Debate contribution: Educational Achievement: West Belfast

Debate contribution by Mr Robbie Butler on 4 June 2024.

MLA

Mr Robbie Butler

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

4 June 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Educational Achievement: West Belfast

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4494697

Read the official Assembly record

Text

It was great. I have a real passion not just for education but for the children from West Belfast. I have to declare an interest, and the reason is that my dad's family — the Butlers — come from west Belfast. I skinned my knees in Springmartin and Highfield from the late 1970s and through the 1980s, and I ran about with a lot of young people there at that time. They are not so young now; we are in our 50s. There are schools up there that no longer exist. There was a school up in Springmartin. I remember its image, but it is no longer there. In fact, some of my family have to travel to schools in north Belfast — the Boys' Model, for instance. It is perverse that there are areas and borders on maps of Northern Ireland that show places where, statistically, our children are failed. I am a Butler from Lagan Valley, and there are Butlers in West Belfast who are every bit as bright, clever and talented. However, the statistics will say that, potentially, they may face a more difficult challenge in their educational attainment or achievement. That is not indicative of the person or the families; it is indicative of a societal problem that we have allowed to develop over many years. We absolutely must get to grips with it. I will give Mr Sheehan absolute credit for this: there probably has not been an Education Committee meeting at which he has not tussled with that one, and that has been the case for a while. I am really pleased to speak about the matter, because, sadly, educational underachievement blights many sections of the community, particularly those who struggle with poverty. The problem is not merely an educational challenge but a societal one. When children grow up in disadvantaged environments, the odds are already stacked against them. Many schools in those areas face significant hurdles, including higher levels of disadvantage, which have already been talked about, and higher levels of additional needs. Mr Baker mentioned the higher levels of need among some of our students. When you go around those schools, you often find that some of them are in the greatest state of disrepair, unfortunately, which has a fundamental effect on the therapeutic environment in which children learn. However, our schools, teachers and support staff do phenomenal work, despite the challenges being, sadly, greater. I have witnessed first-hand the transformative power of Sure Start. Only a couple of weeks ago, I managed to visit a number of Sure Start centres in West Belfast, one of which was Clan Mór, which is on or just off the Falls Road. It is not off the Falls Road. Clan Mór is beside — what do you call the big church, Pat?

Clonard monastery — Clan Mór Sure Start is there. I also visited Shankill Sure Start, which is in Ballysillan. I had to work out why it is in Ballysillan but is called "Shankill Sure Start". I could not help but be moved by the dedication of the staff and the palpable impact that they have on the lives of the children there. It was phenomenal. I had sand ice creams thrust at me. Those children were learning and playing, and it was absolutely fantastic. I pay tribute to Sure Start and all the other initiatives that are tackling this at the very start. We need to give our children the best start in life, as that is what will make all the difference. He will go buck mad when he sees this, but I will also pay tribute to a success story from Sure Start. My cousin Robert's son is called Ashton, and he is the head boy at Belfast Boys' Model School. He was one of the first children to go through Shankill Sure Start. If you needed evidence that the proof of the pudding is in the eating, Ashton is that. He is a fantastic sports student — that is not in the Butler genes; it must be in the McQuade genes. He is head boy at Belfast Model, and he lives in West Belfast. As you rightly said, Belfast Model is in North Belfast, on the border, but my nephew — my cousin's son — comes from West Belfast, and he is doing us all proud. That is a real marker of what can happen if we get the start right. Through his parents' support and the impact of Sure Start in his life, he has grown into a fine young man. He is a credit to West Belfast and to Belfast Model. Education is the best route that any child can take. It opens the doors of opportunity and breaks the cycle of poverty. There should be no borders. I said this at the start. We talked about borders, but there should be no borders in educational attainment for any child. Every child deserves the best start in life and the chance to succeed and reach their full potential. We must continue to support and invest in our schools, particularly those in disadvantaged areas. By doing so, we build a brighter future not only for our children but for our entire society. We need to support the great initiatives that Mr Kingston and the Members for West Belfast talked about. Thank you for bringing the topic for debate, Pat.

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

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:36 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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