Invitation to Tender: Research

The IEF would like to invite your organisation to tender for the carrying out of research which will, through the application of financial modelling, seek to examine the financial costs associated with 4 models of cross-sector school solutions in Northern Ireland.

Please note that, in addition to this Project, a separate but complementary project is being carried out, available here. The tender process for this has been completed.  While the projects will be completed separately, a joint research Steering Group will provide opportunities for linkages

Background

As part of IEF’s work to ensure that school, parent and community voices are heard regarding planning for school provision in local areas, we have since 2021 supported Ulster University (UU) researchers in the development of the Future Schools (FS) project and Toolkit. This project also built on a previous project led by the UU and supported by IEF that included the development of a Community Conversation Toolkit which now also forms part of the Future Schools Toolkit. A Future Schools Toolkit for primary schools was launched in 2022 and a post-primary school version in 2025.

The aims of the FS project are to support school communities who wish to explore whether there might be a more sustainable solution to school provision in their geographic area and provide guidance on how they could move forward with this in practice. The FS Toolkit was therefore designed to enable parents and communities to envision and articulate the kind of school provision in their area that would offer greatest viability, sustainability and quality of education for children and young people, and support school leadership in their engagement with the Area Planning process. The Toolkit also provides opportunities for discussions on cross-sectoral amalgamations and school solutions in local areas.

The Independent Review of Education (IRE) Panel launched its recommendations in December 2023, for instance introducing the concept of Jointly Managed Community Schools.  In their report, the Panel recommended that “…all learners at all stages should have the opportunity to learn alongside individuals from other communities and backgrounds in the same classroom”. The panel further called for an increase in “the number of integrated schools or jointly managed community schools” to ensure that options are available to families “within a realistic travelling distance as soon as possible”

The report recognises that forming Jointly Managed Community Schools will have a cost and estimate the requirement for “additional capital funding in the order of £1bn and resource funding of £13m over an anticipated 10-year implementation period”, with each newly established Jointly Managed Community School having extra funding for seven years. While expensive, the panel argue that “…the process has the potential to generate annual savings of approximately £100m … for reinvestment in education”.

In response to the IRE recommendations, the Minister of Education has confirmed the following: “[T]he Department will develop further guidance and support to facilitate schools from different sectors to become Jointly Managed Community Schools and will consider the introduction of legislation to support this model of education”.

More recently, IEF have commissioned UU researchers to complete a briefing paper exploring the concept Jointly Managed Community Schools. This for instance highlights examples of Jointly Managed Schools and Community Schools as well as explores the Jointly Managed Community Schools proposed by the IRE Panel. The paper further notes the lack of progress on implementing any change to date despite the Minister’s response to the IRE recommendations.

The research project outlined in the current Invitation to Tender should be developed within the context of the IRE Panel’s recommendations, the UU team’s recent research findings, the Minister’s statement referred to above, Area Planning policy and practice, relevant practice in other jurisdictions and contexts as well as any other literature and sources considered relevant in relation to, for example, NI education planning, budgets, cross-sector approaches and community relations.

The objective of this research Project is to:

• Provide financial analysis of potential costs, savings and benefits regarding 4 potential models for cross-sector and cross-community school solutions within Northern Ireland, including already existing or proposed alternative models. The four models will be agreed at the start of the project but may for instance include Jointly Managed Community Schools, Integrated schools, amalgamations of schools from different management types (e.g. Controlled and Catholic Maintained), hard and soft Federations, Jointly Managed Church Schools, Shared Education Campuses, etc.
• Analyse potential cost implications, cost savings and financial benefits regarding each of the four cross-sector school solutions identified, completing easy to understand micro level financial modelling and making comparisons with cost estimations regarding the status quo of school provision in local area This would include, but is not limited to, staffing costs, facilities and maintenance, educational costs, services and contracts, school sites/assets e.g. examining the current process of asset disposal in relation to school sites and where funds are allocated to.
• Compare the different cross-sector school solutions identified, in light of the completed cost analysis and financial modelling including potential cost/saving implications for local school provision regarding the different options.
• Produce a detailed report outlining the research process, findings, conclusions and recommendations including an Executive Summary.
• Deliver a presentation on the research findings to the research Steering Group in relation to the Final report as well as at one event for key stakeholders following the completion of the research, as agreed with IEF and the research Steering Group.

Respondents are encouraged to confirm whether they will be submitting a response to this tender via email to jessica@ief.org.uk by 4pm Thursday 26 February 2026.

Tenders should be emailed to jessica@ief.org.uk by 4pm Monday 09 March 2026.