Member's statement: St Joseph's Primary School, Donagh: Kitchen
Member's statement by Miss Áine Murphy on .
- MLA
- Miss Áine Murphy
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 14 September 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- St Joseph's Primary School, Donagh: Kitchen
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5685263
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I rise to express my deep concern about the decision of the Education Authority (EA) to permanently close the kitchen at St Joseph's Primary School in Donagh. The decision has caused significant anxiety amongst parents, staff and the wider community, who rightly value the role that the kitchen plays in the life of that rural school. I welcome the fact that, following a recent meeting, the EA has now agreed to carry out an assessment of alternative costings, based on the previous, and successful, three-school model. However, the development raises this fundamental question: why was an assessment of alternative costings not completed before the decision was taken to close the school kitchen permanently? Any decision of that significance should have been informed by a full assessment of all viable options. How did the EA reach a definitive conclusion if alternative models were not even looked at? The fact that that work is now being carried out reinforces concerns that the decision-making process was premature and lacked any credibility. Communities have every right to expect that all viable alternatives are examined before permanent decisions that affect their children and their local schools are made. What makes the situation even more frustrating is the lack of transparency surrounding the entire decision-making process. Parents and governors have sought answers on the rationale for the closure: the assessments undertaken, the alternatives considered, and whether the full implications for that rural school community were properly evaluated. Such decisions further undermine the confidence of our rural communities. School kitchens are far more than just workplaces in which meals are prepared; they are part of the fabric of our school communities. They support local employment, provide flexibility in meeting pupils' needs and contribute to the sustainability of rural education. The EA must now get its act together, fully reassess its decision and ensure that proper equality and rural needs considerations are applied. My Sinn Féin colleagues and I will continue to stand with parents and the wider community of Donagh in calling for full transparency and accountability. Most importantly, I will stand with the pupils of St Joseph's, whose interests must remain at the centre of every decision that is made about their education and well-being.
369 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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