Member's statement: Millburn Primary School: Chinese New Year Celebrations
Member's statement by Mr Maurice Bradley on .
- MLA
- Mr Maurice Bradley
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 25 February 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Millburn Primary School: Chinese New Year Celebrations
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4814953
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I was honoured to be invited to attend Millburn Primary School in Coleraine on Friday morning to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, thanks to the kindness of the school's principal, Mrs Lamont, and her dedicated staff. They were privileged to have the Chinese consul general, Mr Li Nan, as their guest of honour. Millburn Primary School stands out as the only primary school in the United Kingdom to hold both a hub status for the Confucius Institute and the prestigious 'Global Classroom of the Year' award. Millburn has a been a pioneer in teaching Mandarin and Chinese culture, providing invaluable opportunities for pupils across all Key Stages and staff to visit China and perform at illustrious events. In a themed assembly hall, the significance of the Chinese New Year was highlighted through captivating stories, music and performances. The school choir and singing quartet delighted us with songs that were performed in Mandarin. Pupils and parents were also treated to a mesmerising Chinese opera performance and an exciting dance that featured a unique mask-changing technique, which mesmerised the children. The activities not only entertained students but helped them to appreciate and understand the rich traditions of the Chinese New Year and the 5,000-year history of China through language, culture, music and dance. The school enhances its pupils' employability by helping them to achieve recognised and accredited Mandarin language qualifications. Millburn has also showcased its pupils' talents at Stormont and Belfast City Hall. At all levels, Millburn Primary School has been a strong and vibrant ambassador for the Causeway Coast and Glens area. I wish continued success to the staff and pupils in learning and speaking Mandarin and in enriching the Chinese culture at Millburn Primary School.
286 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.04 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.03 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.05 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.34 |
| Immigration, asylum, race, ethnicity and Travellers | 0.31 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.14 |
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.10 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.07 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:01 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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