CCMS is the managing authority for all Catholic Maintained schools in Northern Ireland. Our schools are part of the wider family of Catholic education institutions world-wide that enrich the lives of children from pre-school to third level education. They are funded by the state and teach the same common curriculum as all schools in Northern Ireland through the lens and values of Catholic education.
Catholic Maintained schools were originally founded by the trustees of congregational orders, educational trusts, and the dioceses of the Catholic church, and are now 'maintained' on our behalf by Boards of Governors.
Boards of Governors are made up of representatives of parents, teachers, the Department of Education, the Education Authority and trustees.
Catholic Maintained schools make up over 40% of all schools in Northern Ireland and CCMS is one of the largest teaching employers, employing approximately 6500 school leaders and teaching staff.
There are 122,000 children enrolled at 31 Nursery, 346 Primary and 54 Post Primary Catholic Maintained schools. This includes pupils at 244 Specialist Units, one Irish-medium Primary School and a further 10 Irish-medium units.
Children attending Catholic Maintained schools consistently out-perform their counterparts at Controlled schools, with over 64% achieving 5+ GCSEs at grades A* - C.
The benefits of Catholic education are described in our 'Delivering for Communities' publication.