This article describes the administration and governance of the education system in Northern Ireland at local and institutional level.

Administration and governance of education in Northern Ireland in school, further and higher education is characterised by a high degree of autonomy, exercised within the framework of central government policy.

Local administration of education in Northern Ireland has undergone change since 2015, when the Education Authority (EA) replaced the five former Education and Library Boards (ELBs). For information on the EA and the regional offices through which it provides its services, see the article on ‘Administration and Governance at Central and/or Regional Level’.

Administration and governance of schools

Publicly funded schools in Northern Ireland are known as grant-aided schools. There are different legal categories of grant-aided school, each with different school management arrangements (see below). All enjoy a high level of autonomy, with most school administration and management functions delegated to boards of governors, including responsibility for the delivery of the curriculum and financial management. The day-to-day internal organisation, management and control of the school are the responsibility of the school head, known as the principal.

The basis for the administration and governance of schools is provided by the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989. This legislation introduced local management of schools (LMS): the delegation of financial and managerial responsibilities to schools.

The school system has reflected traditional religious divides in society, with Roman Catholic children being enrolled in Catholic maintained schools and Protestant pupils being taught in controlled schools. There are also formally integrated schools, which bring together children and staff from Catholic and Protestant traditions, as well as those of other faiths, or none. The Department of Education (DE) has a statutory duty to encourage and facilitate the development of integrated education. In addition, there is a commitment to 'shared education', which involves children and young people from different religious beliefs and socio-economic backgrounds being educated together. See the Department of Education (DE) webpages on shared education for further information.

Legal categories of school

The legal categories of grant-aided school are:

• Controlled schools, owned by the Education Authority (EA), which also funds the school for capital and revenue expenditure and employs the staff. The board of governors is the admissions authority. Controlled schools mainly educate Protestant children.
• Controlled integrated schools, owned by the EA, which, again, also funds the school for capital and revenue expenditure and employs the staff. The board of governors is the admissions authority. Controlled integrated schools educate Protestant and Catholic children, as well as those of other faiths and none, together. 
• Catholic maintained schools, which are owned by the Catholic Church and educate mainly Catholic children. They receive their revenue funding from the EA and their capital funding directly from the Department of Education (DE). The Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) is the employing authority, whilst the board of governors is the admissions authority.
• Grant-maintained integrated schools, which are owned by trustees or the school board of governors. They are funded for revenue expenditure by the EA and for capital expenditure by the DE. The school board of governors employs the staff. Grant-maintained integrated schools educate Protestant and Catholic children, as well as those of other faiths and none, together.
• Voluntary grammar schools, which are owned by trustees or the school’s founding body. The school board of governors is the employer and the admissions authority. They are funded for revenue expenditure by the EA and for capital expenditure by the DE; some may contribute towards capital costs.  Voluntary grammar schools may have either Roman Catholic or non-denominational management.

Some schools may have additional characteristics. For example, they may be single sex schools, or Irish-medium schools.

Boards of governors

Functions of boards of governors

All grant-aided schools have a board of governors, which has a strategic role focused on providing the best possible educational opportunity for all pupils. The role includes:

• setting the school’s vision and aims
• establishing and maintaining the school’s ethos
• setting the school’s plans and policies – this includes determining and keeping under review its policy in relation to the curriculum, and setting the school’s admissions policy, including oversubscription criteria, within certain parameters
• monitoring and evaluating school performance
• promoting self-evaluation to sustain school improvement
• managing school funds economically, efficiently and effectively
• promoting equality, good relations and diversity.

The Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 and the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 prescribe the membership, procedures and duties of the boards of governors of grant-aided schools.

Composition of boards of governors

The size and composition of boards of governors varies according to the size and category of the school; it can range from 8 to 36 members, each of which usually serve a 4-year term of office. Each school has a scheme of management which specifies the constitution of its board of governors. With a few exceptions, the school’s board of governors is normally made up of members who represent the interests of:

• those who originally founded the school, i.e. foundation governors
• those who fund the education system; these governors are appointed by the Education Authority (EA) and/or the Department of Education (DE) to represent the public or tax payer’s interest, that is, they are EA and DE governors
• parents of registered pupils at the school, i.e. parent governors
• teachers on the staff of the school, i.e. teacher governors.

The principal (school head) is also a non-voting member for all meetings of the board of governors. In addition, there is provision for members of the local community to be co-opted on to the board of governors, but they have no voting rights. All governors, apart from teacher governors, are volunteers.

Resources/support for boards of governors

A number of resources for boards of governors are available. Every School a Good School: The Governors’ Role (Department of Education, 2019) is an online reference guide on the roles and responsibilities of school governors, which aims to ensure that governors are equipped to fulfil their statutory functions. The School Governor Handbook for Irish Medium Schools provides bespoke guidance for governors in the Irish medium sector.

The Education Authority also provides information on a wide range of governor related matters; links to resources to help boards of governors in carrying out their roles and responsibilities; and information on the training courses available to governors.  

Principals

Principals operate within the framework set by the board of governors, or determined by any other relevant authority, such as any foundation trust deed which may exist in relation to the school. They must abide by education legislation and the terms of their appointment. In carrying out their duties, principals must also consult, as appropriate, with the Education Authority (EA); the board of governors; the staff of the school; and the parents of its pupils. The principal usually delegates the management of specific aspects of curriculum organisation, teaching methods or pastoral care to the vice principal(s) or other senior staff. For further information on the role of school principals (and vice principals), see the article on ‘Management Staff for Early Childhood and School Education’.

Higher education institutions

Higher education institutions are autonomous, independent organisations, with their own legal identities and powers, both academic and managerial. They are not owned by the state, although the great majority are dependent to a greater or lesser degree on state funding. They can, therefore, be classified as government-dependent private institutions. The higher education sector in Northern Ireland consists of three universities and two university colleges. The universities are:

• Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), which was established in 1845 as one of three Queen's Colleges in Ireland. It became a university in its own right under the terms of the Irish Universities Act 1908, following the signing of a Royal Charter in the same year.
• Ulster University, which was established by Royal Charter in 1984 from the merger of the New University of Ulster and Ulster Polytechnic.
• The Open University, a UK-wide distance learning body, founded by Royal Charter in 1969.

Management structures

For purpose of illustration, information regarding the governance and administration of QUB is provided below. Queen's University Belfast (QUB) is an autonomous body which has the status of a charitable institution. It receives much of its funding from the Department for the Economy (DfE).

The university Charter underpins everything that the university does. It provides a foundation for all of its activities, academic or otherwise, and establishes a framework within which these activities should be undertaken and managed. The Charter is supported by a range of Statutes and Regulations which give effect to its provisions. The Charter and Statutes were last updated in February 2015, following approval by the Privy Council and the Senate, the university’s governing body.

The university is led by the Acting President and Vice-Chancellor, who in turn is supported by the Registrar and Chief Operating Officer and Pro-Chancellors. The Senate is responsible for the ongoing strategic direction of QUB, the management and administration of its revenue and property and the general conduct of its affairs. It is chaired by a Pro-Chancellor.

Members of Senate are drawn from the academic staff, support staff and student body of the university and include a number of appointed lay members. The Senate normally meets four times a year and receives reports from a range of committees, e.g. the Planning and Finance Committee, the Audit Committee, and the Remuneration Committee. Other major committees include the Health and Safety Management Group and the Investment Committee.

The primary academic body at QUB is the Academic Council, which is responsible for the control of internal academic affairs and arrangements for teaching and research. It is also responsible for the regulation and superintendence of the education and discipline of students enrolled at the university. It is chaired by the President and Vice-Chancellor, who is the chief academic and administrative officer of the university. Its membership consists of Pro-Vice-Chancellors, Deans, Heads of Schools and Institutes, members of academic staff elected by schools, and student representatives. Schools are single academic departments or groups of related departments that are organised into faculties, such as the School of Pharmacy and School of Biological Sciences within the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences.

The Convocation is a statutory body made up of graduates, certain categories of university staff and members of the Senate. The Convocation has the right to discuss and pronounce an opinion on any matter relating to QUB and to be consulted in the making of Statutes and the appointment of the Chancellor, who acts as an advisor to the university’s senior management and also fulfils a ceremonial and ambassadorial role. It convenes on an annual basis and has an associated Standing Committee which meets to carry on regular business.

Resources/support for governance

The Committee of University Chairs (CUC) – a representative body – has developed the Higher Education Code of Governance (2018). This is a voluntary code which aims to promote high standards of governance across the sector. In addition, the CUC publication Governing Body Responsibility for Academic Governance (2017) provides detailed guidance on higher education governance structures, the way they relate to each other, and governing body responsibilities. Advance HE supports strategic change and continuous improvement in higher education through the development of both individuals and higher education institutions. It provides support and advice on leadership, governance and management for all the UK’s universities on the website of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education. This is one of the three organisations that merged together to form Advance HE in March 2018; the other two are the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) and the Higher Education Academy (HEA).

Further education colleges

Further education (FE) colleges in Northern Ireland are non-departmental public bodies which receive funding from the Department for the Economy (DfE). Management responsibility for each of the six FE colleges lies with each individual college’s governing body.

In March 2019, an Independent Commission on the College of the Future was set up, chaired by Sir Ian Diamond. The Commission reported its recommendations in October 2020 a UK-Wide Final Report.

Governing bodies

Under the Further Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 (as amended), the governing bodies of FE colleges are responsible for ensuring suitable provision of further education in their institutions, taking account of any other educational facilities in their area. They must also consider provision for people over compulsory school age with special educational needs (SEN). Since April 1998, these incorporated governing bodies have had a legal status similar to that of public companies.

Governing bodies consist of between 12 to 18 members. These include:

• the principal
• members drawn from local business, industry or professions relevant to the activities of the institution
• staff members
• student members
• co-opted members.

The membership and terms of appointment of the governing body are set out in an Instrument of Government. The Articles of Government define the respective roles and responsibilities of the principal and the governing body and its committees. The governing body is responsible for the financial and academic performance of the college and the quality of its teaching, learning and assessment. It is also responsible for ensuring that the college is managed efficiently and effectively, and that the vocational and academic programmes of the college reflect its educational character and mission, and meet the strategic priorities which the Department for the Economy (DfE) has set for further education. The principal of the college has automatic membership of the governing body.

The Guide for Governors of Northern Ireland Further Education Colleges (2019) provides further information and advice for governors on the main powers, responsibilities and composition of governing bodies, and provides background on the further education sector in Northern Ireland.

Day-to-day management is the responsibility of the college principal and senior staff. For further information on their roles, see the article on ‘Management Staff Working in Adult Education and Training’.

Management structures

There is no nationally recommended organisational structure for further education colleges; individual institutions are free to adapt their structures to meet changing circumstances. Colleges may be organised into departments by area of study, or several departments may be grouped into faculties or schools.

Resources/support for governance

In 2016, the Department for the Economy (DfE) published the Further Education Code of Governance, with the aim of ensuring that the systems by which colleges are operated and controlled are working effectively. It outlines the legal framework for corporate governance and the responsibilities of governing bodies.

The Guide for Governors of Northern Ireland Further Education Colleges (2019) is also available, providing information and advice for governing bodies and individual governors.

There is no separate membership body representing Northern Ireland further education (FE) colleges since Colleges Northern Ireland closed down in June 2018. Northern Ireland colleges may be members of the Association of Colleges (AoC) which represents and promotes the interests of colleges across the UK.

Article last reviewed December 2020.