Covid-19: Fall in number of pupils in shared education

Shared education involves pupils from separate schools and different backgrounds coming together for joint classes and activities

The Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions on schools led to a collapse in the number of young people taking part in shared education.

There was an 80% fall in the number of pupils in shared education between June 2019 and June 2021.

During some of that time pupils were taught remotely or prohibited from mixing with others outside their class.

That meant joint activities with other schools and things like sports fixtures were not permitted at times.

The fall in participation is revealed in a just-published Department of Education (DE) report to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Shared education involves pupils from separate schools and different backgrounds coming together for joint classes and activities.

Teachers and governors from different schools can also work together.

It differs from integrated education where pupils from Catholic, Protestant and other backgrounds are educated together in the same school.

The fall in Shared Education participation is revealed in a just-published Department of Education (DE) report to the Northern Ireland Assembly

The DE monitoring report on shared education covers the period from April 2020 - just after the start of the first Covid-19 lockdown - to March 2022.

But it includes a comparison between the number of pupils involved in shared education in June 2019 and June 2021.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has undeniably had an impact on shared education delivery with the majority of face-to-face pupil contact suspended since March 2020," the DE report said.

"As a result, there has been an 80% reduction in the overall number of children and young people involved; falling from 87,385 participating at June 2019 to 17,476 at June 2021."

One in every four pupils (25%) in Northern Ireland were involved in shared education in June 2019, with the numbers particularly high in primary schools.

But that fell to one in twenty pupils (5%) in June 2021, with almost no post-primary pupils involved at that time.

However, the DE report said that some schools had continued to do joint activities online or outdoors.

The report also said that "once the health situation allows, it is anticipated that the numbers of children and young people engaged in shared education will return, and in time exceed, pre-Covid levels".

'Remained committed'

The department provides substantial amounts of funding for shared education, along with The Executive Office, Atlantic Philanthropies and the European Union (EU).

For instance, £25m has been provided for the Delivering Social Change Signature Project for Shared Education while the Collaboration and Sharing in Education Project receives 29m Euro from the EU.

As many schools and pupils were not able to meet for joint activities due to pandemic restrictions the date for funding for some activities under those programmes has been extended.

The DE report said that "in spite of the limitations placed on educational settings over the last two years, school leaders and teachers/practitioners have remained committed to developing and delivering shared education, where possible".

It also said that a number of studies had shown that, overall, shared education benefitted pupils' education and promoted good relations between young people.

More than 4,000 pupils are eventually expected to move into six new schools on the site of the former Lisanelly Army base

The biggest shared education project in Northern Ireland is the £230m Strule Shared Education Campus.

More than 4,000 pupils are eventually expected to move into six new schools on the site of the former Lisanelly Army base.

They will continue to attend separate schools but share many of the campus facilities.

However, Strule has been beset by problems and delays and the schools are not set to open until 2026.