2 more schools will transform to Controlled Integrated Status at the start of the new school year in Northern Ireland, including the first post-primary school since Parkhall Integrated College in Antrim.
The former Glengormley High School will reopen as Integrated College Glengormley, while Bangor Central Integrated Nursery will become the second stand alone nursery school in the country to Transform.
Recent surveys carried out by LucidTalk and the joint QUB/UU ARK project show continued public support for integrated education, with 71% of people in Northern Ireland believing that integrated education should be the norm, while 69% would want their children to attend a mixed-religion school.
Almost any school in Northern Ireland can begin the process of transforming to Integrated status but no school transforms without majority support from parents, the first step in a process that culminates in approval from the Education Minister.
Schools are supported in their Transformation journey by the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) and the Integrated Education Fund (IEF), who also provide financial support to help schools explore the process and work with its local school community. Integrated education continues to be the fastest growing form of education in Northern Ireland, with around 7.5% of all children now attending an Integrated School.
Ricky Massey, Principal of Integrated College Glengormley, said:
“For over 50 years, Glengormley High School has sought to offer the best educational experience for our local community. Our geographical community has widened over these last years and so too has the level of diversity within the Glengormley area. Whilst we continue to serve our growing geographical community, we now seek to intentionally recognise, embrace and celebrate the increasing cultural diversity within the area.
On the 1st September 2022, Integrated College Glengormley formally opened as a school which has intentionally planned for working with and for every child within our community – without bias.”
Pamela Algie, Principal of Bangor Central Integrated Nursery, said:
“In everything we do as a school, we put the children and families first. As a newly Integrated Nursery School we are formalising our ethos that everyone in the community is valued in our school and that learning together in an inclusive environment, even from this young age, is what is best for the children in our care.”
Tina Merron, Chief Executive of the IEF added:
“We were absolutely delighted with the Minister’s decision to approve these schools for Integrated status and we look forward to supporting them on their integration journey. The IEF has been raising awareness of Transformation through our ‘Integrate My School’ campaign and it is encouraging to see it being embraced so positively by parents and schools. The IEF and NICIE are working with more schools than ever before who desire formal integrated status and who see the added value that quality inclusive education brings for their children.”
Roisin Marshall, Chief Executive Officer of NICIE said:
“Reaching the milestone of 70 schools providing Integrated Education is significant for all of us. Driven by parental demand, it demonstrates the clear will of families for their children to be educated in a shared environment day in and day out. There are now 26,700 children in Northern Ireland benefitting from an Integrated Education. The Council for Integrated Education remains committed in its support of these schools and will work alongside others whose communities are ready to work towards a meaningful shared future.”
Parents and schools interested in the process of transformation can contact IEF Parental Engagement Manager Jill Caskey at jill@ief.org.uk
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