Member's statement: Lisanally Special School, Armagh
Member's statement by Mr Cathal Boylan on .
- MLA
- Mr Cathal Boylan
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 24 June 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Lisanally Special School, Armagh
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5046483
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I take the opportunity to highlight ongoing issues that impact on special schools in Newry and Armagh. I recently visited Lisanally Special School and met its principal, Siobhan Scowcroft, staff and pupils. First, I record my thanks to and continued support for the school and its staff for the fantastic work that they do. As I mentioned, however, like other special schools, Lisanally faces issues, many of which I will not have time to highlight today. Issues such as recruiting and retaining appropriately trained staff are almost daily challenges that the school faces. In the words of those whom I spoke to, "School leaders did not create the workforce crisis in SEN schools, but they are the ones who are left to deal with it". That is an untenable position for school leaders to be in. They should be better supported. In addition, Lisanally Special School, like other schools, has to navigate an ever-ageing building that repeatedly presents maintenance problems, such as a leaking roof, blocked drains and overflowing guttering.
Those issues, coupled with an ever-growing population, mean that the school is stuck for space and faces the prospect of not being able to hold whole-school events because there is no suitable space for pupils and staff. The fact that the school is in line for a new enhancement scheme is welcome, but that will only address the short-term need. Ultimately, in the long term, Lisanally Special School needs a new build. Finally, there is the issue of the communication between Education, Health and their agencies, which has been highlighted. From respite care to short-break provision, mental health support and clinical psychology, it is clear that we need to listen to the staff on the ground, who are crying out for more and improved joined-up thinking and action. More must be done to support Lisanally Special School. I will continue to work with my colleagues and the school's principal and staff to ensure that that is the case.
328 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not qualifying”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (qualifying needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not qualifying).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.90).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-qualifying 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 | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.90 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-qualifying 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 |
|---|---|
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.98 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.02 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:52 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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