Support in Northern Ireland for integrated education – schools attended by both Protestant and Catholic children – is high. There are many factors behind this, including the view that separate schools perpetuate divisions and are an anachronism in an increasingly secularised society.
There also appears to be a political will to make integrated education a reality. In April 2022 the Northern Ireland Assembly passed the Integrated Education Act which placed a statutory duty on the Northern Ireland Department of Education to “encourage, facilitate and support” integrated education. In an unrelated announcement in July, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced additional funding of £1.9 million to support schools wishing to become integrated.
There are a number of factors holding back progress towards integrated education in Northern Ireland. Existing organisations involved in education, including the Protestant and Catholic churches, have been defensive about their own schools. In a divided society where political decisions depend on consensus, there is a level of political inertia to overcome.
