Debate contribution: Education Inspections Bill: Second Stage

Debate contribution by Ms Cara Hunter on 1 June 2026.

MLA

Ms Cara Hunter

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

1 June 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Education Inspections Bill: Second Stage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5581521

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Minister, thank you for your detailed contribution, which will help people's understanding of the different perspectives when approaching the issue. If the Bill were to pass Second Stage today, I would welcome your engaging with the Education Committee. Similar to the Chair, over the past 72 hours, the issue has prompted a significant number of messages and phone calls to me from concerned teachers — teachers who are burnt out and teachers who are angry. They feel that this is just the cherry on the cake after years of feeling undervalued. Therefore, I rise on behalf of the SDLP to, sadly, oppose the Bill. From the outset, I want to be clear: that is not opposition to inspection. I agree with the Minister: inspection matters, and accountability and keeping children safe in our classrooms matter. Every child in Northern Ireland, regardless of where they grow up or what school they attend, deserves a system that can be honest with itself, be assessed adequately and improve along the way. The SDLP unreservedly supports and agrees with that principle. While there is undoubtedly a pressing need for a legal framework that guarantees consistent, independent oversight of educational quality, child protection and safeguarding, we, sadly, cannot support the Bill in its current form. Nothing should impact our teachers' fundamental workers' rights and their sanctity in being able to partake in collective action. Our teachers have spoken: they feel overworked, under-resourced and burnt out. Under the Bill, by failing to cooperate with an inspection due to being on strike, teachers — our teachers — would risk being painted as unacceptable and unprofessional in their conduct. Minister, we know that you see the Bill as bringing Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK. However, I feel strongly that there is a context here that really matters: over the past eight years, more than 75% of inspections were disrupted by industrial action. There is a reason for that. Teachers did not and do not step out out of defiance or malice. They do so because, year-on-year, the system has asked them to do more with less, without adequate support, adequate pay or adequate recognition. Our teachers really are exhausted. They bring their own items into the classroom to support our kids. They have a right to strike, and I feel strongly that striking is not them refusing to cooperate; it is just them exercising their fundamental workers' rights.

405 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:46 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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