Peter Weir
Strangford · Ulster Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Funding was secured for that scheme, and we have been able to take further steps on it. As highlighted by my colleague Diane Dodds, we have seen my successor, the current Minister, be able to implement it at the beginning of September 2021 and funding be made available for it.”
“One of the great fears — I saw it particularly, as Education Minister, from the point of view of children and the domestic setting between partners — was what was going to happen in families when the doors closed and the locks went on. What was happening behind closed doors?”
“There is another significant element of the Bill. I have spoken about it in the Chamber on a couple of occasions. There is always a slight danger that we, as legislators, see legislation as being the end of a process and think that we can pack it away, put it on the shelf and forget about the problem because it has been solved.”
“I welcome the passage of the Bill's Final Stage and commend all the campaigners who have pressed so hard for it and the Bill sponsor. For Pat Catney, hearing some of the tributes must be like hearing eulogies at your funeral, without having to go through the indignity of dying, which is always a double advantage.”
“As highlighted by a number of Members, the impact of period poverty, though not confined to it, has been particularly acute in young women's education. We know that the impact can lead to the missing of education and constraints within education, and that it does so in a disproportionate way.”
“I support the Bill's Final Stage, and I commend the Bill's sponsor for introducing it. I thank the Minister and the Department for the positive attitude that they have taken towards it.”
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“<BR /> <BR />In trying to learn best practice, whether that is on the basis of educational underachievement or youth provision, none of us in this House should be so arrogant as to believe that everything that we have done in every service in Northern Ireland, whether it is education or any other subject, is so perfect that we cannot learn lessons from elsewhere, or spread lessons. Whether that involves the Republic of Ireland, some of the other jurisdictions in the United Kingdom or indeed further afield, I am very happy to have those exchanges and try to learn those lessons. All of us in this House will be collectively focused on trying to provide the best possible services for all our young people.”
“As I said, I am always mindful of the need to, as much as possible, share good practice. That is about learning experiences. It is also sometimes about learning from where a jurisdiction has tried something that has not worked. That can also be a very good object lesson. There is the old saying that a wise person learns from their mistakes and that an even wiser person learns from somebody else's mistakes. I do not know, from that point of view, whether those of us in Northern Ireland will be the ones giving the education or having the learning experience.”
“<BR /> <BR />I am keen to see, both on a North/South basis and within Northern Ireland, that learning experience. As I mentioned — I will go into in slightly greater detail next week — one of the agenda items we discussed was educational underachievement and how we can take forward a level of learning by way of practitioners exchanging views. I stand to be corrected, but I think that relatively soon there is a seminar in Newry — it may even be in the next few days — that I will be speaking at and trying to get that level of learning between both jurisdictions on the subject.”
“I have not read that specific report. Obviously, certain decisions will lie purely within the remit of the Minister for Education and Skills and relate to his own jurisdiction. There is a conference scheduled for fairly soon on learning exchanges between the two jurisdictions, and particularly on tackling educational underachievement. I think I am due to address that. As we all appreciate, Ministers on both sides of the border are trying to deliver the best we can in education, particularly in educational underachievement, with a limited level of resources. What is important for all jurisdictions is the learning of best practice. Even within Northern Ireland, I sometimes wonder whether there is knowledge of the very good things that happen.”
“<BR /> <BR />We discussed a range of education issues, including the implications of the UK referendum; educational underachievement; special education needs; school, youth and teacher exchanges; teacher qualification; and cooperation between education inspectorates. I will be able to go into those in greater detail when I make the statement next week. I am committed to developing in particular the opportunities for sharing best practice between our two Departments, and I look forward to continuing engagement with Minister Bruton over the months and years to come.”
“I thank the Member for her question. I have met the Minister for Education and Skills, Mr Bruton, formally twice since coming into office. The first occasion was an introductory meeting before the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) plenary meeting, and it was, largely, a "getting to know you" session. Despite getting to know me, he was not put off meeting me on a second occasion. Last week, I had the opportunity to meet him again at the North/South Ministerial Council education sectoral meeting in Armagh on 21 September. At that meeting, I was accompanied by junior Minister Megan Fearon. I am slightly restricted in what I can say because I will make a statement to the House next week on that meeting, but I will give the Member a little bit of a taster to tantalise her so that she is here next week.”
“Particularly in the case of severe learning difficulties, children who many years ago would not have survived to school age are now able to enter the school system and go on to adulthood. There is a constantly changing position in special needs, and we must keep constantly up to date to ensure that what we get for that category of children meets their needs.”
“The placement of children in nursery schools, particularly on the special needs side, is an operational matter directly for the Education Authority (EA). We always want to make sure that our provision is entirely adequate and fit for purpose. If it is an issue of a capital project or a development proposal, a particular decision will have to be taken. There is a limited amount that I can comment on directly, but I want to try to ensure that any facilities, particularly those for special needs children, are adequate for what is needed. We have to realise, particularly when dealing with special needs, that we are talking about what has been, in a virtuous way, a changing picture over the years.”
“They will then be graded according to the matrix of need and a scoring system. Given the nature of that, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on an individual school and say that it will be given priority. There will be fair and open competition for those places. I think that everybody is aware of the need to provide a particular level of support for special schools. In the near future, as we move towards the area-planning process, there will be a specific section on special schools. That will also form part of the assessment on the way forward.”
“I do not have the exact figures to hand. Kilronan covers the full remit of special needs schools, covering children aged three to 19. Therefore, it is a very productive model. The assessment of numbers for a special school is on a slightly different basis from the assessment for mainstream schools. I am happy to get the detail on the number of pupils to the Member. <BR /> <BR />All of these issues are considered as part of the overall calls for capital build, in which there is a level of open competition. One of the restrictions and, maybe, frustrations that all of us have is that a capital budget could be spent at least three or four times over in any one year. When there are calls for capital build, be it by way of a school enhancement programme or major capital works, there will be the opportunity for all schools to bid.”
“<BR /> <BR />Special education funding has been prioritised as much as possible as part of the budget-setting process over the last number of years and additional funding for SEN has been secured. For instance, in the last monitoring round, £5 million was secured from the Finance Minister as part of in-year monitoring. This is very much a demand-led service, so, should the EA identify budget pressures for SEN that cannot be met from the existing education budget, I will continue to work with Executive colleagues to ensure that we secure additional funding.”
“We are in a particular situation when it comes to special educational needs. Thankfully, for instance, we are seeing earlier diagnosis of special needs problems, which allows us to have an earlier level of intervention. Obviously, that will mean that there is an increasing level of demand for SEN support and the costs associated with that. For example, if we take a snapshot of the children with an SEN statement as one measure of that, the percentage of all students with an SEN statement has increased from 4·3% four years ago to the latest figure of 4·9%. A significant amount of the Education Authority's (EA) budget is being spent on special educational services, comprising a range of things, including special schools' support services, classroom assistants and transport costs.”
“I thank the Member for his question. There is one special school in Mid Ulster, which is Kilronan School. Since 1 April 2013, the Department has invested approximately £8 million in the school, of which £6·7 million was in resource funding and £1·3 million was in capital investment for minor works such as an extension to the building and the creation of a sensory garden.”
“We need to ensure that a range of different pathways are available to pupils so that their opportunities are maximised in the world of work and for the rest of their lives and that they are well prepared for that. That work will be a key element as we move forward on the issue of the curriculum. <BR /> <BR />As part of that, I have mentioned the role of the Department for the Economy and the CBI and other organisations. The involvement of some of those bodies, external to the Department of Education and to schools, will also be critical because we need to look at this in a slightly more holistic way and not simply look at what can be delivered by schools. It is about trying to ensure that we get the needs of all our young people fit for the 21st century.”
“That is an important issue. It has been approximately 10 years since the last overall review of the curriculum. That is something that we will be doing in this term. Even if everybody thought that everything in the curriculum was absolutely perfect, it is something that needs to be looked at in the primary and post-primary settings. It is important that we develop pathways to give that level of clear recognition and regard, particularly to vocational subjects. <BR /> <BR />I want to be careful that those operate in tandem so that they are not necessarily seen as an either/or. If it is seen as a zero-sum game of improving provision for vocational subjects at the expense of academic subjects, or some sort of rebalancing in that sense, that would be the wrong way to look at it.”
“<BR /> <BR />DigiSkillsNI believes that its digital learning in schools programme will help build that capacity in formal education for digital skills and computing. It therefore works at an early stage. The hope is that we will have an innovative and collaborative programme. That will help to ensure that we are on track to position Northern Ireland as a leading provider of digital skills in education. On this aspect, as with other things, it is important that our society is, as much as possible, ahead of the curve rather than simply trying to play catch-up with other societies.”
“I thank the Member for her question. Work is being progressed by my Department. Without having pre-empted Mr Smith's previous question, I say that it is done on a cross-departmental basis. Work is being done by my Department, the Executive Office, the Department for Communities and the Department for the Economy to progress a digital skills programme, DigiSkillsNI. It has three main aims: to create an innovative, long-term strategic partnership among industry, education and communities; to maximise sustainable development, building capacity and empowering education; and to develop a skills pipeline for a generation of young people, creating an informed society and developing synergies between industry and education.”
“I am keen to tap into that and to carry on those discussions. There is already a range of activities involving schools with outside bodies such as Young Enterprise. It is important that those linkages exist. <BR /> <BR />The more that we can encourage those from a business background to have direct, hands-on involvement in schools, the better. As opportunities arise for school governorships, I will certainly encourage those from a business background to apply, because if we can broaden the skill set of the volunteers on boards of governors, that is also something that will be useful. It is about embracing all of that. I am certainly open to seeing a greater level of cross-departmental work.”
“There is always merit in exploring where we can have cross-departmental working, particularly with this aspect. That applies both between Departments and outside into industry. Particularly as we move ahead with looking at the curriculum, I am struck by the need for a degree of cooperation between schools and further education colleges. That impacts on the Department for the Economy, and there are opportunities for a greater level of nexus between the two Departments and between the skills involved. <BR /> <BR />It is also important that we have a high level of engagement with those at the coalface. For instance, I recently met the CBI to discuss its thoughts. I know that, in the relatively near future, it is due to produce a report looking at better linkages across the whole UK.”
“Developing effective links between schools and the business sector is also an important aspect of developing business skills in schools and ensuring that our young people can appreciate the full range of progression routes open to them.”
“<BR /> <BR />The entitlement framework ensures that pupils studying at Key Stage 4 or post-16 have access to a broad and balanced range of economically relevant and individually engaging courses. It requires all post-primary schools to provide pupils with access to a minimum of 24 courses at Key Stage 4 and 27 at post-16, of which at least one third must be general and one third applied. To enhance the delivery of the curriculum, my Department provides funding to a number of organisations to provide enterprise, employability and innovation programmes and events for primary and post-primary pupils, inside and outside school.”
“The statutory curriculum places significant emphasis on developing the core skills sought by employers and on preparing young people for the workplace. Pupils have opportunities to acquire and develop the cross-curricular skills of communication, using mathematics and using ICT. Thinking skills and personal capabilities, problem-solving, self-management and working with others are also mandated in the curriculum. At post-primary level, the curriculum covers the local and global economy, career management and enterprise and entrepreneurship. Young people investigate the need for creativity and enterprise, whether as an employer or employee, and identify and develop skills and attributes associated with being enterprising.”
“I would be happy to give the details to the Member. I have treated each development proposal on its merits. We have to look, particularly as we move towards area planning, at having sustainability across all sectors. That means there will have to be a discussion on how best to deliver for all sectors. We will be happy to write to the Member with the detail of the number of development proposals that have been put forward and dealt with and the answer in each of those cases. I think that that is largely a matter of public record.”
“I will treat all sectors fairly. I will not discriminate against or give favourable treatment to a sector. All proposals will be judged on their merits. I am happy to give that assurance to the Member.”
“I am engaging directly with the Education Authority on a range of issues. There has not been a direct conversation on the detail of special schools' budgets, but I will have fairly regular meetings with the Education Authority about those and whether there are any hold-ups. <BR /> <BR />As we look towards autonomy, we need to consider what greater autonomy we can give: for example, whether it is across the board or on a pilot basis. The Department will need to look at where the division is between direct funding for special schools and what greater autonomy they can be given. We want something that is fit for purpose, and that will also be under consideration as we move ahead.”
“<BR /> <BR />To be fair, we are caught within the wider circumstances of where the Executive Budget will be. It is also important, as much as possible, for schools to get an early sight of what their funding will be for next year and that that information is sent out as quickly as possible. That will be dependent on what level of support the Department gets from the Executive. <BR /> <BR />I am sure that the Member realises that I may have a particular bias in saying that I want as much funding as possible go into education. However, in the Executive as a whole, there will be a wide range of pressures and of very good things that they will want to sponsor, so it is also a question of how the cake is divided.”
“The budgets were sent out, as I understand it, just before Easter, so all schools should have sight of their final budget. The Education Authority has particular arrangements for special schools, and their budget is spent differently, but all schools should have their final budget. <BR /> <BR />The only issue is that if, for example, as part of the process, I am able to find additional money to give support to schools, that will impact on their 2016-17 budget. I appreciate that, on one hand, that creates a certain awkwardness for schools. On the other hand, I would prefer to be in a position that, if I can do anything additional to help, I will do it, but I do not want schools to keep feeling that their finances are being drip-fed to them.”
“Indeed, one of the advantages of the Education Authority is that, as well as having representatives of all sectors in society, its board now has a political dimension through having representatives of the four largest parties. The authority will have to make a judgement call. Can I give a guarantee that there will not be any change at all to school transport? No, I cannot give that guarantee, but I hope that anything that is done across any sector is proportionate and protects the most vulnerable.”
“However, we are in a difficult financial position. If, for example, we are trying to protect the very front line of the money going into the aggregated schools budget, there will be certain pressures to make efficiencies within the Education Authority. The question is whether every decision made will be the best decision. Indeed, I am sure that some will argue that not every decision that comes out of the House is necessarily the best one possible. <BR /> <BR />There needs to be maximum protection, but I will not dictate to the Education Authority. I will not say, "You've a certain amount that you have to save, and here is precisely the way that you have to save it." There has to be a degree of judgement.”
“I appreciate that there is a wider context in which we look at where budget lines are divided. School transport is under the authority of the Education Authority; ultimately, it will take the decisions. We want to protect the various services as best we can.”
“I would encourage anybody who is entitled to take it up to do so, but I cannot give a guarantee that there is 100% take-up.”
“From that point of view, I know that there is fairly extensive entitlement to school transport. Indeed, where someone has been denied school transport and feels that they should be receiving it, there is an appeals mechanism on that basis. At the moment, there is about £75 million in the budget for home-to-school transport, so it is pretty extensive. Can I guarantee that everybody who is entitled to it is getting it? To the best of my knowledge, that is the case, and, indeed, there are appeals mechanisms for that. Can I guarantee that everybody who is potentially entitled to claim it does so? I suspect that it is not necessarily the case that there is universal claiming in any situation. There will be different transport arrangements for some people in that regard.”
“I have great faith in schools to provide sensible solutions. I am not compelling schools to do anything; it is up to the schools themselves to do it. I reiterate that this is something that is already happening. It may not have been officially sanctioned until now and it may be a situation that has not been officially admitted to, but every child will receive the full curriculum. There is no diminution of that, and I have faith that schools are putting in place the arrangements that they want in order to ensure that. Our schools have a great pastoral record, and I have faith in their ability to look after the education of all their children. I believe that schools will deal with that opportunity and the challenge that lies ahead for them.”
“They have not necessarily been admitting it to the Department of Education, but the kind of preparation that is ongoing is something that is happening at present. This allows simply for the threat to be removed. If I can remove threats from schools, that is an important step forward and it is one that a lot of people in Northern Ireland will strongly welcome.”
“<BR /> <BR />I appreciate that the nature of this decision meant that, irrespective of whether it was me or the previous Minister who made it, there would be people who would be opposed to it. We have to reflect the reality of the situation. There is a division on the issue of selection and the transfer test, but it is also the case that, irrespective of our own individual views on that, it is something that is legally allowable. It is clearly happening, and it is here to stay. <BR /> <BR />Earlier, Mr Dickson mentioned the issue of autonomy in schools. This is essentially a memo that is permissive in nature. To be perfectly honest, it is permissive to bring out into the open what has been happening in an awful lot of schools behind closed doors up until now.”
“In the preparation of the children? Obviously, it is up to individual parents to enter their children for the tests. From that point of view, there is no other education issue that I could pick out on which there is a greater division of opinion in society as a whole and in the House. The Member mentioned concern about the level of opposition. I am quite heartened by the number of people from all the different groups who have been in touch with me who have said that this is the right way forward. In particular, I am heartened by the number of parents who have been in contact and even people whom I have run into in the street who are very happy with the decision.”
“Although I appreciate that neither will provide a long-term solution, they will at least ease a certain level of the burden on the school. I met the Member and representatives from the school, and I think we had a very useful discussion on the issue to try to provide that level of alleviation.”
“Again, I want to be in the position where direct announcements are done with a degree of definiteness. To give the Member an idea of numbers, there was an approval a while ago to increase enrolment in a phased manner from about 525 to an eventual position of 750 in 2025. Following a scoping exercise by the Education Authority, a double modular unit to be used as general classrooms was originally due to be on-site for the start of September. The advice we have from the Education Authority is that it will be in place for mid-September, so it will be happening literally in the next few days. Similarly, for 2017-18, we will work closely with the school and the EA to ensure that the further double mobile is in place for September 2017.”
“Over the last five years — I appreciate that for a lot of schools this will be a poor substitute for, ultimately, a decision on a new build — the school has received an investment of around £1·3 million for various projects involving minor works that cover a range of things such as not just the temporary classrooms but window replacement, lifts, toilet refurbishment, changing room refurbishment, partial rewiring, concrete repairs and road barrier installation.”
“I am aware of the very active interest in this issue, and I know that the Member has lobbied very strongly on it. There is obviously a longer-term issue for St Columbanus being in many ways the victim of its success, given the sheer volume of people who are looking in. As for temporary provision, I understand that the school has been provided with two additional mobile classrooms for 2016-17. Those are due for completion very soon. There are also, I think, due to be two additional modular classrooms in time for 2017-18. <BR /> <BR />Officials from the estates operations team have been working closely with the school to address accommodation needs and are, I think, due to meet the school principal tomorrow to discuss potential future minor works. We were able to announce a certain amount of investment in minor works over the summer period.”
“As for the timescale, I think we are looking at a report initially appearing and then, so that it can be fully implemented, the eventual report being with the Department in March 2017, with, hopefully, full implementation of something that is fit for purpose from September 2017 onwards. It is important that we get that sort of provision right and get it right in a more long-term manner. Inevitably, at times, we and the Education Authority, in its placements, will have to move in quickly in particular circumstances to try to provide additional support. I think it is important that we do that in a much more strategic way if possible so that, hopefully, some of the problems that have arisen do not arise again.”
“I suspect you might have beaten the honourable Member for East Belfast to the punch on the nursery provision. The Education Authority is doing a strategic review of that. It is critical to note that there was an increase in numbers this year that had to then be catered for. The overall Education Authority review will try to put something in place for 2017-18 that is much more fit for purpose. That will involve, for instance, the input of not just the Department and others but the parent/stakeholder group in particular and a group of professionals who will give advice on it.”
“I am relatively open-minded as to how we take things forward. I want to try to ensure that any prioritisation is fit for purpose. I want to look at that in the wider context, and it might involve working family tax credits. Do not forget that there is a process of welfare reform, so we will probably need an examination of the qualifiers for any of these things anyway. I want to take a wider look and ensure that anything I do is evidence-based, so that some parents do not feel that they are losing out while others are getting something. If there is prioritisation, it must be directly fit for purpose. I will not prejudge any examination of that. Whether it is a case of widening the criteria or changing the definition, I am open-minded about the route it takes.”
“I do not have the figures for the individual circumstances of east Belfast directly to hand. Across the board, overall pressure has levelled off. As I said, I want to establish whether there are hotspots. Until relatively recently, numbers were entirely capped, and you could not move beyond 26 places. Since Learning to Learn was introduced in 2013 — people are not 100% aware of this — schools or nursery units can ask for temporary variations and the flexibility to ask for up to four additional places. An approach is not filtered through the EA or the Department; it comes from preschool groups themselves. This year, across Northern Ireland, 142 additional places have been approved to date. I will get back to the Member with specific details for east Belfast.”
“The issue is whether, in some places, there is a geographical disjoint so that you get "hotspots", which are oversubscribed, and, in other places, there is not quite the same pressure. It is also about aligning that side of things.”
“I want to look at that issue. We do not want particular families to be disadvantaged because they are working parents. When a lot of this was brought in, the focus was, rightly, on there being a scarcity of places. We are now at a point at which some 87% of people get their first choice of preschool place, roughly 92% of people are applying directly, and 99·9% of people now get some form of place. We have to make sure that the system is fit for purpose. <BR /> <BR />There is another allied issue. In recent years, to be fair, the Department has built in more flexibility with preschool places. Across the board, there is a good argument that, in Northern Ireland, we have roughly the right number of preschool places, given that 99·9% of people obtain a place.”
“Preschool provision has moved on from the original position, which was effectively a very much rationed situation. We have now moved much more closely to pretty much every child having the opportunity for some level of preschool education. I want to take that into account as well to see whether the original intentions are now being delivered in a fit-for-purpose way. If it arises that I am looking for any proposed changes, those will be subject to public consultation.”
“Preschool education, while not compulsory, is an important phase of early education. If a preschool setting, either statutory or non-statutory, is oversubscribed, it will apply admissions criteria in order of priority. The preschool education providers set the admissions criteria. There is some evidence which shows that children from socially disadvantaged circumstances tend to experience more difficulty at school than others, so there has been a priority given to this within preschool admissions as part of a wider effort to tackle educational underachievement. I want to look relatively closely at that to ensure that, where we are using definitions of children's socially disadvantaged circumstances, they are the right definitions, so there may well be an examination of that.”
“In the short term, I am not going to be able to promise miracles, but, hopefully, there will be some help that will be given in the near future directly to schools.”
“In terms of any short-term action I can take within 2016-17, I hope to be able to announce that reasonably soon. On other more strategic issues, I will want to take a little bit of time. In that regard, it is important to get things right. Moving forward, the other critical factor in terms of the level of support that we can give schools will be getting a clearer understanding of the 2017-18 budget, because that will show the level of room for manoeuvre. <BR /> <BR />I have no doubt that we have a lot of school principals who are trying to manage their budget under very difficult circumstances, and the vast bulk of them are doing that in a very responsible fashion. I want to see what additional help can be given to them.”