The Education Authority (EA) of Northern Ireland just released the results of a survey. They needed to know what parents would want most for their kids’ school assignments. The survey was aimed at Parents and Guardians of children entering school. It quickly gained traction and elicited comment from over 9,700 individuals. This project, overseen by Northern Ireland’s Education Department, uncovers deeply important findings with regards to the perceptions area of integrated education.
Of those respondents, almost half—46%—said they preferred school after the primary grades. The findings indicated that a notable 24% of parents would prefer their child not to be educated in an integrated school setting. By comparison, only 31.2% of respondents supported the idea of integrated schools. At the same time, 37.3% said they were neutral on the issue.
For parents and guardians that preferred non-integrated schools, the reasons behind their preferences differed. An overwhelming 39.6% listed the “quality of education” as the key contributing factor shaping their decision. Fifteen point eight percent of respondents ranked “closeness to home” as their most important reason. Moreover, fourteen point one percent stressed the need to have “family or friends at school.”
Advocates for integrated schools highlighted quality as a dealbreaker. Of those respondents, 32.5% placed the “quality of education” at the top of their list. Proximity to home was important for 14.6%, and 12.9% named a need for co-educational spaces—inclusive of all races and backgrounds—as their top issue.
The survey brings to light a striking schism in attitudes among Northern Ireland parents when it comes to integrated education. An overwhelming 85.3% picked an integrated school as their top pick. They think that it is “important” or “very important” that their child goes to this kind of school.
