To ask the Minister of Education, pursuant AQW 11728/22-27, to detail the terms and conditions of the review.

The terms of reference for the review of the Departmental guidance “Integration works” are as follows:

Terms of Reference for the Review of “Integration Works” guidance

Introduction

Schools transform to integrated status through the statutory Development Proposal process, which is laid out in the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989. A proposal is published, consulted on and a decision taken by the Education Minister or, in the absence of a Minister, by the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Education.

The Department’s current guidance to support schools considering transforming to either controlled integrated or grant maintained integrated status “Integration Works” was published in 2017.

The Integrated Education Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 gained Royal Assent on 26 April 2022 following its passage through the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Act came into operation on 26 October 2022.

The Act amends the previous duty on the Department under Article 64 of the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 to encourage and facilitate the development of integrated education. Now the duty includes “support” which is defined in Section 5 of the Act.

The Act also amends the definition of integrated education to mean “the education together, in an integrated school, of

those of different cultures and religious beliefs and of none, including reasonable numbers of both Protestant and Roman Catholic children or young persons;

those who are experiencing socio-economic deprivation and those who are not; and

those of different abilities.”

The Act further defines an integrated school as one which:

“a) intentionally supports, protects and advances an ethos of diversity, respect and understanding between those of different cultures and religious beliefs and of none, between those of different socio-economic backgrounds and between those of different abilities, and

(b)has acquired—

(i)grant-maintained integrated status, or

(ii)controlled integrated status

under the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989.”

Objective of the Review

The objective of the review of the “Integration Works” guidance is to ensure it:

reflects the new definitions, requirements and statutory duties of the Integrated Education Act;

contains up to date and relevant information on the transformation process in line with the statutory framework set out in the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989, as amended by the Integrated Education Act;

reflects experience gained since the last review;

is clear and easily understandable by parents, schools, Boards of Governors and relevant Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) providing support and information to schools seeking to transform, including highlighting sources of funding and advice;

aligns with key Departmental policies, in particular the implementation of the Sustainable Schools Policy (SSP) through Area Planning; and

is clear about the information that will be considered as part of the Area Planning process once schools have reached the Development Proposal stage.

Roles and responsibilities

The Irish Medium and Integrated Education (IMIE) team within the Department will take forward the review of Integration Works. A working group consisting of representatives from key policy teams across the Department will be established for drafting purposes. The IMIE team will ensure the Implementation Team for the Integrated Education Act within the Department is kept updated.

The Department will engage with relevant stakeholders, such as the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE), the Education Authority (EA), the Controlled Schools Support Council (CSSC) the Integrated Education Fund (IEF) and principals, as required to ensure the experience of schools that have already gone through the transformation process is considered to help inform the updated guidance.

The review will offer the opportunity to build into the guidance appropriate learning from relevant stakeholders and the chance to clarify any queries that have arisen since the publication of the current guidance e.g. over terms, definitions and processes.

Membership of Working Group – Head of relevant policy team for Departmental teams

DE IMIE team – Chair and lead on drafting.

DE Area Planning.

DE Pre-School Education Programme team as needed.

DE Shared Education and Community Relations team as needed.

Relevant stakeholders as needed.

Key milestones to be achieved by the review

The review will focus on working through the steps necessary to deliver the objectives set out at paragraph 7 of these Terms of Reference. The process of transformation follows legal requirements set out in the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 and the Integrated Education Act (Northern Ireland) 2022.

Drafting will therefore be undertaken by the Department, incorporating engagement with relevant stakeholders as the guidance is reviewed. Content and accuracy checks will form part of the drafting process to ensure the revised guidance considers all the relevant issues identified in partnership with stakeholders, including experience gained since the last review.

The key stages of the review will be as follows.

Timing of each stage will be driven by the underpinning objective to provide updated guidance in a timely manner for schools considering transformation. This includes ensuring that guidance is clear about the information that will be considered as part of the Area Planning process once schools have reached the Development Proposal stage. The review will commence in July 2023.