Education Minister has today welcomed the High
Court's judgment which dismissed legal challenges against his
decisions not to approve the transformation of Rathmore Primary
School and Bangor Academy and Sixth Form College to integrated
status.
In a comprehensive judgement, Mr Justice McAlinden found that the
Education Minister acted lawfully and within the powers given to
him under the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 and
the Integrated Education (Northern Ireland) Act 2022.
The Court confirmed that the Minister's interpretation of the
law, particularly around the requirement for “reasonable numbers”
of pupils from both Protestant and Catholic backgrounds, was
correct.
The judgement said: 'the Minister cannot in law approve a
proposal unless he considers it likely that reasonable numbers
presently exist or will be achieved: “The Minister determined
that he could not be so satisfied and even if a heavy-handed
review was permitted, it would be hard to find fault with the
Minister's reasoning, let alone conclude that it was irrational
or Wednesbury unreasonable.”
It went on to state: “this judicial review, when carefully
examined, is an attempt by some proponents of integrated
education to effect a reversal of the realistic stance taken by
the Minister by arguing that the introduction of the word
‘support' in the legislative framework in 2022 somehow means that
a very lax attitude to the requirement of ‘reasonable numbers'
should be adopted: “Such an attempt is doomed to failure for all
sorts of reasons… The court refused leave to apply for judicial
review in both cases.”
said: “I welcome today's
clear and comprehensive ruling by the High Court. It confirms
that my decisions were made lawfully, carefully and in line with
the statutory duties governing integrated education. I remain
committed to encouraging, facilitating and supporting integrated
education as defined in the law. This ruling sets a significant
precedent for future integrated education proposals and reaffirms
the importance of legal and evidential rigour in shaping Northern
Ireland's educational landscape.”
The Court also acknowledged the Minister's Written Ministerial
Statement on Reasonable Numbers, published in September 2025,
which clarified the Department's expectations for transformation
proposals.
