a shared ethos and environment that welcomes and that celebrates all traditions. Schools should have a mixed staff, board of governors and pupils. It celebrates inclusion and fosters creativity in schools. It fosters "an environment where governors, staff, parents – and, in age-appropriate ways, pupils – can engage with social, political and religious debates explicitly and in a sharing and inclusive way." The four key elements of NICIE’s Statement of Principles are: Equality and diversity A child-centred education A partnership with parents A Christian ethos Educational background Education in Northern Ireland is highly religiously segregated, with 95% of pupils attending either a maintained (Catholic) school or a controlled school (mostly Protestant, but open to all faiths and none), both funded by the state by varying amounts. In addition there is pressure to open more Irish medium schools. Around 2007 there was surplus of places in existing schools. The churches in Northern Ireland have not been involved in the development of integrated schools. Integrated schools have been established by the voluntary efforts of parents. Current situation The first integrated school, Lagan College, was established in Belfast in 1981, in 1985, three more integrated schools opened in Belfast. , there were 65 integrated schools comprising 20 post-primary colleges and 45 primary schools. 27 are Controlled Integrated. Existing controlled schools voted to ‘transform’ and 38 are Grant-Maintained Integrated, new schools, created by the local parents, the last of which, Rowandale Integrated Primary School in Moira, County Down, was established in 2008. In addition, there are 19 integrated nursery schools, most of which are linked to primary schools as at Rowandale. In March 2022, the Integrated Education Bill was passed. Criticisms Integrated schools were sometimes criticised as being "middle-class" or accused of "social engineering". Then Monsignor Denis Faul criticised integrated education, insisting that Catholic parents were required by canon law to send their children to Catholic schools and also claimed the schools were a "dirty political trick" inspired by the British Government. Speaking out against integrated education, the Free Presbyterian Church described it as a "front for ecumenism and the secular lobby". In July 2021, John O'Dowd said during the second stage debates of the Integrated Education Bill that while integrated schools promote inclusivity "there's only one or very few play Gaelic games. There's none promote the Irish language. I will correct myself: I think that there is one. The identity in it is