A decision to deny Northern Ireland’s biggest post primary school the chance to switch to integrated status has “made things very, very difficult” for others contemplating the move, Stormont’s Education Committee has been told.
Education Minister Paul Givan’s decision in January to reject a bid from Bangor Academy and Sixth Form College to transform is now subject to a legal challenge, as is the decision to reject a proposal from neighbouring Rathmore Primary School.
The DUP minister’s decision came despite almost 80% of parents who responded to a school ballot voting in favour of the move.
The Department of Education has received pre-action letters signalling the legal challenges to the minister’s decisions in both cases.
Education Minister Paul Givan (Credit: Martin McKeown)
While the Department said it would be “inappropriate to comment” given the legal action, MLAs were told that as the case is not yet live, they were free to discuss.
Chief executive of the Integrated Education Fund (IEF) Paul Caskey said he found the minister’s decision on Bangor Academy “difficult to comprehend”, particularly given the Department of Education’s call to meet “unmet demand” for integrated schools in areas, including Ards and North Down.
“On the one hand there was a call for schools to come forward to meet that demand, then when a school does come forward it is ignored by the minister,” he said.
“The decision has left schools in a very, very difficult position. Schools which wish to transform have a three or four year period of investment in the transition. I can fully understand why a principal at any school would think about pulling back from the process.
“We will not be deterred in trying to assist any school which does wish to seek integrated status,” he added.
“But it is certainly a more difficult environment.”
According to documents published by the Department, officials had recommended that both North Down schools be allowed to transform.
However, in rejecting the bids, the minister said there was not adequate evidence that there would be enough Catholic pupils at each school for it to provide integrated education, citing Stormont legislation which says that there should be “reasonable numbers of both Protestant and Roman Catholic children” in integrated schools.
“We are three years on from the Integrated Education Bill and still we are no clearer on a definition of what ‘demand’ is,” said Mr Caskey.
“What we have seen is that the majority of integrated schools do increase their minority, that’s the general experience post transformation.”
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Sean Pettis from the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education said his reading of the legislation was that ‘reasonable numbers’ could be achieved in the future once transformation to integrated was approved.
“This is not about the percentage at the starting point, this is a journey,” he said.
“It is about where you can get to, not where you are. The minister seems to have a different view.”
Also giving evidence was Barry Corr, principal at Seaview Primary in Glenarm which transformed to integrated status in September 2021 — the first Catholic Maintained primary school to make the switch.
Explaining the benefits he said: “Before integration we were 70% Catholic, 20% Protestant and 10% other,” he said.
“Now we are 45% Catholic, 35% Protestant and 20% other. In 2019 we had 42 pupils. CCMS wanted to close the school. Now our numbers have risen to 108.”
The legal action, which has come from two parents, one connected to each school, is supported by the schools who issued a joint statement: “In the absence of an appeals process, the Board of Governors of both schools feel that in reaching his decisions the minister has left parents no other recourse and therefore understand and support those initiating such action.”
Also giving evidence, Department of Education official James Hutchinson was unable to provide answers when questioned on the Bangor Academy decision due to the legal action.