Integrated Education Celebrated at the House of Lords

Lord Dubs, a long standing supporter of Integrated Education, a campaigner for child refugees and a former Northern Ireland Minister, welcomed almost 100 guests to the House of Lords on Monday 4 December to celebrate the crucial role played by the Integrated Education Fund (IEF) in Northern Ireland.  The dinner was attended by major donors and supporters, as well as leading political figures and former students of Integrated schools.  Supporters travelled from far and wide to enjoy the celebration.

David Montgomery, Campaign Chair of the Integrated Education Fund, delivered the keynote address calling for “Integrated Education to be considered the preferred model of schooling” whilst citing strong public support for change, as well as the growing number of schools seeking to transform to Integrated status.

The IEF works to support the growth and development of Integrated Education in Northern Ireland.  As a charity, the IEF relies entirely on the committed network of supporters and donors in order to be able to do this vital and important work.  The exclusive London event was a chance to celebrate the successes and achievements of the Integrated Education movement over the past year.  It also offered an opportunity to reflect on the challenges of the work yet to be done. 

The special guest speaker was Barry Corr, Principal of Seaview Integrated Primary School in Glenarm, the first Catholic primary school in Northern Ireland to transform to Integrated status.  Barry said that ‘someone has to take the first step’ and praised his community for their courage in supporting the move for the school to become Integrated.  He also explained the changes and many developments in the school since starting the journey to integration.

Paul Caskey OBE, Head of Campaign at the IEF said:

“The IEF House of Lords dinner is an opportunity to say thank you to many of our supporters. It is a tradition that started many years ago thanks to the support of Baroness May Blood, our late Campaign Chair.  The evening brings together an eclectic mix of supporters from the world of business, politics, the community and the arts.  It is a very diverse group of supporters but with one common aim – the desire to see more of our children and young people attend school together.”

The event was held in the Cholmondeley Room and Terrace of the House of Lords.  It included a special recording from the pupils of Rowandale Integrated Primary School in Moira singing ‘Love will build a bridge’, a song of integration.

The dinner was generously funded by Tony Carson, a successful entrepreneur and son of legendary comedian, the late Frank Carson.

If you are interested in supporting Integrated Education, then please see: https://www.ief.org.uk/support-us/ for how you can get involved.