Every imported question, contribution and motion, with its classification. Unflagged, uncertain and not-yet-analysed records are all included so the analysis can be checked independently.
Through the Teachers' Negotiating Committee (TNC), a joint pay group is operational. Meetings have taken place with employers, sectoral support bodies and the recognised teaching trade unions in the Northern Ireland Teachers' Council (NITC) to explain to and update them on the current financial pressures in education…
Those schools, because they are new, will require limited maintenance. Behind the question that the Member rightly raises is this: when we make that investment of millions and millions of pounds, if we do not maintain the facilities, we will actually cause harm to that level of investment. That is a real challenge…
Minister, what strategies are in place to ensure that, once projects are completed, facilities are maintained properly and funded accordingly to prolong their lifespan?
The Education Authority (EA), which owns the site, is considering that. As part of the work for special educational needs, the EA has been scoping out the full school estate. It has been mapping where the need exists, and that has been part of the issue when it comes to the old Dromore Central Primary School site.…
That is a very important question. Special educational needs has required significant investment of tens of millions of pounds to meet the need, and that need is expected to continue in the years ahead. In April, I established the SEN capital programme for the development of school facilities to support children…
St Brigid's College was one of 28 schools announced under the major capital works programme in March 2022. The schools were scored and ranked using the published major works protocol, which examines the condition and suitability of the buildings, as well as other factors, such as levels of deprivation. All school…
I thank the Minister for his answer. Will he accept an invitation to visit the brilliant St Brigid's College in my constituency to see for himself the urgent and desperate need that there is for its scheme to progress? Will he outline the criteria that have been used to determine the sequence in which work at schools…
Since 2012, a total of 103 projects have been announced under the major capital works programme. A further 11 projects, which were initially announced for funding from 'A Fresh Start', were transferred to the programme in 2024. Some 38 are complete; five are currently on-site; 18 are at the technical design and…
I very much wish that I had been able to take forward the plans for all the schools on the list, but, earlier, I highlighted the serious amount of capital resources that would be needed in order to do so. It is billions, not millions, of pounds. When I came into office, I did allow seven projects to move forward. My…
Will the Minister confirm which schools announced under the major capital works programme in March 2022, to which he has referred, have seen progress made on planning?
The Member's question is on the Education Authority's 'Operational Plan 2'. The draft document has been provided to the Department of Education and is being reviewed in its various business areas, but a submission has not yet come to me as Minister for my consideration. It is therefore being worked through. I hope to…
I thank the Minister for his response. He will be aware that 'Operational Plan 2' — OP 2 — for Dean Maguirc College was to be published on Monday 9 September. Does he have any update to provide on why it has not yet been published?
I am sorry to say that the position regarding the major capital project for Dean Maguirc College has not changed since my most recent update in September, so the project remains on hold. As previously advised, I will continue to keep under review all the projects that were announced under the major capital works…
As a working-class Protestant boy who went through the transfer test — I went to Laurelhill Community College, a school that I was incredibly proud to go to — my focus is on ensuring that all schools get the right support to ensure that, whichever school pupils go to, they get the best possible education. That means…
Minister, you have talked many times in the Chamber about your ambition to tackle educational underachievement among working-class Protestant boys. Surely you recognise that the presence of a high-stakes, non-resit, unregulated transfer test in our system exacerbates the inequalities faced by working-class young…
I have no such plans. My Department is not responsible for the administration or operation of post-primary transfer tests. The Schools' Entrance Assessment Group (SEAG), a company formally established in February 2022, oversees a single common entrance assessment. Participation in the assessments is entirely a matter…
I thank the Member for the question. Regrettably, funding is now largely being spent on urgent maintenance issues: it is about just keeping schools open and safe. Indeed, some principals have challenged me on how safe the environments that they have to work in actually are and what it takes to meet the criteria for…
I appreciate the pressures on your budget. The demands across our schools estate highlight the need for more investment in your budget from the Northern Ireland Executive. Will the Minister outline how a school can raise urgent maintenance issues?
I join the Chair of the Committee in commending Larne High School on the work that it undertakes. Like many schools, it delivers excellence in facilities that are not excellent. Teachers and others involved in education very much put the children first in what they are trying to deliver, but they could do so much more…
Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Larne High School with my colleague Danny Donnelly, who represents East Antrim. I was shocked by the condition of the buildings in which the children are educated. It has undoubtedly reached a state where it impacts on their ability to access the curriculum in a number of…
The Education Authority (EA) is operationally responsible for the use of funds for, for example, minor works schemes. It needs to ensure the efficient use of taxpayers' funding to do that, and its procurement process is supposed to achieve those desired outcomes. When it comes to major capital and school enhancement…
Maintenance of the external fabric of buildings is generally a landlord maintenance item under the common funding scheme for the local management of schools and, as such, is typically funded from the resource maintenance budget. Larger schemes that upgrade, replace or alter the building or infrastructure are funded…