AQW 9342/22-27

Ms Kate Nicholl
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 21/03/2024
Answered On Date: 04/04/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education what consideration has been given by his Department to assessing demand for integrated education through the balloting of all schools to assess the desire amongst parents for integrated education.

Answer:

Balloting of parents is part of the legal process of Transformation and is defined and described in the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989.

www.legislation.gov.uk/nisi/1989/2406/contents. Legally, the Transformation Process can be formally initiated in one of two ways:

the Board of Governors decides by resolution passed at a meeting of the Board to hold a ballot of parents; or

the Board of Governors receives a signed request to initiate a ballot of parents from at least 20 percent of parents of pupils registered at the school.

Guidance on the transformation process can be found at the following link.

Integration-Works-Transforming-your-School-December-2017 (education-ni.gov.uk).