---
title: "Only two of NI’s 1,000 schools meet Givan’s integrated education target"
date: "2026-10-07T10:13:09+01:00"
modified: "2026-10-07T10:13:13+01:00"
url: "https://humanists.uk/2026/10/07/only-two-of-nis-1000-schools-meet-givans-integrated-education-target/"
post_id: 199480
categories: ["News", "Northern Ireland"]
---

# Only two of NI’s 1,000 schools meet Givan’s integrated education target

![](https://i0.wp.com/humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/iStock-1336901927.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&ssl=1)Only two of Northern Ireland’s approximately 1,000 schools currently meet the 40:40:20 pupil-mix aspiration promoted by the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) as the target for integrated schools, and cited by Education Minister Paul Givan when refusing to allow more integrated schools to open. Neither of the two is in fact an integrated school itself. Northern Ireland Humanists has called on NICIE to change its target, warning that it fails to reflect young people’s beliefs today and so is blocking progress towards the opening of more integrated schools.

The finding comes from analysis of the 2025/26 school census by Jack Russell of [Believe the Data,](https://believethedata.org/integrated-education-must-reimagine-itself-to-survive/) examining the barriers facing integrated education. He found that only Strabane Academy and Jones Memorial Primary School in Enniskillen meet the target of at least 40% of pupils coming from a Catholic background, and 40% from a Protestant background. Neither is an integrated school – both are controlled (i.e. de facto Protestant).

The findings follow Education Minister Paul Givan’s refusal of four further schools’ [applications to become integrated](https://www.ief.org.uk/2026/09/09/four-schools-left-disappointed-as-integrated-status-denied/), after [rejecting applications](https://humanists.uk/2025/01/08/education-minister-refuses-to-let-schools-become-integrated-defying-80-parent-support/) from Bangor Academy and Rathmore Primary School in 2025. The refusals centred on whether the schools would attract sufficient Protestant and Catholic pupils. [NICIE’s Statement of Principles](https://nicie.org/what-is-integrated-education/integrated-ethos/sop/) sets out that ‘each integrated school aspires to an annual intake of at least 40% pupils from a perceived Catholic background and at least 40% pupils from a perceived Protestant background’, leaving up to 20% for everyone else. Although this is not a fixed legal quota, Paul Givan has cited it in explaining the decisions. Before the Department of Education will approve a school’s application to become integrated, it must believe that there will be ‘reasonable numbers’ of Protestant and Catholic pupils in attendance. Givan has decided this means 40:40:20 – even though only two schools in the whole country meet this requirement.

Only two schools meet this requirement largely because demographics have changed. The [2026 Young Life and Times survey](https://www.ark.ac.uk/ylt/2026/summary26.pdf) found that 39% of Northern Ireland’s 16-year-olds belong to no religion, compared with 35% identifying as Catholic and 24% as Protestant or other Christian. Among respondents attending integrated schools, 54% said they are non-religious.

#### **Jack Russell, author of** ***Believe the Data*, told Northern Ireland Humanists:**

> ‘Integrated education has the opportunity to move away from a binary system of Christian identity that no longer describes the generation it aims to serve. Young people are telling us who they are. The movement must respond by reimagining its principles to become truly inclusive of all families and young people in Northern Ireland today.’

#### **Northern Ireland Humanists Coordinator Boyd Sleator commented:**

> ‘Parents are asking for their children to learn together, yet applications for new integrated schools keep being turned down. This is because the diversity target was set decades ago. It does not reflect the fact that the number of non-religious families has boomed since. NICIE must update its Statement of Principles, replace the 40:40:20 aspiration with criteria that reflect today’s communities, and remove its insistence that integrated schools are essentially Christian.

> ‘Bringing children together remains essential. That means treating non-religious families and those of minority faiths as equal members of the school community. The Department must also reform its approach so that integration can continue to grow.’

#### Notes

For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Head of Press and Campaign Communications Nathan Stilwell at press@humanists.uk or phone 0203 675 0959 (media only).

Read more about our work on [schools and education](https://humanists.uk/campaigns/current-campaigns/religious-schools/).

Read our response to the [2022 Integrated Schools Bill](https://humanists.uk/2022/03/09/northern-ireland-assembly-passes-integrated-education-bill/).

Northern Ireland Humanists is part of Humanists UK, working with the Humanist Association of Ireland. Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by over 150,000 members and supporters, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. We provide ceremonies, pastoral care, education, and support services benefitting over a million people every year and our campaigns advance humanist thinking on ethical issues, human rights, and equal treatment for all.