Debate contribution: North/South Ministerial Council: Education

Debate contribution by Mr Paul Givan on 28 April 2025.

MLA

Mr Paul Givan

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

28 April 2025

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Ministerial Statements

Heading

North/South Ministerial Council: Education

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4913942

Read the official Assembly record

Text

In compliance with section 52 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, I make the following statement on the meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) in the education sector that was held on Wednesday 2 April 2025. The meeting took place in the Middletown Centre for Autism and was chaired by me. Other attendees included Helen McEntee TD, Minister for Education in the Republic of Ireland, and John O'Dowd, Minister of Finance, who attended as the accompanying Minister. Minister O'Dowd has agreed the statement and that I make it on his behalf. The meeting was held on World Autism Awareness Day. I thank the Middletown Centre for Autism for hosting the meeting. All delegates welcomed the opportunity to visit the centre and to see at first hand the important specialist educational services being provided to autistic children and young people. The following main areas were discussed at the meeting: special educational needs (SEN); addressing educational disadvantage; digital literacy; school, youth and teacher exchanges; and promoting well-being and mental health in schools. I will go through each one in detail On special educational needs, Ministers welcomed the continued work of both Departments and the Middletown Centre for Autism to develop, extend and enhance its services and to scope the potential for expansion of the services to meet the needs, including emergent needs, across the jurisdictions. The Council noted further opportunities for joint cooperation by both Departments in relation to special educational needs and inclusion to develop, extend and enhance the transformation of services to support children and young people with SEN across both jurisdictions. The Council also welcomed the appointment of five new members to the board of Middletown last year. We thank the outgoing members for their contribution to the governance of the centre. On addressing educational disadvantage, the Council received an update on the implementation of the RAISE programme and noted the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the Departments of Education in both jurisdictions supporting the pilot cooperation programme to address educational disadvantage, which includes the RAISE programme. Ministers noted the announcement of the RAISE programme on 16 October 2024, supported by an allocation of up to €25 million from the Government of Ireland's Shared Island Fund, and agreed that updates on the overall delivery of the pilot programme will be provided at future meetings. The NSMC noted that the funding allocation also includes up to €4 million for Northern Ireland to extend the teacher research exchange (T-REX) platform and provide a new Creative Connections arts education pilot programme and that those programmes are currently under development. The progress made in implementing projects that are being supported under the PEACE PLUS Shared Learning Together programme was noted, and we welcomed the official launches of related projects that have been held to date or are planned to take place shortly. The Council agreed that officials will explore the potential for further cooperation in addressing educational disadvantage and provide an update at the next sectoral meeting. On digital literacy, Ministers welcomed the proposed project to provide teacher professional learning resources on how to inform students on disinformation/misinformation, including the impact of AI, and heard how both Departments intend to explore that area further for potential collaboration. The Council noted the activity on pupil, youth, student and teacher exchanges on a North/South basis and the valuable experience that they have provided to those involved. Ministers requested that a progress report on those activities be provided on an annual basis to the NSMC education sectoral meetings. Ministers noted progress to the implementation stage of successful applicants to the PEACE PLUS programme under the Shared Learning Together investment area, including specific North/South school civic exchanges and youth mental health and well-being area programmes. We welcomed the progress that has been made by both Education Departments and Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, to extend development and delivery of the teacher research exchange across both jurisdictions. The NSMC noted the ongoing review of the North/South education and training standards committee, which endorses undergraduate and postgraduate youth work programmes.

It also noted the ongoing work of the North/South youth work sector practice development hub in strengthening and developing sustainable North/South youth work sector relationships and enhancing the quality of the learning experience of young people participating in youth services across the island.

Ministers noted the continued cooperation across inspectorates in promoting well-being and mental health in schools. The council welcomed a presentation on behalf of the OUR Generation partnership, funded under the PEACE PLUS theme 3, which is empowering and investing in young people, and investment area 3.3, youth mental health and well-being, and commended the joint working in that area across the jurisdictions. Ministers noted the policy and delivery framework position in both jurisdictions on an emotional health and well-being framework and noted that officials would explore potential options for collaboration and provide an update at the next meeting. That concludes my update on that North/South meeting.

I thank the Member for that important question. We have important work in that area in Northern Ireland, but on a North/South cooperative basis, an emotional health and well-being framework is in place that helps to provide overarching guidance. The framework was published in 2021, and it helps with a whole-school approach. That is what we are doing in Northern Ireland with the Department of Health. That is an area that Helen McEntee, the new Minister, is keen to explore, so both jurisdictions have a well-being framework in place, which focuses on a whole-school preventative approach. The position is similar as regards schools that have the autonomy to use programmes that can support emotional health and well-being to best meet the needs of their pupils. It is an area in which we in Northern Ireland do a considerable amount of work, as does the Republic of Ireland. There is a well-being framework that can connect both jurisdictions, and where we can learn from each other, we should — and we do.

I thank the Member for the question. An update was provided on the RAISE programme. We have been continuing to roll the programme out. Members and stakeholders provided feedback, which was taken into account in making subsequent decisions. All groups have now been informed of their allocations. They are developing their plans, which will need to come forward for approval. However, work continues to take ahead RAISE programmes where they are operating in Northern Ireland. The key tenet of the programme's design is the locality reference groups, which are being established in each RAISE area. I am keen that we get on with the work, and that we can get funding rolled out. That work is ongoing. The Minister in the Republic of Ireland was particularly keen to get an update, and I hope that we will be able to make progress on the roll-out of the RAISE programmes in the various areas.

To pick up on the point that I made to Mr Mathison, issues were brought to my attention that were reflected upon. For example, flexibility has been provided to allow one area in West Belfast to include, if it wishes, areas that are, strictly speaking, outside the parameters, but it is still within the funding envelope provided for that area. I know that many other areas in Northern Ireland would love to be included. The pot of funding that is available for it is limited. The Government in the Republic of Ireland have provided funding and are keen to provide future funding. It is important that we get on with developing the plans in those areas so that they can come forward and decisions can be taken to proceed with funding. If there are opportunities for it to be extended beyond two years, we need to start to develop those programmes. The Irish Government have indicated a willingness to have the conversation. I believe that we can secure additional funding beyond the two-year period. Let us progress the work. Then, we can go to the Government in the South and see whether there is potential for funding. They have indicated that there may be funding for a further two years, but we would need to engage with them on that. The priority now has to be to develop the specific plans through the locality reference groups in those 15 areas and allocate the funding to them to allow that work to commence.

I thank the Member for his question. The exchange programme is an opportunity not just for teachers but for young people to engage in civic exchanges, particularly in border communities. The North/South body provides funding to the programme. I would like to see that work being taken forward. To date, funding allocations for seven education-related projects have been approved under the PEACE PLUS investment area. That is worth almost €68 million, so it is not an insignificant amount of funding; it is very significant. Support for two Shared Learning Together projects is also included. My Department has a role in accounting for that particular area of spend in SEUPB — and I think that it is an area of very worthwhile expenditure.

The Assembly has discussed that area on a number of occasions. At a high level, €24 million is being made available to us for the RAISE programme. It is being funded through the Republic of Ireland. We identified 15 areas that provided regional balance to that. I made the point that many areas did not qualify that would have liked to have qualified but that the funding that is available for it is limited. The groups have now been formally advised of the allocations. That allows them to get on with designing the particular schemes that they want to design and to bring them forward. However, clearly, that has to be tied to an output in helping to close the educational under-attainment gap. The gap is most pronounced between those who have and those who have not. We must ensure that we seek to close that attainment gap by putting effective measures in place. That will be really important in assessing what proposals come forward. Without prejudging what local areas design — ultimately, it is something that they need to design — underpinning all of it has to be closing that educational underachievement gap. There has been detailed communication with the Education Committee on RAISE. The Committee has taken an interest in that area and received briefings on it. I am happy to provide the Member with any more information if he wants to have it.

I thank the Member for the question. It is apt, because the meeting was held in Middletown, which is a centre of excellence. Although Middletown is the headquarters, its staff, who are from across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, are out providing support to schools, and also to families, so, as an example, it is important that we continue to support the work of Middletown. The two Departments jointly fund the centre. There is a funding allocation of just over £3 million. We have just refreshed the board appointments at Middletown. The centre also undertakes important research work, which can be to the benefit of all schools, so, where we can collaborate, we should, because the issues that we are facing in Northern Ireland are the same as those being faced in the Republic of Ireland. I think that Northern Ireland is better at capturing data and information on autism, however. That is borne out by the higher prevalence of children with additional needs. It is not that I think that there are fewer children in the Republic of Ireland with additional needs. Rather, it is the case that we are good at capturing the information. When it comes to meeting the needs out of the resources that we are able to provide, however, we have a different challenge from that in the South. There is very much a willingness in both Departments of Education, North and South, to collaborate where we can. If we can share information and best practice, we should do so. I certainly encourage it.

I thank the Member for his question, because Mr Brooks asked about some of the exchanges involving young people. One of the exchange programmes that I believe to be beneficial is the teachers' research exchange, which is otherwise known as T-REX. We will also be taking forward Creative Connections, which is a creative arts programme. That teacher exchange programme provides an opportunity for collaboration and for sharing of best practice. We can all learn from one another. Nobody is an expert in anything, so one always has to look elsewhere. If we can get that exchange of information, we should encourage it. The T-REX programme therefore provides a good opportunity for us to have that collaboration.

I missed that. What schools? Sorry.

I do not think that I have, but if there is an opportunity for me to visit and learn from a school, I will. I visited a number of schools in London to see how they deliver their approaches to teaching and to the curriculum that they cover. If, however, there is an opportunity for me to visit a school in the Republic of Ireland, I will do so, because, when we look at international measures of performance, the Republic of Ireland is outperforming Northern Ireland in a number of key areas. We rightly should ask, "Why is that? What is it doing that we could be doing?". That is why, for the TransformED strategy that I announced and am taking forward, we have an international ministerial advisory panel, and one of its members is a former Chief Inspector of Education in the Republic of Ireland. We are therefore trying to gather information at an international level to help inform what we do in Northern Ireland. I am, however, more than happy to visit a DEIS school.

That is a good question, Mr Buchanan. I have been down to Middletown on a couple of occasions now. It is a beautiful site. It has within its responsibility some buildings, including a lovely, old, ornate chapel. It is not used from an education perspective, but there is a responsibility to help maintain it.

There is great heritage at that site. I think that the Education Committee visited it recently, but I say to anyone who has not been down that it is well worth visiting.

Beyond the site and its location, it is about the expertise that they provide when it comes to supporting children, particularly those with autism. There is a highly experienced team that is out visiting schools and providing support to schools and to families. It is a resource that we would do well to try to harness. It is something that I have been impressed with on my two visits. More important is the work that they are doing in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in supporting children and young people who have autism and their families.

AI is something that we are all trying to harness effectively. In education, we have to look at what opportunities there are when it comes to AI. It was not discussed at the meeting at Middletown or, if it was, it was very tangentially on the margins, but, in a Northern Ireland context, a pilot scheme has been running in which AI is being used by some of our school leaders to create school development plans and update policies. Obviously, that has to be within certain safeguards when it comes to the parameters by which the technology is being used. There has been some really positive feedback from some of our principals in Northern Ireland on how that work is helping them to perform the administrative functions very effectively. If we can harness AI to help teachers at a leadership level with their workload and with the delivery of lesson plans and assessments, we should look at how AI can help to enable that work and allow teachers to do what they do best, which is delivering the lesson and working with our young people. AI is an area that will continue to require exploration. One of the areas that we discussed was digital literacy and ensuring those essential skills. Equipping our young people to be literate when it comes to digital areas will be important. It is about critically assessing online content, how to identify misinformation and how to engage responsibly with digital media. We had some discussion on those areas, and there is a joint initiative to help to align efforts in developing good practice and high-quality resources for schools to avail themselves of.

2,776 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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