Integrated Education

Topics:

Schools and infrastructure

A brief outline of what Integrated Education is.

What is Integrated Education?

Integrated Education brings together children and young people from different religious, cultural and socio economic backgrounds to learn alongside one another in the same school. It is underpinned by a shared ethos of inclusion, equality and respect for diversity.

Integrated schools can be either grant maintained integrated or controlled integrated. Integrated Education is distinct from shared education. In integrated schools, pupils are educated together within a single school community, while shared education involves collaboration between separate schools.

The statutory definition of Integrated Education, including how the Department interprets reasonable numbers, is set out in more detail in Definition and Reasonable Numbers.

Delivering the Integrated Education Act

The Department of Education has a statutory duty under the Integrated Education Act 2022 to encourage, facilitate and support Integrated Education. This sits within the wider legislative framework for school planning, including section 64 of the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989, which established the original duty to encourage and facilitate integrated education, and the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 which governs how schools are established, changed or transformed, including becoming Integrated

Since the Act came into effect on 26 October 2022, we have taken forward a range of actions to deliver this duty. Our approach places the needs and preferences of children, parents and communities at its centre.

This site explains our approach, the evidence that informs decision making and the actions underway to support the continued development of Integrated Education.