Developing Indicators of Equality of Opportunity and Good Relations in Education 

We recently contracted The Equality Company to undertake a project entitled ´Indicators of Equality of Opportunity and Good Relations in Education´ - to develop indicators for each of the three overarching goals specified in Every Child an Equal Child. These are as follows:

Every child has equality of access to a quality educational experience.
Every child is given the opportunity to reach his or her full potential.
The ethos of every school promotes the inclusion and participation of all.

The Equality Company invited a range of stakeholders to workshops between 15th and 26th March 2010. Participants in the workshops were asked to consider the key issues in the field of equality of opportunity and good relations in education. They were also asked to consider potential indicators and define the context in which they might operate. The Workshop programme and presentation can be accessed by clicking on the links below:

Workshop programme
Workshop presentation

Notes from workshops held on 15 March, 19 March and 23 March 2010 can be accessed by clicking on the links below.

Workshop notes 15 March 2010
Workshop notes 19 March 2010
Workshop notes 23 March 2010

As part of the consultation process The Equality Company invited people with an interest in the subject to submit a comment form. The deadline for submission of completed comment forms was Friday 9th April 2010.

The Equality Company are currently drawing up an indicator framework based on the feedback they receive from stakeholders. A final report, including an indicator framework will be published in due course. 

Further details on the project can be found here.

The Changing Faces of Prejudice

You don’t get to choose your neighbours or in-laws but if you could, who might they be and, more to the point who would be excluded? The Equality Commission has launched new research which shows a notable rise in Northern Ireland of negative views towards a range of people as neighbours, work colleagues and family members.

• Nearly half of people questioned (51%) would mind a little or a lot having a Traveller as a neighbour, ten percentage points more than in 2005.
• More than one in five people (23%) say they would mind a gay, lesbian or bisexual person living next door, compared to 14% three years ago.
• The same number (23%) say they would have the same problem with a migrant worker.
• Almost one-in-six of those surveyed (16%) said they would not want a person with mental ill-health as a neighbour. In comparison, 6% felt the same about those with a physical disability.
• Having a neighbour of a different religion was a difficulty for only 6% of respondents.

Click on the links below to access the report and further information.

Equality Commission Summary

Equality Commission Full Report

What we said
Press statements, speeches and articles.

Presentation and Fact Sheets
More details on our key findings.

• Factsheet 1 - Awareness of Anti-Discrimination Laws 
• Factsheet 2 - Social Attitudes and Perceptions
• Factsheet 3 - Personal Experiences of Discrimination and Harassment
• Factsheet 4 - Equality Commission: Awareness and Public Confidence
• Is this acceptable prejudice? (A2 Poster, 1.23mb, 1 page)
• The changing face of prejudice in Northern Ireland (1.3mb, 4 page poster)
• Equality Awareness Survey - presentation handout - (246kb, 6pages)