AQO 1398/22-27


Mr Danny Donnelly
Alliance Party
East Antrim


Tabled Date: 09/01/2025
Answered On Date: 22/01/2025
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Education what measures will be included in the revised Integrated Education Strategy Action Plan to ensure demand for Integrated Education is effectively monitored.


Answer:
Identifying, assessing, monitoring and aiming to meet demand for Integrated Education is a complex and ongoing process.
Demand comprises two distinct elements - Societal Demand and Behavioural Demand.
Societal Demand - This is evidence of demand taken from a Northern Ireland wide survey of parents on their desire for Integrated Education and the factors they consider when expressing school preferences and from parental ballots held to consider Transformation proposals.
Behavioural Demand - This is evidence of demand indicated by school preference as expressed via the school admission system at entry to pre-school, primary and post-primary school by surveying parental inclination/aspirations of parents and, from parental ballots held to consider Transformation proposals.
We will use evidence from the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey to develop a more rounded understanding of societal level demand for Integrated Education.
More importantly, my Department will annually survey parents who have recently made school preference decisions via the EA admissions portal to further explore the demand for Integrated Education and analyse annual school admissions data to build up a thorough picture of demand for Integrated Education across Northern Ireland.
Results from parental ballots held to weigh up Transformation proposals will also be considered to further understanding of societal and behavioural demand for Integrated Education as expressed by parents.
During 2025, and annually thereafter, my Department will develop and publish a report on demand for Integrated Education informed by the evidence gathered. I expect the EA will use this report to meet its statutory obligation to aim to meet demand for Integrated Education.