I authored an MRes thesis focused on this, and as one workplace 'equality monitoring officer' told me, "it is easier to change the tablets of stone than it is to change your community background".Previously the Fair Employment Agency, and now the ECNI, have been successful in what they set out to do. The majority of nursery schools, primary schools and 95% of all special schools in Northern Ireland are controlled.
The only Southern Protestant of any note I am aware of is Graham Norton the TV presenter. It is a particular problem among Protestant boys from disadvantaged backgrounds, says Peter Weir.
In Northern Ireland, the school categories are grant-aided and Independent. Most schools are grant-aided.
Given the language in FETO, the state is interpreting that I have Protestant beliefs and unionist opinions because my parents brought me to a Church of Ireland, and sent me to 'controlled schools'. You may have noticed the category in the results above is not 'Protestant', as reported in the media, but 'Protestant and other Christian (incl Christian related)'. These state schools are perceived as Protestant. Including:For over 150 years we have campaigned for disestablishment, the separation of the C of E and state.The government has confirmed businesses won't be able to refuse services for same-sex marriages in Northern Ireland after NSS lobbying.The NSS has urged NI's charity regulator to review the status of an organisation which promotes "change oriented therapy" for gay people....The NSS has warned that allowing providers of wedding services to opt out of serving same-sex couples would undermine equality law.The NSS has urged the UK government not to allow religion to limit women's access to abortions in Northern Ireland.The NSS has welcomed the legalisation of abortion in Northern Ireland and the extension of same-sex marriage rights to the province.As the government publishes a framework for the extension of abortion rights in NI, Dr Antony Lempert welcomes politicians' belated willingness to defend women's right to choose but laments several missed...A report has called into question religious control over the curriculum and ethos of Northern Irish schools. For people of working age (16+) the 2017 gap in the Labour Force Survey, when Protestants outnumbered Catholics by 7k should have closed and there should be something like an 11k excess of Catholics. According to recently published statistics, they have 70% Protestant pupils).This all defines Northern Ireland in terms of two separate communities, with a minority who have not been determined to belong to one of them (yet). These state schools are perceived as Protestant. The divide between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland had little to do with theological differences but instead was grounded in culture and politics. ... Northern Ireland school children affected by academic selection . Alastair Lichten says it should prompt a re-evaluation of the segregated, inefficient system...A new study of what people mean when they say they are "religious" or "spiritual" has been published by the Oxford University Press ( Many articles involve a lot of research by our campaigns team. These are external links and will open in a new windowUnderachievement in education has remained "entrenched" in Northern Ireland, despite significant funding and policies to tackle it.That is according to Education Minister Peter Weir.The minister has announced an expert panel to come up with recommendations to tackle educational underachievement.Mr Weir also said that any extra money for schools to reopen at the end of August would have to come from the executive.On Monday, the Republic of Ireland announced an extra €375m (£342m) of funding Speaking in the assembly, Mr Weir said that underachievement was a particular problem among Protestant boys from disadvantaged backgrounds, although it also affected many Catholic children.Fewer than half of children entitled to free school meals left school with at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English and Maths, in 2017/18.By contrast, almost 80% of pupils not entitled to free school meals left school with at least those qualifications.That expert group has now been established by the Department of Education (DE).It has six members and will be chaired by Dr Noel Purdy from the Centre for Research in Educational Underachievement (CREU) at Stranmillis University College.A report from CREU in January said there was "no single remedy" to tackling underachievement, but there was a "significant relationship between underachievement and social disadvantage".However, a number of other factors have also been identified which can lead to young people not fulfilling their potential at school.These include inadequate support from parents, low expectations from some teachers and schools and insufficient support for students with special educational needs (SEN).The expert panel is expected to come up with practical recommendations to tackle underachievement and produce a final report and action plan by the end of May 2021.Mr Weir said it would also produce a budget for the action plan.