Background to the Research

• Although the Education Reform (NI) Order (1989) promised governmental support for integrated education, the delivery of this has been questioned, with the provision of integrated schooling appearing to lag significantly behind the demand for places. Also, despite the ground-breaking promises of the 1998 Belfast/Good Friday Agreement to include children in peacemaking, it has been suggested that there is "no long term vision of NI in 10 or 20 years to guide the design of education". Therefore, the author saw this as an opportune time to reflect on the broader purposes of education in NI and, in particular, to consider the role that integrated education may play in rebuilding a society damaged by conflict.
  

Research Approach

• Drawn from a larger study of the impact of integrated education on former pupils, this paper examined data from semi-structured interviews with two former and two current principals of the two longest established post-primary integrated schools in NI. This study explored the role that integrated schools may play in peace-building by looking at how they promote respect for diversity, how they deal with cultural symbols and the strategies they might employ for affirming or challenging identity.
  

Main Findings

• The principals described an integrated ethos as central to how the schools promote respect for diversity. In both schools, there were expectations that all teachers are willing to deal directly with issues relating to school ethos. Teachers in the two integrated school are able to develop the teaching of controversial issues in a mixed classroom and both schools provided new teachers with appropriate training to handle such issues.
• A range of strategies were identified by which an integrated ethos was promoted in both schools. These included assemblies, pupil grouping, teacher education, links to other schools both in NI and abroad, and the careful induction of new pupils.
• The current principals agreed that they relied mainly on feedback from pupils to monitor the integrated ethos. However, both schools had recently bought in the services of an outside consultant to examine how the integrated ethos was manifest in daily school life. This was considered a worthwhile undertaking and the importance of a regular review of the "condition" of the integrated ethos was acknowledged.
• It was apparent that few cultural symbols were openly displayed in the two schools. Although School A had a deliberate policy of not flaunting symbols, the impact of cultural symbols was discussed as part of the pastoral education programme. Recognition was evident in both schools that debate about symbols and their impact is an important aspect of integrated education - for example, an increase in local community tensions had led to contentious symbols being banned in school B.
• The two schools had different approaches towards the affirmation of religious identities. School A had set out to be a Christian school in "a broad sense in terms of values" (current Principal, school A) and placed a strong emphasis on religious education. To this end, two full-time chaplains, one Catholic and one Protestant, are employed to meet the spiritual needs of pupils. By contrast, School B was described by the current Principal, school B, as secular. Although Christian symbols may be absent, she stressed the presence of Christian values as an important aspect of school ethos.
• The principals held various opinions on whether integrated schools should actively promote religious identity. The past principal of school B considered this outside the remit of the school, while the past Principal of school A felt that integrated schools should support parental wishes regarding religious education. AC suggested that, while not having a particular responsibility in this, integrated schools do have a role to play in encouraging children to think about faith and identity.
• The current Principal of school A regretted the limited political interest displayed by past pupils, and it was agreed that this lack of interest might be symptomatic of a wider disillusionment with politics in NI. The principals highlighted a strong need for student involvement in local community projects.
• Both schools strived to reflect the varied cultural identities represented in their pupil populations in addition to exploring other cultures by extensive programmes of school visits and exchanges, both in NI and abroad.

Conclusions

• While the study was small and any generalisations must be made cautiously, the principals clearly believed that integrated education offers young people the chance to explore their own views and identities in an environment where diversity is welcomed. The development of tolerance and critical thinking would appear to be promoted by daily formal and informal interaction with people of different cultural backgrounds.
• The author suggests that, rather than asking what damage may be done to community relations by segregated schooling, it may be pertinent to doubt the potential of single identity schools to engage in the same way as integrated schools in the rebuilding of social capital.
• Although incomplete, the research evidence points to an important role for integrated schools in promoting reconciliation. A key challenge is for the integrated sector to review the direction in which it is moving. In particular, a lack of consensus on the ideal ethos of integrated schools may restrict the potential benefits for young people.
• Further research into the impact of integrated education, and wider dissemination of its benefits, are clearly needed. The demand for further integrated school places must be responded to, if not by the opening of more integrated schools by parents, then by the development of creative new modes of multicultural education in NI.