Chair announced to bring forward controlled schools management authority

Date published: 17 September 2024

Mr Mark Baker, currently Chief Executive of the Controlled Schools’ Support Council, will chair the group, comprising Richard Pengelly, Chief Executive of the Education Authority and Ronnie Armour, Deputy Secretary at the Department of Education.

Making the announcement the Minister said:

“Controlled schools are a core part of our education system, comprising almost half of all school categories across Northern Ireland including nursery, special, primary, secondary, grammar, integrated and Irish medium schools.

“I am pleased to announce today that Mark Baker has agreed to chair a new delivery and implementation group with senior representation from the Education Authority and my Department, to bring forward solutions to better support this diverse sector.”

The recent Independent Review of Education report highlighted the suboptimal system for school management across the controlled sector in Northern Ireland and proposed that sectors should be supported with greater consistency and equity.

The Minister added:

“I am committed to working collaboratively with schools, the Education Authority and the Controlled Schools' Support Council to deliver effective and equitable support and management for the sector in both the short and long term.

“I want this work to commence without delay and I have asked Mark Baker to report back to me with proposals by the end of December 2024.”