Integrated Education Act (Northern Ireland) 2022

Reporting

10.—(1) The Department of Education must prepare or commission and publish a report on integrated education—

(a) during the period of 2 years beginning with the date on which this Act receives Royal Assent; and

(b) at subsequent intervals in line with the budget framing timetable but not more frequently than every three years.

(2) A report must include, in particular, an assessment of performance of functions relating to integrated education under—

(a) this Act;

(b) the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989;

(c) section 2(3A) of the Education Act (Northern Ireland) 2014 (inserted by section 4 of this Act); and

(d) any other provision of Northern Ireland legislation.

(3) A report must include, in particular, an assessment in relation to the reporting period of—

(a) the manner in which, and the extent to which, the Department of Education has performed its functions in respect of integrated education;

(b) the manner in which, and the extent to which, other education bodies have performed their functions in respect of integrated education;

(c) the levels of demand for and supply of integrated education;

(d) increase or decrease in levels of demand for and supply of integrated education since the previous reporting period;

(e) successes and failures in respect of the provision of integrated education; and

(f) the extent to which the purpose of integrated education has been achieved.

(4) Wherever possible, the assessments in the report must operate by reference to benchmarks identified in the action plan in the integrated education strategy.

(5) The Department of Education must—

(a) lay each report before the Assembly; and

(b) cooperate with any post-legislative scrutiny exercise carried out by the Assembly or any Committee of the Assembly in relation to the report.

(6) As soon as is reasonably practicable after the publication of a report the Department of Education must review and where necessary revise the integrated education strategy.