Area planning
Area Planning and Sustainable Schools Overview
Welcome to the Area Planning and Sustainable Schools Policy section of our website. Here, you will find information on how school provision is strategically planned across Northern Ireland. The following section outlines the key principles of Area Planning, explains the key roles of various stakeholders and provides guidance on the processes involved. Central to this is the Sustainable Schools Policy which sets the framework for creating a strong viable network of schools that can meet the changing needs of children and young people and communities across Northern Ireland.
Any queries can be e-mailed to DEAreaPlanning@education-ni.gov.uk
Area Planning is the strategic process of ensuring there are the appropriate number and types of primary and post primary schools, located in the right places, to meet the needs of children and young people and communities. Its goal is to ensure that pupils attend schools that are sustainable both educationally and financially – now and into the future. Area Planning supports the Department’s Schools for the Future: A Policy for Sustainable Schools, known as the Sustainable Schools Policy (SSP), which aims to ensure that all pupils have access to a broad and balanced curriculum that meets their educational needs in a school that is viable well-resources and capable of delivering high quality learning experiences.
The Area Planning process is complex and has a number of key contributors with differing statutory and non-statutory roles. The Department’s role is to provide the strategic and policy context for Area Planning and to provide advice and guidance to the planning authorities.
To make significant change to school provision (e.g. expansion, closure, amalgamation) requires a “Development Proposal (DP)” which must be consulted upon and submitted by the school’s planning authority to the Department. The Development Proposal Guidance was updated in October 2024 to take account of the current policy and legislative context.
Links To Key Area Planning Documents
Schools for the future - A policy for sustainable schools
Policy for Sustainable Schools User Guide (February 2022)
Planning for Sustainable Provision: Strategic Area Plan 2022-27 (Primary and Post-Primary Schools)
Planning for Sustainable Provision: Operational Plan 1: 2022-2024
Planning for Sustainable Provision: Operational Plan 2: 2024-2026
Area Planning Guidance 2022-2027
Sustainable Schools Policy
The process of Area Planning relates to the strategic planning of primary and post primary education provision in support of the Department’s Schools for the Future: A Policy for Sustainable Schools, known as the Sustainable Schools Policy (SSP), which aims to ensure that all pupils have access to a broad and balanced curriculum that meets their educational needs in a school that is educationally and financially viable and takes account of the expressed preference of parents for a diverse education system.
The SSP applies to all primary and post-primary schools, it does not apply to pre-school or special school provision which are covered by separate policy and planning arrangements.
The SSP sets out criteria and indicators designed to inform assessment of the sustainability of a school’s education provision. The six criteria relate to the: -
- Quality of a pupil’s educational experience;
- Stable enrolment trends at the school;
- School’s sound financial position;
- Strong leadership and management;
- Ease of access to the school’s education provision; and
- Strength of links to the local community.
The original SSP policy was published in January 2009 and the Department has prepared a Policy for Sustainable Schools User Guide (February 2022) which supplements the SSP. The guidance takes into account changes since the SSP’s publication including the introduction of Area Planning and additional statutory duties conferred through new legislation. It also reflects the changes in education administration through the establishment of the Education Authority in 2015.
Section 4 of the original SSP defined ‘Urban’ schools as those schools within the former Belfast and Derry District Council areas and ‘Rural’ as those located in any other area. Following the Review of Public Administration in 2015 the 26 Local Government Districts (LGDs) in Northern Ireland were reduced to 11, therefore, the definition was not aligned to the new LGDs. The Department now uses the definition that is recommended by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA): -
Urban – schools are defined as urban if they are in settlements with a population greater than or equal to 5,000 (NISRA Bands A-E); and
Rural – schools are defined as rural is there are in settlements with less than 5,000 people (NISRA Bands F-H).
Area Planning Process
The Department’s role in the Area Planning process is to provide the strategic and policy context for Area Planning and to provide advice and guidance to the planning authorities.
The Education Authority (EA) has overall planning authority for primary and post primary schools for all sectors and operational responsibility for planning efficient and sufficient schools to meet the needs of all pupils ( The Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986).
The Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS), under Article 142 of the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989, has a statutory role, in consultation with the Trustees, for planning the effective provision of Catholic maintained schools.
Within the Area Planning structures the sectoral support bodies are not planning authorities but act as advocates for their respective sectors. These bodies include: -
- Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE);
- Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta (CnaG);
- Governing Bodies Association (GBA);
- Controlled Schools’ Support Council (CSSC);
- Catholic Schools’ Trustee Service (CSTC); and
- The Transferors Representatives’ Council.
Since 2011, the Education Authority, Council for Catholic Maintained Schools and sectoral support bodies and schools have been engaged in implementing the Sustainable Schools Policy (SSP) through the Area Planning process. The first Strategic Area Plan was developed for the period 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2020, this was extended to 31 August 2022. In advance of the area planning cycle the Department provided Area Planning Guidance for 2022-2027.
Strategic Area Plans (2022-2027)
The Education Authority working in partnership with the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools and collaborating with the sectoral body representatives developed the second Strategic Area Plan for Primary and Post Primary Schools and the first Special Education Strategic Area Plan for Special Schools and Specialist Provision in Mainstream Schools. The Strategic Area Plan and Special Education Strategic Area Plan can be accessed on the Education Authority website.
Operational Plans
The partnership has also developed Operational Plans that define the specific area planning activity to be taken forward over the five-year planning period of the two strategic plans.
Operational Plan 1 (1 September 2022 – 31 August 2024) and Operational Plan 2 (1 September 2024 - 31 August 2026) covering the Primary, Post Primary, Special School and Specialist Provision in Mainstream Schools activity can be accessed on the Education Authority website.
Operational Plan 3 will be the mechanism by which remaining work-streams are brought to conclusion in parallel to the development of the next five-year strategic area plans.
Area Planning Governance and Support Structures
The Area Planning governance and support structures provide support and scrutiny at strategic, operational and local level. Full details are set out in Annex C of the Area Planning Guidance. The key structures are: -
Area Planning Steering Group (APSG) which advises the Department on Area Planning issues and related Departmental policy matters and reports progress on delivery of Area and Operational plans.
Area Planning Working Group (APWG) which provides quarterly monitoring reports and discussion papers to APSG outlining progress including resolving barriers and raising innovative and creative solutions. They ensure a standard approach across all sectors and monitor and review the impact of the plans.
Area Planning Local Groups (APLG) (3 Localities) these groups will consider the needs of all sectors and develop evidence-based proposals taking account of Ministerial priorities. They help to prepare Operation Plans for the locality and assist with implementation.
Development Proposals
To make a significant change to school provision or one which is considered to have a significant impact on existing provision (e.g. expansion, amalgamation, closure etc.) requires a statutory 'Development Proposal' (DP).
A DP is the statutory process by which the proposed and significant changes to education provision are made. Any significant change (as determined by the Department) to an existing school or the establishment of a new school must be considered in the wider context of the network of schools and must be in line with the Strategic Area Plan.
The Department has published detailed guidance: Development Proposal Guidance (October 2024).
The body which brings forward a DP is “the proposer”. The proposer must have the authority to implement the proposal - this will normally be the Education Authority (EA) (for schools in the Controlled sector); Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) (for schools in the Maintained sector); or Trustees or Board of Governors (for Voluntary Grammar Schools / Grant-maintained Integrated Schools /Other Maintained Schools). A full list is available in the DP Guidance.
A Case for Change details the case being made by the proposer in support of a significant change. It provides the evidence to support the proposal and helps those affected by it to understand the educational and other benefits of the change proposed. Further information on the Case for Change can be found in the DP guidance.
The Education Authority publishes all current DPs on its website and in relevant daily and weekly newspapers. Once published, they are listed on the Department’s website at current Development Proposals.
Consultation
The key phases for consultation are set out in legislation. Firstly, a statutory pre-consultation is carried out by the proposer aimed at school Governors, parents and teachers directly affected by the proposed changes. The Proposer collates all responses received and includes a summary of the issues in the Case for Change. When a proposer completes the pre-publication consultation and Case for Change they submit these with a draft DP to the EA.
The EA will then conduct further consultation with schools that may be affected by the proposal. The Strategic Planning and Policy Committee of the EA considers all DPs and related comments received during the consultation and approves them for publication. Any concerns about the pre-publication consultation should be raised with the proposer at the earliest opportunity.
Secondly, once a DP is published, a statutory two-month objection period starts, during which anyone can provide their opinions the proposal directly to the Department. All views submitted during the statutory objection period are collated and presented to the Minister / Permanent Secretary in a submission which officials prepare to inform decisions on DPs.
Details of all decisions taken by the Department over the past seven years can be accessed at: -
Development Proposal Decisions 2025
Development Proposal Decisions 2024
Development Proposal Decisions 2023
Development Proposal Decision 2022
Development Proposal Decisions 2021
Development Proposal Decisions 2020
Development Proposal Decisions 2019
Development Proposal Decisions 2018
Special Schools and Specialist Provision in Mainstream Schools (SPIMs) Provision
Due to the growth of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) the Department and Area Planning stakeholders recognised the need to develop a more strategic approach for specialist provision across Northern Ireland. This led to the development and introduction of a new Special Education Strategic Area Plan 2022-2027 : Planning for Special Education Provision (SESAP).
The SESAP sets the strategic direction of Special Education Area Planning for the next five academic years 2022-27. This strategy was informed by the Special Schools Area Planning Framework and the Framework for Specialist Provision in Mainstream Schools.
The Specialist Provision in Mainstream Schools process enables changes to be made by the Education Authority through the Annual Plan of Arrangements once the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 has been enacted. The Education Authority have a dedicated webpage relating to the Plan of Arrangements and can be accessed here.