Public Consultation on the Draft Strategic Area Plan 2022-27

The Education Authority (EA) is seeking your views on the draft Strategic Area Plan 2022-27: Planning for Sustainable Provision, which focuses on improving the quality of educational provision for all pupils through the provision of a network of viable and sustainable schools that are of the right type, the right size, located in the right place at the right time with a focus on raising standards.

This consultation is

Closed

Closing date

12 April 2022

The vision of the draft Strategic Area Plan 2022-27: Planning for Sustainable Provision is that all children will have access to a high quality educational experience, through a broad and balanced curriculum that meets their needs, in educationally and financially viable schools, within a diverse system of education.

The purpose of the draft Strategic Area Plan 2022-27: Planning for Sustainable Provision is to outline the vision, mission and Key Themes with regard to primary and post primary schools across Northern Ireland.

This is the second regional Strategic Area Plan for Northern Ireland. The first Strategic Area Plan ‘Providing Pathways - Strategic Area Plan for Schools 2017-2020’ (Providing Pathways) completes on 31 August 2022. This draft area plan sets the strategic direction of Area Planning for the next five years and spans the academic years 2022-2027. The plan is developed in accordance with the Department of Education’s ‘Schools for the Future: A Policy for Sustainable Schools’ and has been informed by Ministerial Priorities and consultations with key stakeholders.

The draft Strategic Area Plan 2022-27: Planning for Sustainable Provision has a vision and mission to:

Address school provision which is not educationally and/or financially sustainable.
Explore realistic, innovative, and collaborative solutions to ensure there is a viable and sustainable level of quality educational provision.
Aim to find solutions which deliver sustainable education provision in rural areas.
Address issues and challenges specific to local areas and ensuring there are sufficient places, which may mean increasing places in some areas while reducing places in others.

Thereby providing a network of viable and sustainable schools that are of the right type, the right size, located in the right place at the right time, and with a focus on raising standards.

It is only through putting the needs of children and young people at the core of education and above the interests of institutions and sectors that this can be achieved. The needs of children and young people is the driver for Area Planning and the focus of all partners in Area Planning, Department of Education, managing authorities, sectoral support bodies, schools and their communities and other stakeholders.

The purpose of the consultation is to seek views relating to the vision, mission and key themes with regard to Strategic Area Planning for primary and post primary schools for the next five years.

The EA is seeking your views as part of this consultation and you will find the relevant documents associated with the consultation, including the consultation response questionnaire below.

Please note this consultation is open from 12 noon on Tuesday 18 January 2022 and closes at 5 pm on Tuesday 12 April 2022.