Research published on demand for Integrated Education
Date published:
The Department of Education has published Northern Ireland Life and Times research into the demand for Integrated Education.
The research examined attitudes and preferences for Integrated Education and investigated factors influencing primary and post primary school choice.
The research, carried out by ARK, a research, policy and impact hub jointly based at Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University, surveyed 1,199 adults aged 18 and over, randomly selected from addresses across Northern Ireland.
Key findings include:
- School choice is driven primarily by quality of education, school facilities, how easy it is to travel there and proximity to home.
- Quality of education was the most important factor for 52% of parents whose eldest child attended an Integrated primary school, with around a fifth (22%) citing the school's integrated status as most important.
- Among parents whose eldest child had attended an Integrated primary school, 47% stated the Integrated status of the school was an important factor in school choice.
These findings mirror the Parental Admission Survey (July 2025), which also showed that quality of education was the most important factor when choosing a school.
The Northern Ireland Life and Times research can be viewed on the Department of Education website - https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/publications/demand-integrated-education-findings-2024-northern-ireland-life-and-times-survey
