Schools and charity registration in Northern Ireland

The education system in Northern Ireland consists of different types of schools which are overseen by the Department of Education and a range of other education bodies.

Some school structures may be required to apply to register as charities with the Commission, while others will not. This will depend on how they have been established.

This is a complex area and the Commission’s understanding continues to develop. At this time, the Commission is not currently calling forward schools for registration. The Independent Review of Charity Regulation (January 2022) has tasked the Department for Communities, under recommendation 31, to liaise with the Department for Education regarding the complexities around the registration of schools.