AQW 29371/22-27

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 26/06/2025
Answered On Date: 07/07/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education to detail how his Department is monitoring (i) the Education Authority; and (ii) Controlled Schools Council, to ensure both are complying with the Integrated Education Act 2022 and supporting the intentionality of integrated education and integrated ethos.

Answer:

Only the Education Authority (EA) has a duty to encourage, facilitate and support Integrated Education. Neither organisation has a specific duty to support the intentionality of the Integrated ethos.

The EA and the Controlled Schools Support Council (CSSC) both have a strong history of working in partnership with those in Integrated Education to support and develop the sector. For example, in 2025 the EA and NICIE launched ‘The Framework for Integrated Education’, a self-evaluation toolkit specifically designed for Integrated schools to help them evaluate the nature, extent, and quality of their Integrated ethos and set targets for its development.

The Department monitors compliance with these actions through routine engagement with each body, approval and monitoring of organisational business plans by DE policy leads and through the regular arm’s length body accountability arrangements. The Department sought and used input from both organisations during development of the Section 10 report on Integrated Education published on 26 April 2024.