What's happening?
Parents at St Mary's High School (a Catholic maintained school in Brollagh) have voted overwhelmingly (73% support) to become an integrated school. It's one of several Catholic maintained schools hoping to be the first to successfully transform (become integrated) following a parental vote.
Rather than being organised around a specific religious community, integrated schools are designed to bring together pupils, families and teachers of all backgrounds.
Update 19 March 2021: Following the Department of Education's rejection of their proposal to become integrated, St Mary's High School will close at the end of this 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.
Related news
Related news
Church to receive publicly funded faith school buildings for free
Posted: Tue, 30 Apr 2019 15:33
The Welsh government and a council will give new buildings and land to the Church in Wales for free after...
Campaigners sign major letter against fully selective faith schools
Posted: Mon, 15 Apr 2019 15:10
Leading public figures and campaigners have urged the government not to fund new faith schools which...
Faith school advocates place inculcation above education
Posted: Thu, 11 Apr 2019 13:20
As a faith school is celebrated for unapologetically pushing its evangelical ethos, Alastair Lichten...
Jewish faith school to split to avoid gender segregation ruling
Posted: Thu, 4 Apr 2019 16:36
A Jewish faith school where male and female pupils receive separate RE lessons and curricula has finalised...
Faith schools under-represent disadvantaged children, report says
Posted: Thu, 28 Mar 2019 10:37
Faith schools – particularly those which perform well academically – under-represent the...
New voluntary aided faith schools: what happens next?
Posted: Wed, 27 Mar 2019 13:02
The government has outlined plans for 14 new fully selective faith schools in England. Alastair Lichten...