TACOT:IE - Formal Integrated Schools - Post-16 provision

Formal Integrated Schools

f. Post-16 Provision

43. Under the present arrangements any school has discretion to make whatever post-16 provision it wishes provided it can accommodate the pupils within its agreed physical capacity. When considering demands from schools for additional capital provision for post-16 purposes, the Department's decision is based on whether there is sufficient alternative post-16 provision in other appropriate schools or FE colleges in the area.

44. The group accepts the need to review this policy to ensure equality of opportunity together with the quality and effectiveness of existing provision In particular, integrated schools, like other school sectors, do not consider provision in FE colleges to be a wholly adequate alternative and feel that parents have a legitimate expectation of post-16 provision in an all-ability school. It was agreed, nevertheless, that there should be a coherent post-16 policy for all schools which ensures equality of opportunity and access for all children in all sectors. This should be the objective of the general review which has just been initiated by the Department. Representatives of the integrated sector were concerned that this would delay urgent decisions in relation to some existing integrated schools and it was agreed to receive a paper from integrated schools on this issue.

Demand
A planned approach
Transformation
New schools
Pre-school
Post-16 provision
Grammar provision