Integrate Carrickfergus Central Primary School

What's happening?

Parents at Carrickfergus Central Primary School (a controlled school) have voted overwhelmingly (86% support) to become an integrated school.

Rather than being organised around a specific religious community, integrated schools are designed to bring together pupils, families and teachers of all backgrounds.

"I think Integration is a good idea so no one feels left out. We should all learn together about each other and then we wouldn't be scared of each other anymore. Lots of people in Carrick hate Catholics but that is just because they don't know any. If Catholics and Protestants in Carrick went to our school together they wouldn't hate each other anymore. It's simple."

Primary 6 pupil

Update 27 April 2021: Carrickfergus Central Primary School's conversion to integrated status has been approved by the Department of Education. It is scheduled to take place at the start of the 2021/22 academic year.

What's our view?

There is extremely broad support across all communities in Northern Ireland for children to be educated together in good inclusive schools. Sadly institutions have not kept pace with the public's wishes and the vast majority of schools remain segregated along religious lines. This fragmented education system exacerbates community tensions, wastes taxpayers' money and undermines children's religious freedom.

Where (as here) there is strong democratic support for an existing single faith school to become integrated (transformation), the Department of Education must give the proposal series consideration.

Who are we?

No More Faith Schools is a national campaign coordinated by the National Secular Society and with supporters from a broad social, political and religious spectrum. We're dedicated to an end to state funded faith schools. We would like all schools to have an inclusive community ethos, free from any religious discrimination, privilege or control.

We help people challenge new faith schools, particularly where they have discriminatory admissions rules and where there are proposals for inclusive alternatives.