'Not enough Catholics would attend': North Down schools refused integrated status
The Education Minister has refused integrated status to two schools in North Down because it "would only have a marginal impact on the number of Catholic children attending the schools".
Bangor Academy and Sixth Form College and Rathmore Primary School had both applied for integrated status with around 80% of parents at each school supporting the move.
However this move has now been blocked by Education Minister Paul Givan, who says after he "considered the demographics of the local area" he does not believe that moving to integrated status "would only have a marginal impact on the number of Catholic children attending the schools".
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He also said that he believes there is "insufficient evidence" that there would be an increase in Catholic enrolments at the school.
Education Minister Paul Givan said: “The Development Proposals for Bangor Academy and Sixth Form College and Rathmore Primary School, were carefully considered, based on all the information available.
“The Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 places a duty on the Department of Education to encourage, facilitate and support the development of integrated education, and to provide support for integrated education. I therefore have a duty to encourage and facilitate integrated education and have regularly done so.
“It also states that the Department should not approve a proposal if it does not believe that, if a school were to become a controlled integrated school, that it would be likely to provide integrated education.
“Over recent years, the percentage of Catholic children attending both Bangor Academy and Sixth Form College and Rathmore Primary school, has been around three percent.
“When a school transforms to Integrated, the precise religious balance within the school will vary depending on local circumstances. When considering the demographics of the local area, the extremely limited and historic enrolments from the Catholic community and the availability of both Catholic maintained and other integrated options, I believe there is insufficient evidence that reasonable numbers could be achieved in the future.
“I would anticipate that changing the status of the two schools to integrated would only have a marginal impact on the number of Catholic children attending the schools. Even on the most optimistic analysis, it would appear highly unlikely that reasonable numbers could be achieved.
“Both Development Proposals contained insufficient evidence of how these issues could be overcome and when applying the statutory test of whether it was likely that the schools would provide ‘integrated education’ namely, the education together of those of different cultures and religious beliefs and of none, including reasonable numbers of both Protestant and Catholic children or young persons, I do not believe the conditions are currently met or that they could be met if the Development Proposals were approved.
“I understand that this news will be disappointing for the two schools, the pupils and parents who supported the proposals for integrated education.”
Alliance MLA Connie Egan has said the Minister's move is "deeply concerning" and that he has "effectively blocked integrated education in North Down".
She said: “These are not only exceptionally disappointing decisions by the Education Minster but deeply concerning ones.
“The Minister needs to set out his rationale for effectively blocking integrated education across North Down. It is difficult to think of one, given the overwhelming public support for the moves among parents of pupils and also the wider local community.
“This move will cause hurt right across North Down, with 79.4 per cent of parents at Bangor Academy and 82.3 per cent of parents at Rathmore now feeling as if their views have now been ignored. I will be submitting an urgent question to the Minister to seek immediate clarification around this matter.”
Alliance MLA Nick Mathison, Chair of the Assembly’s Education Committee, said he was baffled by the decisions.
He said: “Parents have spoken clearly and unambiguously on this, so it is baffling to see the decisions reached by the Minister.
“My colleague Kellie Armstrong’s Integrated Education Act in the last Assembly mandate clearly outlined the Department of Education’s duty to encourage, facilitate and support integrated education. These decisions are entirely contrary to that.
“I will be seeking answers from him in the Assembly as a matter of urgency, as those who overwhelmingly voted to transform to integrated status will no doubt be asking serious questions about the Minister’s judgement.”
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