MLA hits out at Education Minister over refusal to grant integrated status to Hillsborough school

“The Minister's decision to reject a proposal by Downshire Primary School in Hillsborough to transform to integrated status shows complete disregard for parents, staff and the wishes of the school,” said Ms Guy.

"The Minister has shown time and time again a complete lack of respect towards integrated schools or those who want to transform.

"The timing of the announcement on the first day of term, when school leaders and parents are dealing with an array of back to school issues compounds this sense of disrespect.

"I want to thank all the staff and parents who put a massive amount of careful and detailed work into the proposal which was motivated by a genuine desire to become integrated. And let me be clear, the Minister could support this proposal - he is choosing not to.

"Reducing the idea of integration to a numbers game is narrow, integration is so much more than designations.

"Integration is about the governance of the school through the Board of Governors, it is about the ethos, it is about the parents and the wider school community buying into it.

"It's also important to state that in these conversations it's never about pitting one school against another, or one sector against another, but the reality is parents express demand for more opportunities for integrated education, this Minister is determined that we have less.

"I have reached out to the school and will be writing to the Minister to reflect the disappointment and anger of those left deflated by the Minister's decision.”

In refusing the proposal from Downshire Primary School, Mr Givan, who is also an MLA for the Lagan Valley area, said “The evidence does not establish that the achievement of reasonable numbers of Protestant and Roman Catholic pupils is likely.

"I therefore cannot be satisfied that the school would be likely to provide integrated education within the meaning of the legislation.

"The proposal must accordingly be refused.”

A spokesperson for the Council for Integrated Education and Integrated Education Fund responded to Mr Givan’s decision on Downshire Primary, as well as a number of other schools in Northern Ireland, with disappointment, saying: “We would like to express enormous disappointment at the decisions taken by the Education Minister to refuse Integrated status to several schools in Northern Ireland.

"Our thoughts are with the children, parents, staff, and wider school communities who were at the centre of these proposals.

"Rather than being able to focus solely on welcoming pupils back and planning for a successful year ahead, these schools are having to deal with the impact of a negative and devastating decision at the start of a new academic year.

"Integrated Education cannot be reduced to just numbers of Protestant and Catholic children alone.

"Many parents who chose Integrated schools do not fit into these traditional categories.

"Integrated Education promotes an intentional ethos which permeates every aspect of school life.

"The Department of Education has a legal duty to not only measure demand, but it must also aim to meet that demand."