NI Council for Integrated Education

What NI Council for Integrated Education does

NI Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) and registered charity (Charity No. 100310) headquartered in Belfast, established in 1987 to develop, support, and promote Integrated Education across Northern Ireland. The organisation operates as the designated sectoral body for the integrated education sector under the sponsorship of the Department of Education, with statutory responsibilities anchored in the Integrated Education Act 2022. Its core work spans three pillars: (i) supporting the establishment and physical growth of new Integrated schools, (ii) assisting existing schools through the three-year statutory transformation process to become Integrated (including parental ballots, Development Proposals, and post-status ethos development), and (iii) maintaining and developing the ethos of the 72+ existing Integrated schools serving over 21,000 pupils.

NICIE's product surface is a portfolio of free services rather than commercial products: a three-year Transformation Programme (2026-2029); 'A Framework for Integrated Education' — a self-evaluation tool co-developed with the Education Authority; the Excellence in Integrated Education Award (EIEA) audit scheme; Learning Forums spanning APTIS, Vice Principals, Teachers' Committee, Integration Co-ordinators, Early Years, SEN, Finance, and Primary RE Co-ordinators; ethos development and anti-bias training; and educational content resources including the IDI award-winning Bias Busting animations and 'The Bees and The Wind' storybook. The underlying platform is essentially advisory/advocacy in nature with a WordPress-based web presence (nicie.org) and standard social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn).

The business model is grant-funded and non-commercial: NICIE charges no fees for core services, deriving revenue from a Department of Education sponsor allocation and supplementary charitable grants (notably the Integrated Education Fund and the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs' Reconciliation Fund). Customer segments are parents/families, existing Integrated schools, transforming schools, and government/policymakers; distribution is direct via Development Officers and Learning Forums rather than commercial channels. Go-to-market is community-led, with growth driven by parental demand and statutory transformation ballots.

Name

NI Council for Integrated Education

Legal name

Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education

Website

https://nicie.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NICIE is Northern Ireland's designated non-departmental public body supporting the development, transformation, and ongoing ethos of Integrated Education across 72+ schools and 21,000+ pupils, funded by the Department of Education and operating without fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: NICIE is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) with the Department of Education as its sponsor body. The organization receives government funding to support its mission of developing, supporting, and promoting Integrated Education across Northern Ireland.
2. Charitable Grants: NICIE partners with charitable organizations including the Integrated Education Fund (IEF) for project-based funding and support for specific initiatives such as the 'The Bees and The Wind' storybook funded by The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs' Reconciliation Fund.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NICIE is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) that supports, develops, and promotes Integrated Education across Northern Ireland. It advises and assists parents seeking to establish new integrated schools, supports existing integrated schools through training, governance and ethos development, and helps other schools transform to integrated status via a three-year programme. Core deliverables include the self-evaluation tool "A Framework for Integrated Education," the Transformation Programme, Learning Forums, the Excellence in Integrated Education Award (EIEA), and educational resources for teachers and pupils.

Product overview

NI Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) that supports and promotes Integrated Education across Northern Ireland. Rather than a single unified product, NICIE offers a portfolio of services including: support programmes for schools (such as the three-year Transformation Programme), self-evaluation tools (A Framework for Integrated Education), professional development through Learning Forums and Ethos Development training, award recognition (Excellence in Integrated Education Award), and educational resources (Bias Busting materials, The Bees and The Wind storybook). These offerings work together to help establish new Integrated schools, support existing ones to grow, assist schools in transforming to Integrated status, and promote awareness of Integrated Education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Transformation Programme (Exploring Integrated Education) A three-year Integrated Education support programme for schools in Northern Ireland considering acquiring Integrated status, covering exploration, the statutory transformation process including parent ballot, and preparation for Integrated status. Delivered jointly by NICIE and the Education Authority with IEF support, for schools and their boards of governors undertaking transformation.
• A Framework for Integrated Education A self-evaluation tool providing a three-phase developmental pathway for Integrated schools, created in partnership with the Education Authority, based on key characteristics of school improvement and underpinned by the Statement of Principles for Integrated Education. Covers Integration Indicators to support reflection and self-evaluation. For Integrated schools and their leadership teams in Northern Ireland.
• Excellence in Integrated Education Award (EIEA) A formal award scheme recognising high quality integrated practice in schools. Integrated schools actively engaged with the Framework can map progress to the EIEA audit tool for external assessment. For Integrated schools and their leadership in Northern Ireland.
• Learning Forums (Professional Development) A suite of professional development forums for Integrated school staff including the Association of Principal Teachers (APTIS), Vice Principals' Forum, Teachers' Committee, Integration Co-ordinators, Early Years Forum, Special Educational Needs (SEN) Co-ordinator Committee, Integrated Schools' Finance Association, and Primary RE Coordinators' Forum. For teachers, principals, and support staff at Integrated schools in Northern Ireland.
• Ethos Development and Training Training and support services for Integrated schools covering Anti-Bias in Education, the Excellence in Integrated Education Award, and additional ethos resources. For Integrated school staff and governors in Northern Ireland.
• Bias Busting Resources Animations and educational resources developed by NICIE to promote Integrated Education and engage teachers and the general public in addressing bias. Winner of the IDI Motion Design award in 2022. For teachers, pupils, and the wider public.
• The Bees and The Wind (Storybook) A storybook developed to celebrate 40 years of Integrated Education and designed to open discussions about Integrated Education with young children. Available in digital format with narration by author Amelia Kai, alongside downloadable PDF and video versions. For primary school children, teachers, and Integrated school communities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 71% public support for expanding integrated education (LucidTalk poll)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission: Independent statutory body in NI that aligns thematically with NICIE's work on integrated education and human rights (recently highlighted in Dunleath Lecture 2026). Both are NDPBs with advocacy mandates in shared-society issues.

Broad incumbents

• Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS): Statutory body in Northern Ireland supporting the Catholic-maintained schools sector. Operates as a sector-specific support and advocacy body with comparable governance and Department of Education interface, but serves the Catholic-maintained sector rather than integrated schools.
• Education Authority (NI): Statutory body responsible for education service delivery across Northern Ireland. NICIE's direct partner on the Framework for Integrated Education and Transformation Programme, and comparable as a publicly funded NI education organization.
• Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment (CCEA): Northern Ireland's statutory body for curriculum, assessment, and examinations. Comparable as a publicly funded NI education body with Department of Education oversight, though broader in remit than NICIE.
• Controlled Schools' Support Council (CSSC): NI body that supports and represents Controlled (predominantly Protestant) schools. Comparable sector-specific advocacy and support role to NICIE for its respective sector within the same NI education system.

Direct peers

• Integrated Education Fund (IEF): Independent charity that partners with NICIE to support integrated education development in Northern Ireland. Closest peer by mission: provides funding and project support for new and transforming integrated schools, including the 'Bees and The Wind' storybook.
• Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta: Specialist council supporting Irish-medium education across Ireland with a structurally similar mandate: promoting, developing, and supporting a specific education sector via advocacy, school support, and government partnerships. Most comparable organizational model to NICIE outside the integrated education niche.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NICouncilforIntegratedEducation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nicie
• Instagraminstagram.com/niciebelfast
• Xx.com/niciebelfast

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NI Council for Integrated Education