Member's statement: Glenwood Primary School: Capital Investment
Member's statement by Mr Brian Kingston on .
- MLA
- Mr Brian Kingston
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 4 June 2024
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Glenwood Primary School: Capital Investment
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4493758
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I warmly welcome the announcement last week by Education Minister, Paul Givan, of long-awaited funding for the capital new build and refurbishment of Glenwood Primary School on the Shankill Road in Belfast. Glenwood is the largest primary school in the greater Shankill area, with three classes in each year group from P1 to P7, making a total school enrolment of over 500 pupils. The original school premises, which date back to 1928, are listed as being of architectural interest. They are long overdue for refurbishment and new build. Along with DUP colleagues, over the years, I have accompanied various Education Ministers who visited the school to view the conditions and look at the need for investment. Securing capital investment has various stages and is a frustratingly slow process, but, today, I acknowledge and congratulate all those who have supported the case for Glenwood and brought us to this stage, where capital funding has been approved. I acknowledge and congratulate in particular the school principal, Mr Wesley Wright, and his predecessor, Mr Terry Leathem; the school board of governors under its chairperson, Mrs Jacqueline Weir; Education Minister, Paul Givan, and his predecessors; and officials in the Department and the Education Authority. To give an idea of timescale, in 2013, the then Education Minister, John O'Dowd, announced that Glenwood was approved for rebuild. Members will note that it has taken over 11 years for capital funding to be approved. However, we can now look forward to the construction contract going out to tender so that works can commence. I record my thanks to former Education Ministers Michelle McIlveen and Peter Weir, who also advanced the case for Glenwood, and I make special mention of former elected representatives William Humphrey MLA and Nigel Dodds MP, who were champions for the investment alongside local councillors. It is tremendous that the school community can now look forward to not only the long-awaited capital investment and to all the disruption that will have to be managed but more so to the prospect of a 21st-century premises for what is a hub school for the Shankill community. Glenwood is one of 15 schools across Northern Ireland that are included in the package of capital investments that the Education Minister announced last week that can now proceed to procurement and construction following the recent Stormont Budget. I have no doubt that that investment in the education of our children will be warmly welcomed in every case. We know, of course, that many other schools are waiting to receive their share of capital investment in due course, but I am delighted for the Glenwood school community that its time is now.
442 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Awaiting analysis
This record has not been analysed yet. It is not counted in any total until it has been assessed.
Disagree with this assessment?
Classifications can be challenged. A person reviews every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.