Member's statement: St Columbanus' College: Times Educational Supplement Schools Awards 2025
Member's statement by Mr Peter Martin on .
- MLA
- Mr Peter Martin
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 1 July 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- St Columbanus' College: Times Educational Supplement Schools Awards 2025
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5061132
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I will do my best. I am delighted to congratulate St Columbanus' College on being named as one of the seven finalists in the secondary school of the year category in the 'Times Educational Supplement' (TES) Schools Awards. That outstanding achievement reflects the dedication, innovation and inclusive spirit at the heart of that exceptional school. Whilst ultimate glory eluded it, simply getting to be one of the final seven schools was a remarkable achievement. I extend my congratulations to principal Maria Flynn, whose leadership steered the school to that remarkable national recognition, and I had better mention Liam Perry, the previous principal, or he will never speak to me again. I congratulate the teaching staff on their commitment to the school, I congratulate the support staff — the school has a pastoral ethos — and, to the pupils, I offer massive congratulations: you deserve that recognition for your dedication, resilience and enthusiasm. The recognition in the TES awards is testament to their passion and teamwork and to the hard-working values that define the school's Christian ethos. I wish final congratulations to the principal, Maria Flynn, and all teachers, staff and pupils on reaching that incredible milestone: I wish you every success in the years ahead, and I hope that you build on that fantastic achievement, but, Mr Speaker, school's out for summer.
228 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: 0.02 (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: Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice).
- 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 | 0.03 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.02 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice) | 0.85 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.10 |
| Education structures, integration and community division | 0.05 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:57 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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