Education Minister Paul Givan to establish new managing authority for controlled education - after claiming Education Authority has failed the sector

The controlled sector comprises almost half the schools in Northern Ireland including nursery, special, primary, secondary, grammar, integrated and Irish medium, directly controlled by the Education Authority (EA) through school boards of governors.

(The controlled sector was originally created when the Protestant denominations passed 500 schools into state trust from 1926-1947.)

Other education sectors under the EA remit include Voluntary Grammar Schools (maintained by state funding and voluntary contributions); The Maintained Sector (primarily Catholic schools that receive state funding); Integrated Schools; Special Schools and Early Years and Nursery Education.

A number of other school sectors have their own managing authorities.

Education Minister Givan paid tribute to the work of the Controlled Schools Support Council, which had been set up in 2016 to act on behalf of the controlled sector, but noted that it has “limited resources and no statutory powers”.

He told the Stormont Assembly on Tuesday that he felt the Education Authority had “failed” the controlled sector.

Responding to a question from DUP MLA Maurice Bradley, Mr Givan said: “I do regret that I believe in many respects, the Education Authority has failed controlled schools.

“As a result of the structures that exist, they have become the poor relations within education and that needs to change. They need equitable, effective support.”

He added: “The recent Independent Review of Education report highlighted the complicated systems for school management which are in particular, sub optimal for the controlled sector and proposed that sectors should be supported with greater consistency and equity."

Mr Givan later announced the establishment of a delivery and implementation group to lead in the development of a management authority to support the controlled schools’ sector.

It is to be chaired by Mark Baker, currently chief executive of the Controlled Schools’ Support Council, and will also include Richard Pengelly, chief executive of the Education Authority as well as Ronnie Armour, deputy Secretary at the Department of Education.

Mr Givan said in the statement: “Controlled schools are a core part of our education system, comprising almost half of all school categories across Northern Ireland including nursery, special, primary, secondary, grammar, integrated and Irish medium schools.

“I am committed to working collaboratively with schools, the Education Authority and the Controlled Schools’ Support Council to deliver effective and equitable support and management for the sector in both the short and long term.

“I want this work to commence without delay and I have asked Mark Baker to report back to me with proposals by the end of December 2024.”

But NASUWT National Official Justin McCamphill, described the decision as "shocking" and called on the minister “set out how exactly he believes the Education Authority has failed controlled schools”.