Member's statement: School Estate: Carrickfergus

Member's statement by Ms Cheryl Brownlee on 29 September 2026.

MLA

Ms Cheryl Brownlee

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

29 September 2026

Type

Member's statement

Business

Members' Statements

Heading

School Estate: Carrickfergus

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5761246

Read the official Assembly record

Text

My Member's statement may take a slightly different tone from that of others. We have discussed so much that is so important to everybody in Northern Ireland, and I agree with every Member on this side of the House. I will speak about the concerning state of the school estate in Northern Ireland, and nowhere is that more apparent than in my constituency of East Antrim, where the ongoing situation at Central Integrated Primary School and Greengables Pre-School in Carrickfergus has caused significant disruption and distress. My office first raised concerns about the condition of the roof at Central Integrated Primary School with the Education Authority (EA) in January of this year. That was nine months ago. Despite those concerns being raised, substantive repairs were not undertaken at the time. We now find ourselves in a situation in which hundreds of children, their families and the school staff are being impacted on by the temporary closure of the school. Children have been left learning from home; parents have been forced to take time off work or make alternative arrangements; and teaching staff have been placed in an incredibly difficult position. It is not just about bricks and mortar but about our children's education and well-being and the ability of our schools to provide the safe, stable learning environment that every child in Northern Ireland deserves. I pay particular tribute to the principals of Central Integrated Primary School and Greengables Pre-School. Nuala and Tracey have worked tirelessly in an extremely challenging situation. My office has been working closely with them both, liaising with the EA and trying to find suitable accommodation to minimise disruption while the repairs are being undertaken. As things stand this morning, we are close to finding alternative sites. Across Northern Ireland, we have an ageing school estate. We have competing demands and maintenance budgets, and there is an ever-growing list of essential repairs that need to be carried out. I fully recognise our education system's financial situation. I understand and acknowledge the significant work that the Minister of Education has done to address the challenges in his Department. In this case, however, we must ask whether the EA's current approach to prioritising school maintenance is sufficiently proactive. When serious concerns are raised, action must be taken, and it must be taken with the urgency that it deserves or our children will continue to lose out. We cannot continue to operate a system in which problems are allowed to escalate to the point at which a school closes. Preventative maintenance, early intervention and accountability must be at the heart of how we manage our school estate. My immediate priority remains securing a satisfactory resolution for the school and the preschool, getting our children back into the classroom and ensuring that the school community receives the support that it needs.

We must learn from this experience to ensure that other schools across Northern Ireland do not find themselves in the same situation, for the sake of our children's education.

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

Assessment

Not qualifying

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 16:23 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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