This chapter covers the organisation and structure of educational provision for young people aged 11 to 18/19 years.

For the purpose of this description, secondary education is divided into:

• general lower secondary education (for 11- to 16-year-olds)
• general upper secondary education (for 16- to 18/19-year-olds)
• vocational upper secondary education (for 16- to 18/19-year-olds).*

*In terms of International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) categorisation, education for ages 11-14 is classified as ISCED 2; education for ages 14-18/19 as ISCED 3. There are no programmes categorised as post-secondary, non-tertiary education (ISCED 4).

For 16- to 18/19-year-olds, there is a well-established tradition of subject specialisation. Students may also combine the study of single subject general (academic) and vocational (applied) qualifications. For this reason, the introduction to this chapter provides a combined description of general and vocational upper secondary education.

General lower secondary education, ages 11-16 

Young people enter secondary education at the age of 11 and, under section 46 of The Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986, full-time education is then compulsory until the age of 16.

Secondary schools cater for pupils from age 11 to either 16 or to 18/19.

Study programmes 

Under The Education (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, the Northern Ireland Curriculum for lower secondary education is divided into two key stages:

• Key Stage 3 (KS3) for pupils aged 11 to 14 (ISCED 2)
• Key Stage 4 (KS4) for pupils aged 14 to 16 (ISCED 3).

In Key Stage 4, pupils also work towards external qualifications, most commonly single subject General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) qualifications taken at age 16.

There is no distinct vocational branch in compulsory secondary education. However,  the ‘Entitlement Framework’ aims to ensure that young people in Key Stage 4 have access to a broad and balanced curriculum which offers a range of courses linked to relevant learning and career pathways. Schools are required to offer students access to a minimum of 21 courses, a third of which must be ‘applied’, that is vocational or practical courses linked to employability.

Under Section 81 of the Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1998, in addition, all courses leading to an external qualification for pupils of compulsory school age must be approved by the Department of Education (DE). The DE seeks the advice of the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) before deciding on these approved qualifications.

Types of provider 

Publicly funded schools in Northern Ireland are known as grant-aided schools. Different types of school provide this phase of education. The differences reflect different legal frameworks and governance rather than different study pathways for students. They also reflect the fact that schooling is organised along denominational lines in Northern Ireland, with most Roman Catholic children enrolled in Catholic maintained schools and most Protestant pupils in controlled schools. There are also officially recognised integrated schools which bring together pupils and staff from Catholic and Protestant traditions, as well as those of other faiths and none.

At secondary level, schools are collectively known as post-primary schools and include grammar schools and secondary schools. They may be mixed- or single-sex, and a small number are Irish-medium schools or include Irish-medium units attached to English-medium schools.

All schools in Northern Ireland enjoy a high level of autonomy but, unlike in England, there are no academies (publicly funded independent schools).

Students aged 11-16 not attending grant-aided schools may attend fee-paying independent schools, or be educated at home.

In 2018/19, there were 196 post-primary schools, compared to 813 primary schools. One third (66) of post-primary schools are grammar schools.

There are two Irish-medium post-primary schools (of 30 grant-aided Irish-medium schools in total), and three Irish-medium units attached to English-medium post-primary schools (of ten in total).

Source of statistics: Annual Enrolments at Schools and in Pre-school Education in Northern Ireland 2018/19.

General and vocational upper secondary education, ages 16-18/19 

Young people aged 16 to 18/19 are not required by law to be in education.

Although most post-16 programmes are intended to be of a maximum two years’ duration, the funding framework applies up to age 19. For this reason, the age range 16–18/19 is adopted throughout this description.

Study programmes 

There is no national curriculum in this phase of education, which is characterised by individual student choice.

Education and training at this level is qualification-led, rather than curriculum-led. The qualifications most commonly taken are:

• A Levels – Level 3 qualifications on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF)
• vocational qualifications (see the article on ‘Teaching and Learning in Vocational Upper Secondary Education’).

Under the Entitlement Framework, young people aged 16 to 18/19 in schools and colleges must have access to a minimum of 21 courses, as required by The Education (Northern Ireland) Order 2006. One third of the courses must be applied (vocational) and one third general (academic).

Types of provider 

Depending on the local offer and their own preferences, students may choose at this stage to:

• continue in full-time education in the same school in the sixth form;
• transfer to another school sixth form;
• transfer to a further education (FE) college to follow a full-time programme of study;
• join the workforce and/or follow a government-supported vocational training and work programme such as an apprenticeship.

The different providers may offer many of the same programmes, although FE colleges offer a wider choice of vocational programmes.

Legal framework 

Although the age groups they cater for and the programmes they provide overlap, schools and further education (FE) colleges operate under different legal frameworks, described briefly below.

Post-16 education provided full- or part-time in FE colleges is considered to be further education. Education provided full-time in the sixth form of a school is considered to be secondary education and is subject to schools regulations. This distinction is not based on the programmes offered.

Schools 

There is no single framework Act for secondary education; most legislation for schools applies to both primary and post-primary (secondary) education.

Key aspects of compulsory education, school structures, and curriculum and assessment are underpinned by the legislation summarised briefly below. For a fuller list, see the ‘Legislation’ chapter. More detailed information on the legal framework for particular aspects of education is also provided in the various articles within this chapter.

Section 45 of The Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 sets the requirement for full-time compulsory education, by placing the following duty on parents:

‘The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable to his age, ability and aptitude and to any special educational needs he may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.’

Under section 46 of the Order, if a child turns 16 between 1st September and 1st July, they can leave school on 30th June of that year. If a child becomes 16 between 2nd July and 31st August, they cannot leave school until 30th June of the following year.

The Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 introduced the Northern Ireland Curriculum, with the aim of giving pupils an entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. The Order also established linked standards for pupil attainment and assessment arrangements, and placed a duty on the Department of Education (DE) to encourage and facilitate integrated education (the education together of Roman Catholic and Protestant pupils, along with those of other faiths and none).

The Education (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 amended The Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 to implement a revised statutory curriculum, including the introduction of a new Foundation Stage for pupils aged four to six from 2007. It also established the legal basis for the ‘Entitlement Framework’ for pupils aged 14-18/19. Introduced on 1 September 2013, this aimed to ensure that young people have access to a range of relevant courses for their future careers.

The Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 included provisions relating to discipline and assessment in schools and school performance and management. It also stipulated that all courses leading to an external qualification for pupils of compulsory school age in grant-aided schools must be approved by the DE.

Further education colleges 

Most further education colleges are statutory corporations set up under The Further Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1997. This took further education institutions out of local control and is the principal piece of legislation governing further education in Northern Ireland.

Under the Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1998, courses leading to an external qualification for students under the age of 19 in an institution of further education must be approved by the Department of Education (DE).

Note on devolution: The Northern Ireland devolution settlement, made under the Northern Ireland Act 1998, gives legislative control over certain matters, known as ‘transferred matters’, to the Northern Ireland Assembly. Education is a transferred matter. Further information on devolution and the legislative framework in Northern Ireland is provided in the article on the ‘Main Executive and Legislative Bodies’.

Main national policy aims and objectives 

Business Plans 2019/20

The Department of Education (DE) has published a Draft Business Plan for 2019/20, which includes six corporate goals:

• improving the wellbeing of children and young people
• raising standards for all
• closing the performance gap, increasing access and equality
• developing the education workforce
• improving the learning environment
• delivering high quality education services.

These goals are accompanied by 18 strategic objectives, of which the most relevant to post-primary (secondary) education are to:

• enhance the level of parental involvement in the learning and development of children and young people
• support and promote positive emotional health and well-being in children and young people
• strengthen and develop pre-school, school and youth education provision
• ensure optimum delivery of the statutory curriculum in the interests of children and young people
• expand the network of sustainable schools
• encourage, facilitate and promote shared education
• encourage and facilitate integrated and Irish-medium education
• improve developmental and learning outcomes for children and young people who are underachieving
• secure the greatest effectiveness of the education workforce

The Department for the Economy (DfE) has also prepared a Draft Business Plan for 2019/20 comprising seven strategic objectives. ‘Strategic Objective 2 – Enhance education, skills and employability’ includes the following actions / commitments relevant to post-primary education, to be completed by March 2020:

• develop a skills strategy for implementation in 2020
• developed and agree a new ‘Pathways to Success’ Priorities and Action Plan to reduce the number of young people who are NEET (not in education, training or employment)
• develop, with the DE, a more strategic joined-up approach for 14-19 year old education through the Transition of Young People into Careers 14/19 Strategy
• take forward the Youth Training Strategy (2015), Generating our Success, through the development of a traineeship implementation plan.

Programme for Government 

Both the DE and DfE Business Plans flow from the draft Programme for Government (PfG) Framework2016-21.

The DE Business Plan links to Outcome 12 of this PfG – ‘We give our children and young people the best start in life’.

The DfE Business plan links to Outcomes 1, 5 and 6 of the PfG:

• Outcome 1: We prosper through a strong, competitive, regionally balanced economy
• Outcome 5: We are an innovative, creative society, where people can fulfil their potential
• Outcome 6: We have more people working in better jobs.

The Programme for Government and the DE and DfE Draft Business Plans remain in draft form, awaiting approval from incoming executive ministers. At the time of writing, November 2019, Northern Ireland remains in a period of political uncertainty. The Northern Ireland Assembly is not sitting and there are no executive ministers. (Updates on the situation will be posted to the UK Government’s Northern Ireland political stability document collection.)

Improving pathways in post-primary education 

In addition to the business plans and Programme for Government, developments in compulsory and post-compulsory post-primary education in Northern Ireland are influenced by the Entitlement Framework for 14-to-19-year-olds; the careers strategy; reform of the qualifications system; the further education (FE) strategy; and the Northern Ireland strategies for apprenticeships and youth training.

Introduced in September 2013, the Entitlement Framework aims to offer 14- to 19-year-olds a broad and balanced curriculum through access to a minimum number of general (academic) and applied (vocational) courses. The aim is to ensure that their learning is relevant to their needs and future career pathways.

Preparing for Success 2015-2020 sets out the Government’s careers strategy. It aims to enable individuals to develop as effective careers decision-makers and so lead to increased participation in education, training and employment. It links to the 2019/20 Draft Business Plan (see above), which includes the objective of developing a more strategic joined-up approach for 14-19 year old education through the Transition of Young People into Careers 14/19 Strategy. Both strategies develop from Preparing for Success, the careers education strategy from 2009 to 2014, which supported the implementation of the Entitlement Framework and the skills strategy, Success through Skills (DEL, 2011).  

Following a review in 2013, revised GCSE and A level qualifications were introduced in Northern Ireland during the period 2015-2018. This coincided with the introduction of revised qualifications in England and Wales and the systems in all three countries have diverged. The changes in Northern Ireland aimed to ensure that assessment is more robust and that the qualifications remain high quality and reflect the needs of the economy.

The further education (FE) strategy, Further Education Means Success (DEL, 2016) includes plans for FE colleges, along with other partners, to be major deliverers of the new apprenticeship and youth training systems.

The Northern Ireland apprenticeship strategy, Securing our Success (2014), sets out plans for a new model of apprenticeships, linked to a new youth training system. The aims are to improve the match between skills supply and demand; boost skills levels; change apprenticeships so that they begin at Level 3, rather than Level 2 of the Regulated Qualifications Framework; and ensure that they provide pathways into both further and higher education.

The youth training strategy, Generating our Success, published in June 2015, has a wider focus than the apprenticeship strategy, aiming to tackle disengagement and promote social mobility in young people aged 16 to 24. It proposes the introduction of new traineeships across a wide range of occupations. Taking around two years to complete and leading to a new Level 2 award, traineeships aim to facilitate progression to sustained employment, an apprenticeship or further education.

Shared education and integrated schools 

In May 2016, the Government introduced the Shared Education Act. This confers a duty on the Department of Education (DE) and on arms-length bodies such as the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) to encourage and facilitate shared education. The Act defines shared education as:

‘the education together of –

 (a) those of different religious belief, including reasonable numbers of both Protestant and Roman Catholic children or young persons; and

(b) those who are experiencing socio-economic deprivation and those who are not,

which is secured by the working together and co-operation of two or more relevant providers’.

As such, it not only focuses shared education on collaboration across religious communities but also on improving education for disadvantaged young people, which is one of the other key policy priorities for education in Northern Ireland.

In October 2018, more than 60,000 pupils from 600 schools were participating in a range of shared education projects.

Responding to Northern Ireland’s difficult political history, cross-community initiatives and collaboration have long been a feature of the education system, in particular through integrated schools. These bring together children and staff from Catholic and Protestant traditions, as well as those of other faiths and none. In response to a slowing of the growth of integrated education, the Government commissioned an independent review, published in March 2017. This set out a number of recommendations to support the effective planning, growth and development of integrated education.

Irish-medium education 

Under the Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1998, the Department of Education (DE) has a duty to encourage and facilitate the development of Irish-medium education. In response to the small number of pupils in post-primary Irish-medium provision, the Government commissioned a review in 2013 to consider its strategic development. In its response to the review in November 2014, the Government agreed to:

• develop a strategic approach to identify and plan for demand for post-primary Irish-medium provision
• develop a pathway for the development of Irish-medium education at the post-primary level
• examine the constraints to the development of post-primary Irish-medium education such as teacher supply. 

In 2000, the Government also established Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta (CnaG) to promote, facilitate and encourage Irish-medium education.

The facilitation and encouragement of Irish-medium education remains a focus of the DE Draft Business Plan in 2019/20.

Article last reviewed April 2021.