Revisions to school integration process

On 25 February 2026, the Department of Education published revised guidance, Transforming Together: Understanding the Pathway to Integrated Education, setting out a “clearer, more structured process for schools seeking to change status”.

The document replaces the 2017 guidance, Integration Works, and reflects the commencement of the Integrated Education Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 which moved the Department’s role from passive observer to having a statutory duty to “encourage, facilitate, and support” integrated education.

One of the most significant clarifications is around what constitutes a “reasonable number” of pupils from the minority community.

The guidance indicates that typically at least 10 per cent of a school’s first-year intake should come from the minority tradition in the school’s area for transformation to be approved.

While the 10 per cent figure applies to initial intake, the document sets a longer-term ambition. Transformed schools are expected to work towards achieving a minimum of 30 per cent representation from the minority community over a 10-year period.

The guidance also states that boards of governors must also be restructured to ensure balanced representation from Protestant, Catholic, and other/none communities.

The 2022 Act widened the definition of integrated education to include those other than Protestant or Roman Catholic, and to include ‘those who are experiencing socioeconomic deprivation and those who are not’.

The Act was stress-tested in January 2025 when Education Minister Paul Givan MLA rejected applications from two schools in Bangor wishing to transform to integrated status.

According to documents published by the Department of Education, officials had recommended that both schools transform to become integrated. These recommendations were subsequently rejected by the Minister.

Givan stated at the time: “There was not enough evidence that there would be enough Catholic pupils at each school for it to provide integrated education.”

The Act outlined that there should be an undefined “reasonable numbers of both Protestant and Roman Catholic children” in integrated schools.

In Bangor Academy, which held a ballot in which 80 per cent of parents of pupils supported integration, 57.5 per cent of pupils were Protestant at the time, and around 40 per cent were from Catholic, non-Christian, or non-religious backgrounds

In a statement after Givan’s decision, the principal of Bangor Academy, Matthew Pitts, said the school community was “extremely disappointed”.

“We have been on a significant journey as a school and the transformation process has been exciting and has helped us redefine our school’s vision for education moving forward.”