NEWS RELEASE – For Immediate Release
Monday 19th March 2013
NICIE welcomes the publication today of area based plans for primary school provision.
NICIE understands that the school estate must be rationalised and recognises that there is now an opportunity to do so in a way which moves beyond our segregated provision. The public recently have again expressed a strong preference for Integrated Education. This next stage of area based planning allows us to ensure that this demand is met.
• NICIE is calling for an immediate increase of integrated provision in all areas to around 33% to match the provision offered to the Catholic and controlled sectors.
• NICIE demands that all children seeking integrated nursery schools provision should be guaranteed the places they seek. No child at the age of three should be expected to accept segregated provision when their parents have expressed clearly a preference for integrated provision.
• DE should expect all publically funded preschool education to provide evidence that it is not denominational or sectoral and that it is genuinely open to all.
• All parents seeking integrated primary school provision, should be guaranteed this as of right. No child should be expected to accept segregated provision when the family preference is for integrated education.
• An immediate aim of primary school planning should be to identify how best the provision of integrated education can be increased to one third ensuring an equality of provision with the other sectors.
• A guiding underpinning principle of this stage of planning should be to ensure that where rationalisation is taking place and a number of schools are closing, that one single school should serve an area and that parents are fully consulted on the type of school they wish to see.
• Where a small integrated school has been highlighted for consideration under a local solution, then the resulting solution should increase the numbers available to integrated education.
Noreen Campbell, NICIE CEO, said:
“Through a few simple steps, we could very rapidly move to the position where there is at least an equality of educational provision for those seeking integrated education.
NICIE applauds the lead given by the BELB who have indicated that they would welcome responses to NICIE’s proposal to increase the proportion of integrated primary places, provided in the BELB Area, from 4% to around 33%. NICIE calls on other ELBs to invite the same discussion in their area.
NICIE is prepared to help all schools seeking to become integrated and is developing a new policy which will allow all schools, regardless of sector, to follow this path.”
ENDS
For further information or to arrange an interview with a spokesperson please contact Noreen Campbell, Chief Executive Officer at (028) 90972910 or 07878721327 or via email to ncampbell@nicie.org.uk
Notes to the Editor
1. 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 41 integrated primaries, educating over 21,000 pupils.
2. A recent Millward Brown Ulster Omnibus Survey found that 82% of people in Northern Ireland believe that Integrated Education is important to the peace and reconciliation process and 64% would support a request to transform the status of their existing school to become an integrated school
3. Integrated schools are co-educational, accept children from all levels of ability and social backgrounds and practice a child-centred approach to teaching methods.
4. 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 principles of Integrated Education is that by bringing Catholic, Protestant and children of other faiths together in a shared learning environment, they can learn to understand, respect and tolerate their differences. For more information please visit www.nicie.org
