Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and (b) her other cabinet colleagues on the principles of integrated education.

Education is a devolved matter and approaches to integrated education necessarily take account of the specific characteristics of communities within the different countries of the UK.

In England, all publicly funded schools are subject to explicit legal requirements to promote community cohesion. Schools have the freedom to decide how best to do this in the light of their local circumstances. Through inspection, schools are assessed on how well they prepare pupils to work and socialise with those from different backgrounds and show respect for other faiths and cultural diversity.

Dame Louise Casey recently published the outcome of her review into opportunity and integration which recommended that the Government promote more integrated schools. We are considering Dame Louise’s recommendations across Government and will respond in due course. We will also consider in particular what lessons can be learned from the experience of integrated schools in Northern Ireland.