Legal challenges after NI schools' integration plans rejected
The Department of Education (DE) faces legal challenges over decisions by Paul Givan to reject bids by two north Down schools to become integrated.The education minister decided that plans by Bangor Academy and Rathmore Primary School to become integrated should not proceed.But BBC News NI understands the department has been sent pre-action letters signalling legal challenges to the minister's decisions in both cases.When contacted, a spokesperson for DE said: "The minister's decisions are now subject to legal challenges and it is therefore inappropriate to comment at this time."
The process by which a school changes to become integrated is called transformation.Schools can change to become formally integrated as part of a process that includes a parental vote to see if a majority are in favour.At least half of eligible parents and guardians in a school have to vote in the ballot.With almost 1,900 pupils, Bangor Academy is Northern Ireland's largest school.In its ballot on becoming integrated, almost 80% of parents and guardians at Bangor Academy who voted backed the change.Rathmore Primary received similar backing from parents for their plans, with about 82% of parents who voted agreeing with the move to become integrated.According to documents published by DE, officials had recommended that both schools be allowed to transform to become integrated but the minister decided not to approve that recommendation.In rejecting the bids, Givan said there was not enough evidence that there would be enough Catholic pupils at each school for it to provide integrated education.He cited Stormont legislation which said that there should be "reasonable numbers of both Protestant and Roman Catholic children" in integrated schools.But he faced some criticism for his decisions and they are now being legally challenged.
BBC News NI understands the department has received judicial review pre-action letters from parents of a pupil at each school.When contacted the schools issued a joint statement."Bangor Academy and Sixth Form College and Rathmore Primary School are aware and supportive of potential legal challenges to the minister of education's recent decisions to deny integrated status to both schools," they said."In the absence of an appeals process, the Board of Governors of both schools feel that in reaching his decisions the minister has left parents no other recourse and therefore understand and support those initiating such action."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
28 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Keir Starmer in diplomatic push to head off Middle East crisis ahead of G7 summit in Canada
Keir Starmer is beginning an urgent diplomatic push to try to head off the crisis in the Middle East, as the Foreign Office warned Britons not to travel to Israel after more retaliatory attacks by Iran. Downing Street did not rule out the possibility of having to evacuate UK nationals from Israel if matters worsened further, saying officials were keeping all contingency plans 'under constant review'. The prime minister was to discuss the continuing clashes between Israel and Iran with the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, in Ottawa before heading to the G7 summit in Kananaskis, in the western province of Alberta. While Starmer's programme for meetings at the summit has yet to be set out, it is likely he will hold bilateral talks with leaders such as President Donald Trump, President Emmanuel Macron of France and the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, all of whom Starmer has talked to by phone since the clashes began. 'Our priorities, as we've repeatedly said, is de-escalation,' Starmer's deputy spokesperson told reporters in the Canadian capital, before the prime minister met Carney for talks. On Saturday evening the pair held an informal meeting before watching the Stanley Cup ice hockey final on TV in an Ottawa bar. 'That is what we're concentrating on and encouraging in our discussions with international partners.' Asked what Starmer could do at the G7, he added: 'Clearly, the Middle East will be a topic of discussion, and will be this afternoon in the bilateral with prime minister Carney, but we've been clear throughout that the only route to peace is through diplomacy and through de-escalation.' Earlier on Sunday, the Foreign Office warned Britons against travel to Israel or the occupied Palestinian territories, one of the UK government's most severe warnings in recent memory. The updated guidance warned that insurance policies may be invalidated, describing the crisis as a 'fast-moving situation' posing 'significant risks'. It marks the biggest escalation of UK travel advice since October 2023, when the government urged citizens to avoid all but essential travel after the Hamas attacks of 7 October. Sunday's blanket warning goes further still, reflecting the growing threat to foreign nationals as tensions between Israel and Iran boil over into open confrontation. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, during the flight to Canada, Starmer refused to rule out defending Israel from Iranian strikes launched in response to Israel's attack against Iran's nuclear and military infrastructure, despite Tehran's threat that such an action could lead to British bases in the region being targeted. Speaking earlier to Sky News, Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, said that while the UK has sent additional RAF Typhoon jets and refuelling aircraft to the region, this was just a 'precautionary' move. 'It does not mean that we are at war,' she said. Reeves noted the UK has in the past helped intercept missiles heading towards Israel, and said similar defensive action could not be ruled out. 'We have in the past supported Israel when there have been missiles coming in,' she said, adding the government would act to protect British assets and potentially support its allies. Asked if the UK would back Israel if it seemingly wanted to go further than degrading Iran's nuclear capabilities, with strikes intended to push for regime change in Tehran, the No 10 spokesperson said not. 'We have always been clear Israel must abide by international law, but more broadly, as I say, we've always supported Israel's right to self-defence and its right to protect its citizens,' he said. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'Top of our priorities, we've repeatedly said, is de-escalation. That is what we're concentrating on and encouraging in our discussions with international partners.' Israel's ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, said on Sunday that 'Europe owes a huge thank you' for Israel's strike on Iranian nuclear infrastructure. She called the operation an act of self-defence, insisting Iran had rejected diplomatic overtures. 'Our region would have been a place that is not safe for anyone if Iran had accomplished their plan,' she told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. Over the weekend, Iranian missiles struck civilian areas of Israel, including the coastal city of Bat Yam, killing at least 13 people. In retaliation, Israel launched strikes deep into Iranian territory, including sites linked to the Revolutionary Guard and the country's South Pars gas field. Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has threatened a 'more decisive and severe' response if Israeli strikes continue. The nation's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, accused Israel of attempting to drag the war into the Persian Gulf, and warned the conflict could spread further if not contained. Araghchi also claimed Israel's actions were designed to sabotage nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington, and alleged they could not have happened 'without the US green light and support'. With oil prices rising and regional instability worsening, governments in the west are facing pressure to both contain the violence and protect critical energy routes.
The Herald Scotland
9 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Melania Trump wears bright floral pants to picnic
Again, Trump raised eyebrows after sporting Dolce and Gabbana peony-print cotton jacquard pants and pink suede Manolo Blahnik pumps while greeting guests during the event. The List, an entertainment and lifestyle site geared towards women, said the "eye-popping pants look like grandma's couch." Melania Trump wears black veil to Pope Francis' funeral as President Trump dons blue suit Trump's fashion choices, which are thought to reveal subtle hints about her mood, are the subject of fierce controversy and constant attention. On Jan. 20, she emerged in a dark navy silk wool coat and skirt with an ivory silk crepe blouse designed by Adam Lippes for her husband's second inauguration ceremony. Although she often surprises watchers with her bargain buys and luxurious looks alike, the low-key black dress (and viral matching wide-brim hat) at the swearing-in was a stark departure from the Jacqueline Kennedy-inspired powder blue dress that she wore for her husband's first inauguration in 2017. The former fashion model -- and first practicing Catholic to serve as first lady since Jacqueline Kennedy -- also made headlines when she attended the April 26 service of Pope Francis in a double-breasted coat dress paired with a traditional veil, gloves and black stilettos.
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
I know the ingredients of Ulster's riots only too well
When I saw images of the homes of immigrant families in Ballymena with loyalist flags placed in their windows to ward off racist mobs, and fearful handmade posters reading 'I work in a care home', I felt as if I was back there. It was all so horribly, desperately, familiar. I grew up about ten miles from the epicentre of the anti-immigrant rioting, in my hometown Antrim. Ballymena and Antrim are like twins. Same people, same problems, same hate. Loyalism runs strong here, as it does in other towns where violence spread: Larne, Portadown, Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus. As a young reporter, I covered crime and terrorism in these places. Read more from Neil Mackay: Back then, the towns of County Antrim were dominated by loyalist paramilitaries. Other areas had Republican gunmen and the IRA. Where I grew up, the UVF and UDA were in charge. Though there's always exceptions to the rule. Republican areas had loyalist pockets, and vice versa. Nothing is ever simple in the north of Ireland. My own family history was far from simple. On my maternal side, it was all Irish, Republican and Catholic. On the paternal side, all British, Loyalist and Protestant. Only in a place like Northern Ireland could the term 'mixed marriage' exist into the 21st century. So I got to know what makes both sides tick. I learned to understand – not accept, just understand – their hatreds. When I learned enough, I'd had enough. That's why I left and have lived in Scotland these last 30 years. I couldn't bear the place anymore. Though, in my heart, I still love its beauty, and its people. When my people are good – on both sides – they're very, very good. When they're bad, they're monsters. There's a terrible truth about what has happened in Northern Ireland, which might help folk in Scotland, bewildered by the labyrinthine history and tribal complexity of my country, understand the deep roots of recent events. Read more: The truth lies in what's called the 'siege mentality' of Ulster's loyalists. I deliberately differentiate between loyalism and unionism. Unionism is a perfectly respectable, mainstream political position. Loyalism has much darker shades to it. Everything is on a spectrum in Northern Ireland. There is, after all, a world of difference between an Irish nationalist who believes in gaining a United Ireland through democratic means, and an advocate of the IRA and armed republicanism. Loyalism's siege mentality has deep roots in the past. It goes back to the Plantation of Ulster in the 1600s, when mostly Scottish Protestants settled lands once owned by Irish Catholics. In effect, Ireland became the first 'British' colony, and Ulster was ground zero. To take someone's land you must fight them, and that means you must kill them and they'll kill you back. To kill people, you must learn to hate them. Therein lies the source of loyalism's siege mentality. Loyalists just never felt safe on the land they took. Why would someone from Ireland, like me, have a name like 'Mackay'? The plantation is your answer. Sometime, long ago, my paternal Scottish ancestors colonised the land which my maternal Irish ancestors owned. Siege mentality requires a sense of your own supremacy. You must think: this is my land, nobody else deserves it. Wars and bloodshed have come and gone, but such ancestral traits are hard to shake. All of us carry some burden inherited from our grandfathers and grandmothers. The Troubles are over. Such a ghastly euphemism for what it was: an ethnic civil war of neighbour against neighbour. But grievance and supremacy linger on. To many hardline loyalists, this land is still their land and nobody can claim any right to it; others do not belong, just as Catholics once didn't belong. You can see how such deep psychological currents can easily wash up against the shores of present-day racism and anti-immigrant hate. Thus, all those loyalist flags placed in immigrant windows; thus, all those signs saying 'we're local, we work in care homes'. It was an attempt to say 'we don't threaten you', 'we aren't here to take what you believe is yours'. Even after the riots began, politicians from the hardline Traditional Unionist Voice party talked of 'the influx of Roma' and 'very real grievances' among the people of Ballymena. So far, it appears that loyalist paramilitaries are not orchestrating the violence. Yet. Though the burning of homes has called to mind images of loyalist mobs burning Catholics out of Belfast at the start of the Troubles: the trigger for the arrival of the British army. Aaron Edwards, a Northern Irish security analyst and author who I know and whose work on loyalism I respect, says the absence of loyalist paramilitaries 'may not last for long'. The areas where rioting happened are poor. It is easy for violent men to exploit marginalisation and deprivation. Evidently, supremacy and poverty are a combustible mix. Nor can we forget the long links between loyalist terrorists and the British far-right. That truth came roaring into sight during last summer's far-right riots, which spread from England to Ulster. These are dangerous times in Northern Ireland, where violence and hatred are never far from the surface. What we're seeing may look very new – very 21st century – but the tragedy is that this is a very old toxin still poisoning the country that I both love and loathe.
