Results from LucidTalk’s NI-wide attitudinal poll have revealed that 52% of people living in the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon council area believe Integrated Education, which sees children of different faiths, backgrounds and cultures educated together, side by side every day, should be the main model for our education system.
Polling was carried out by Belfast based independent polling and market research company LucidTalk, on behalf of the Integrated Education Fund (IEF).
Over 2,300 responses were collated, and the poll was balanced by gender, age-group, area of residence, and community background, to ensure it was demographically representative of Northern Ireland today.
A key finding of the poll is consistent support for Integrated Education with 65% of people agreeing that Integrated schools – which intentionally educate together children every day in the same classrooms, inclusive of different religions, gender, and race – should be the main model for our education system.
Furthermore, three quarters of respondents agreed that all schools, regardless of type, should aim to have a religious and cultural mix of pupils, teachers and governors.
The poll suggests that 61% of parents would support their child’s school transforming to become Integrated, which is further evidenced by a series of positive parental ballots held in schools across Northern Ireland in recent years.
Transformation is the term used to describe the process of changing an existing school’s status to become Integrated. For more information on Transformation see integratemyschool.com.
The poll also indicates 69% of people agree that the Department should proactively support the amalgamation of schools from different sectors.
To date there has only been one cross sectoral amalgamation of schools following Ministerial approval to establish Causeway Academy from September 2027, a new Controlled Integrated College incorporating pupils from Dunluce School, Coleraine College and North Coast Integrated College.
Other research suggests that around 30% of schools in Northern Ireland have enrolment figures which fall below the Department of Education’s threshold for sustainability and with this in mind researchers from Ulster University have designed a ‘Future Schools Toolkit’ supporting communities who wish to explore whether there might be a more sustainable approach to school provision in their local area at primary and post-primary level.
Paul Caskey OBE, Chief Executive of the Integrated Education Fund (IEF), commented on the results: “The result of this poll highlights that the high level of support for Integrated Education from the people of Northern Ireland remains steadfast and strong. Despite these findings, many areas remain with limited or no Integrated options available to children or parents. The IEF and its supporters will continue to support all efforts to increase Integrated Education provision in response to the growing demand.”
