AQO 956/16-21

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 12/01/2017
Answered On Date: 24/01/2017
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education, given that the target for participants in shared education is cited as 762 schools in the Delivering Social Change Signature Project: Shared Education business case, to clarify his statement during a Radio Ulster interview on 3 October 2016 that the target in the business case was 352 schools.

Answer:

The target for the DSC Shared Education Signature Project is to increase the percentage of schools providing shared classes to 33% by end of 2017/18. At the time the target was set there were 1,068 schools (primary, post-primary and special) – hence a target of 352 schools. Statistics for 2016/17 show the number of schools has declined to 1,061 – hence the current target is 350 schools. The reference to 762 schools relates to the number potentially eligible to participate in the programme.