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Status
Received: on time
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Income
£2.0M
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Spending
£1.9M
Public benefits
IEF was established for the furtherance of integrated education in Northern Ireland. Its purpose falls under the description of charitable purpose for both the ‘advancement of education’ and the ‘advancement of human rights, conflict resolution or reconciliation or the promotion of religious or racial harmony or equality and diversity’. Integrated
education brings together in each school, pupils, staff and governors from both the Protestant and Catholic traditions. The integrated school provides a learning environment where children and young people from these backgrounds, as well as those of other faiths and none, can learn with, from and about each other. The children learn together, side by side, in the same classrooms each day. Integrated schools are open to all and are all-ability. The ethos of integrated education includes the development of skills, structures and relationships that enable schools, pupils and their parents, staff and governors and the wider community to increase their understanding, acceptance and respect for political, cultural and religious difference. When the first integrated schools were established, the focus was primarily on the Protestant and Catholic traditions; the growth in minority faiths and the development of greater cultural diversity in Northern Ireland means that, today, the promotion of equality and good relations extends to everyone in the school and to their families regardless of their religious, cultural or social background. The contribution of integrated education to a more reconciled society was recognised in legislation in the 1989 Education Reform Order and furthermore in 1998 with the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement, an Agreement endorsed by the majority of citizens in Northern Ireland. However, as Northern Ireland moves through this transition from conflict through sustained peace and toward a stable society, Integrated Education Fund is still needed because there is inadequate statutory planning for the development of integrated education, and insufficient places to meet parental demand. • Northern Ireland maintains a system that educates its children separately, both by religious background and measurements of ability. • Approximately 90% of pupils from both main traditions in Northern Ireland, Protestant and Catholic, remain in schools that largely or exclusively educate only one side of the community. • Northern Ireland also maintains a largely separate system of teacher training. • Consequently, pupil interactions are mostly with peers, teachers and others from their own community, with limited opportunity to explore and engage with other beliefs and attitudes. Only 63 schools are formally integrated and there are even less schools with a significant religious mix. Without change the vast majority of parents will never have the opportunity for their children to be educated together. IEF recognises that all schools must be able to play a part, whether through moving to formal integrated status, through increased meaningful shared education between schools of a different ethos, or by all schools being inclusive spaces in policy and practice.
... [more] [less]What your organisation does
IEF works in three different ways to achieve our stated purpose: 1. Through grant programmes to support: a) Existing integrated schools – provide capital enhancements to aid growth, double enrolments, sixth form provision; create & support new pre-schools; and raise awareness. b) Schools considering transforming – support schools considering
changing status to an integrated school eg the school could implement an awareness campaign; use community audits to outline current local education provision & the potential for transformation to integrated status; pay for transformation-related training for school staff, governors, & parents. c) Transformed integrated schools – to encourage & support the development of transformed integrated schools. d) Parent groups seeking integrated education provision – for parents groups to undertake research, deliver information sessions and grow understanding of, and confidence in integrated education in their area. e) Meaningful shared education - to support integrated schools working & partnering with non-integrated schools to develop respect & understanding for other cultures that exist side by side in Northern Ireland. 2. Through an advocacy strategy IEF will focus on gaining increased civic support to bring about policy and structural change in education. IEF will engage with key opinion formers and influencers in political, media & civic spheres, working in partnership with a range of other organisations and groups. IEF receives no statutory funding and is dependent on raising all its own funds by working with individuals, organisations, businesses as well as other trusts and foundations to secure the funds necessary to provide grants to those schools and groups in need of its support, and to pay for the advocacy work and cover IEF’s core costs. The fundraising campaign raises money as efficiently as possible, while keeping costs to a minimum.
... [more] [less]The charity’s classifications
- The advancement of education
- The advancement of human rights, conflict resolution or reconciliation or the promotion of religious or racial harmony or equality and diversity
Who the charity helps
- Children (5-13 year olds)
- Ethnic minorities
- Parents
- Preschool (0-5 year olds)
- Youth (14-25 year olds)
How the charity works
- Advice/advocacy/information
- Cross-border/cross-community
- Education/training
- Grant making
- Human rights/equality
- Playgroup/after schools
- Research/evaluation
