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The strategy will build on what we have already implemented. I want to do more. We were able to expand Sure Start, for example, by making the temporary areas permanent. We also have been able to allow referrals to Sure Start settings from outside the identified catchment areas. I have been to a number of settings, as,…
I apologise. I think that I was thrown by the Minister's identifying himself as a "social justice" advocate. That is good news to hear, because our view is very much that putting two-year-olds in nursery settings is not the right place to spend £5 million of a constrained budget. What will the childcare strategy…
I think that it is question 7. Current legislation requires all statutory preschool settings to admit penultimate-age children who apply for a funded preschool education place if they still have places remaining after all target-age applicants have been considered. Research is clear that preschool education is not…
Mrs Cameron is absolutely right. It goes to the heart of why I am seeking to make the change that I want to make and why there is now a consultation process under way. The core principle should be parental preference. I have highlighted a number of caveats, albeit in a limited form. For example, there should not be an…
I thank the Minister for his answer. Does he agree that, when a school has capacity and is willing to admit additional pupils, parents should have the greatest possible opportunity to secure a place for their child in that school?
On 16 September, I launched a public consultation on the proposals to reform the temporary variation policy. The consultation seeks views on a more flexible approach to school admissions that places greater emphasis on parental preference. The proposals recognise that parents often choose an individual school rather…
I agree with Mr Sheehan on this occasion, because he is right. If young people fall behind in the early years, and if there is no intervention, it is very challenging for them to be able to catch up. We therefore need to assess fundamentally what has gone on in those early years. Setting aside the PISA results, CCEA's…
The PISA results reinforce what we have known for a long time, which is that there is a very long tail of educational underachievement here. The evidence shows that children and young people who fall behind in school do not catch up unless they get some sort of bespoke support. Forget this stuff about TransformED…
Being able to get data is hugely important to inform the education system on how we are performing. We had the PISA, which was a snapshot of a representative sample, but, for the first time in more than 20 years, we also had data for children across Northern Ireland in all of our schools. That was published last week.…
I welcome the Minister's commitment to ensuring the development of those core skills. Minister, how do the PISA results compare with the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) literacy and numeracy assessment results that were published last week?
I thank Mr Kingston for the question. I welcome the latest programme for international student assessment, commonly known as "PISA", results for Northern Ireland. International studies such as PISA provide essential insights on our system’s strengths and highlight opportunities to learn from approaches that are used…
This is not specifically related to the question, but I hope that the Minister will indulge me. The programme for international student assessment (PISA) shows a wide-spread decline in reading, alongside increased screen use, digital distraction and the emergence of AI. What is your Department doing to understand the…
I commend Mr Martin for the way in which he has raised public awareness and campaigned on the issue. I was pleased to meet parents and representatives from the National Allergy Strategy Group at the launch of its allergy strategy in Parliament Buildings in June. We had an opportunity to hear about the experiences of…
I thank the Minister for his answer. Minister, that is great news. There will be parents watching today who have children, as you rightly cited, with severe allergies and are very passionate about the issue. There are a number of parents in my constituency, particularly mums, who have children with such allergies, and…
It is vital that effective arrangements are in place to support children and young people with medical needs, including severe allergies, anaphylaxis and special dietary requirements, so that they can participate fully and safely in education. My Department is aware of developments elsewhere in the United Kingdom,…
I am happy to look into the constituency case that Mr McGrath has raised. I visited that school, and I know about the amalgamation that took place. I will raise those issues with the EA and come back to the Member.
The original question referenced wheelchair access. There is a school in my constituency, Lecale Trinity Grammar School, that took the jump to be an amalgamated school, but the accommodation is not 100% perfect. There are a number of disabled pupils, but they are not able to get access to some of the buildings in a…
The Member makes a really important point about the length of time and the distances that young people in his constituency have to travel. That is one of the reasons why we have engaged and sought to have all schools being part of the solution and the provision. It is also why we have mapped out a 10-year plan for…
I thank the Minister for that answer. Given the rural nature of my constituency of East Londonderry and the distance that some children have to travel to reach specialist provision, will the Minister provide an update on the outstanding SEN taxi contracts?
The Education Authority is responsible for the operation and delivery of home-to-school transport, including making the necessary arrangements to support the safe transport of children and young people with disabilities and special educational needs. Transport arrangements for pupils with a statement of SEN are…
In my response to the original question, I mentioned that there were 4,400 placements for children in the transition years. They had secured a place before the start of term. There were obvious issues with trying to get placements for the start of the academic year. That was a much improved picture compared with that…
Obviously, specialist provision in mainstream schools is really important. You mentioned how many schools will be involved in that. I have heard about the classes that will be involved. Can you tell us the number of places that will be provided?
The EA has a comprehensive oversight arrangement that reviews decisions regarding the establishment of specialist provision in mainstream schools. The EA maintains internal oversight through its senior leadership team. All specialist provision proposals will undergo an eight-week consultation process. The EA will…