% of parents believe that funding for integrated education should be prioritised, with enough places available for those who wish to send their children to an integrated school.
- Integrated schools are co-educational, accept children from all levels of ability and social backgrounds and practice a child-centred approach to teaching methods.
- Established in 1987, the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) is a voluntary organisation that was set up to develop, support and promote integrated education in Northern Ireland. The underpinning principle of integrated education is that by bringing together Catholic, Protestant and children of other faiths in a shared environment, they can learn to understand, respect and tolerate differences. For more information please visit www.nicie.org
