The Department of Education has published Northern Ireland Life
and Times research into the demand for Integrated Education.
The research examined attitudes and preferences for Integrated
Education and investigated factors influencing primary and post
primary school choice.
The research, carried out by ARK, a research, policy and impact
hub jointly based at Queen's University Belfast and Ulster
University, surveyed 1,199 adults aged 18 and over, randomly
selected from addresses across Northern Ireland.
Key findings include:
- School choice is driven primarily by quality of education,
school facilities, how easy it is to travel there and proximity
to home.
- Quality of education was the most important factor for 52% of
parents whose eldest child attended an Integrated primary school,
with around a fifth (22%) citing the school's integrated status
as most important.
- Among parents whose eldest child had attended an Integrated
primary school, 47% stated the Integrated status of the school
was an important factor in school choice.
These findings mirror the Parental Admission Survey (July 2025),
which also showed that quality of education was the most
important factor when choosing a school.
The Northern Ireland Life and Times research can be viewed on the
Department of Education website – www.education-ni.gov.uk/publications/demand-integrated-education-findings-2024-northern-ireland-life-and-times-survey
Notes to editors:
1. The Departmental funded questions in the NILT survey provide
an insight into attitudes towards Integrated Education and
parental choice on education settings in Northern Ireland under
the context of the Integrated Education Act (Northern Ireland)
2022. The Department of Education has a responsibility to
identify, assess, monitor and aim to meet the demand for
Integrated Education under the Integrated Education Act.
2. The Parental Admission Survey published in July 2025 is
available here - www.education-ni.gov.uk/publications/parental-school-admission-survey-report-2025
