Education is a sector that uniquely reaches both current and future generations; as each generation leaves school it is them who will extend and progress norms and values learnt there (Murphy, 2017). As such, aims as set out in education policy are constantly interplaying with the experience of pupils in the classroom. For example, on paper policy may appear to promote building a more peaceful society however such aims may not translate into practice and may even clash with existing norms as experienced outside the classroom.

The implications of values shaped and normalised within education are particularly pronounced in deeply divided societies, a term that refers to ‘cases in which the divisions in question have given rise to violent conflict’ (Guelke, 2012: 9). Educational approaches that address division in society warrant our attention precisely because education plays a crucial role in shaping how we see and participate in the world around us (Paulson et al, 2020). Exploring how education policy is echoed in the classroom helps us to understand how and whether values are being shaped and can inform future policymaking. Furthermore, by capturing young people’s classroom experience we can observe the extent to which their values align with those set out in policy.   

Across the research literature, education is hailed as having the potential to address division in societies that have experienced violent conflict, for example Staub (2013: 582) writes that education can prevent further division by promoting reconciliation (Staub, 2013). Peace education is one way a divided society can facilitate and promote reconciliation (Bar Tal and Rosen, 2009). For the purpose of this paper, peace education is understood as a creative approach that is not represented by one single subject but instead an ‘orientation’ (Bar Tal, 2002: 32: emphasis added) that seeps into every aspect of school and proposes alternatives to existing norms and ideologies (ibid). In this way, peace education is concerned with the construction of whole systems (Bekerman and Zembylas, 2011: 224) and therefore requires a holistic approach that includes ethos, practice and pedagogy (Bajaj and Hantzopoulos, 2016; Bar Tal, 2002).

Each society develops a version of peace education that responds to its own political and social landscape (ibid). Northern Ireland is a deeply divided society (Guelke, 2012) where over 90% of pupils attend separate schools according to religious background (Mclean and Thomson, 2024). Integrated Education and Shared Education are two approaches to education in Northern Ireland that address division in schools and include reconciliation as a priority (Gallagher and Hughes, nd; McGlynn et al, 2004).

Integrated Education intentionally educates pupils of different community and religious backgrounds together with a distinct ethos of diversity. Meanwhile Shared Education establishes ‘collaborative networks of Protestant, Catholic and integrated schools’ (Gallagher, 2016: 362) that regularly provide opportunities to be educated together (Education Authority Northern Ireland, 2024). Both the Integrated Education Act 2022 and Shared Education Act 2016 outline five purposes, the latter two are the focus of this paper as they most closely align with an orientation to peace. These two purposes aim ‘(d) to promote good relations; and (e) to promote respect for identity, diversity and community cohesion’.

My empirical study seeks to answer ‘to what extent does education policy transition into experience in the classroom?’ by investigating whether an orientation to peace is realised in Northern Ireland, specifically within schools that adopt either Integrated Education or Shared Education. Through group interviews with young people I seek to understand how an orientation to peace is echoed in the classroom and to observe any similarities or differences between settings that adopt Integrated Education or Shared Education.

This paper focuses on the direct experience of past pupils of Integrated and Shared Education, respectively, to explore the extent to which an orientation to peace features in the classroom. I chose to interview past pupils aged 17-22 so I can capture a retrospective view and observe young people’s values at an age where they have more agency and autonomy of thought and action. I chose group interviews as my method so I can observe the dynamics of the group alongside gaining a rich understanding of policy outcomes. My methodological framework began by creating a database of ‘school clusters’ where there is at least one Catholic Maintained school and one Controlled school (de facto Protestant) that collaborate together through a Shared Education partnership, and one integrated school, within the same vicinity. The next step involved gathering data on Free School Meal Entitlement (FSME) over the past ten years and narrowing the focus to schools with 30% or more of FSME to account for socio-economic background. My study invites past pupils of post-primary education to participate in group interviews to discuss their experiences of education. The schools identified through my methodological framework have Sixth Forms attached and so I am recruiting participants via these further educational settings. Participants taking part in interviews will do so alongside their fellow classmates. I decided to conduct group interviews to allow space for participants to share their experiences and build on one another’s responses. I will encourage participants to reflect on their experience of education and discuss examples of celebrating and promoting good relations with those of a different community background and the ways in which respect for identity, diversity and community cohesion were actualised. I also want to capture the importance the young people place on an orientation to peace in school.

By documenting the direct experience of young people my research provides a unique insight into the outcomes of policy that encompasses an orientation to peace. The Integrated Education Act 2022 and Shared Education Act 2016 both align with the principles of an orientation to peace with their inclusion of promoting good relations and respect for identity, diversity and community cohesion. The approach of each policy is different, Integrated Education educate pupils in mixed environments on a full-time basis and schools engaged in Shared Education bring pupils from different backgrounds together regularly whilst maintaining their own ethos. By investigating the outcomes in both settings, my study will be able to identify whether there are differences between experiences of an orientation to peace in Integrated and Shared Education, respectively, and will observe the extent to which pupils’ values align with those set out in policy. To know whether we are working towards a positive future, it is vital to understand the outcomes of present policy. Thus, by examining the lived experience of pupils, we can explore what success is. The findings from group interviews with young people therefore seek to gain an in-depth understanding of policy outcomes. I expect to capture the hopes that young people have for future policy by exploring their own experiences and identifying the triumphs and failures. Exploring how education policy is echoed in the classroom helps us to understand how and whether values are being shaped and can inform future policymaking. In this way, my paper will draw on past experience of current education policy and contribute to debates about what a positive future looks like.

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