This blog post is a little different. Using my background as an advocate for children, I reflect on what they require from an education system that is so often not designed to serve their needs. When discussing change in the Northern Ireland education system, we should be discussing ‘children’, not ‘learners’. They bring their whole selves to education and, to be able to realise their rights, we must see them in their totality. If we took a child’s rights approach to exploring education in Northern Ireland, the system would potentially be much improved. In this post I propose that getting rid of academic selection, addressing special educational needs and moving forward with Integrated education will improve a schooling system characterised by division and inequalities.

What I mean by a child’s rights approach is set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It defines the purpose of education as: ‘The development of the child’s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential.’ When considering change, we have to think about how we make sure that we are fulfilling that potential. We need to start by removing the barriers our society has created for many children. Like many education systems ours does not properly address inequalities and, in many cases, exacerbates them. We have known for decades that poverty is one of the biggest indicators that a child may not succeed in education; however, in Northern Ireland, we have a system that at age 11 divides the ‘haves’ from the ‘have-nots’, making it very clear to the latter that they are ‘less than’. I have struggled to understand why, in the face of overwhelming evidence, those who can make the change are unwilling to do so. In some cases, it may be because of a genuinely held belief that academic selection helps children from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve academically, but there is scant evidence for this (see Hughes & Loader, 2024). Our children’s education must become a priority at the ballot box.

‘Our children’s education must become a priority at the ballot box.’

Another inequality in our education system concerns those children with additional or special educational needs (NICCY, 2024). These children have been at the back of the queue for services for years, a situation exacerbated by Covid-19. Our education staff are committed and talented, but we are asking too much of them. Historical cuts in the education budget have increased the demand on statutory services for these children. Significant investment is needed in the short-to-medium term that will yield magnificent savings in the long term, not only to the public purse, but to the lives of children and their families.

That Northern Ireland’s education system is divided along religious lines is well known, but the Department of Education now has a requirement to ‘support’ Integrated Education. Children should have the right to meet other children (Article 15) and should be encouraged to respect other cultures (Article 29) and, arguably, this is best achieved in schools where children are educated together. The debates over the Integrated Education Act interested me and made me reflect on how we might navigate the journey to a single education system. I observed the heartbreak of excellent educators from the Controlled (largely Protestant) and Maintained (largely Catholic) sectors – remember, both sectors are open to all, but generally segregated – as they watched their life’s work being denigrated. I accept that this was not the intention, but it was the effect for some. Words matter, and it made me think about my words during that time. I also noted the deliberate misinterpretation of the proposals and the assertion by many sectoral leaders that their system or school was the best and always inclusive.

Make no mistake – I am a strong supporter of the Integrated Education Act – indeed, it should have been stronger. I applaud every school that chooses to become Integrated in the best interests of their children – it represents one small step along the road. But we still have some way to go. And we cannot expect our education system (and, in turn, our children) to fix Northern Ireland’s problems. It is a whole-society endeavour, and everyone needs to step up.

‘I applaud every school that chooses to become Integrated in the best interests of their children – it represents one small step along the road.’

Let’s use the rights of children enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to move Northern Ireland’s education system forward.

References

Hughes, J., & Loader, R. (2024). Is academic selection in Northern Ireland a barrier to social cohesion? Research Papers in Education, 39(3),420–438. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2022.2135016

Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People [NICCY]. (2024). Special educational needs. https://www.niccy.org/education-inequalities/special-educational-needs-sen/