Michelle McIlveen
Strangford · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Public confidence depends not only on effective enforcement but on enforcement being exercised fairly and consistently. <BR /> <BR />There is widespread concern across Northern Ireland about the condition of many of our lakes and rivers, and there are a vast number of factors that contribute to water quality challenges.”
“Although we support the overall direction of travel, I think that is appropriate to reflect on the concerns that have been raised and ensure that the legislation is proportionate, practical and capable of delivering its intended outcomes.”
“If we are therefore serious about improving our aquatic environment, every source of pollution must be addressed. New legislative powers are meaningful only if the Department has the resources, the expertise and the personnel necessary to implement them effectively.”
“There is, however, a need for accompanying clear guidance and support and for regulatory consistency and prompt decision-making. Delays, uncertainty and excessive bureaucracy will undoubtedly discourage investment and undermine confidence in the sector.”
“Subordinate legislation should not become a substitute for proper democratic accountability. Consultation and engagement must be undertaken before regulations are introduced, and I cannot overstate the need for stakeholder engagement. <BR /> <BR />I will now talk about the Bill's proposed enforcement powers.”
“The DUP broadly welcomes the Bill. As has been said, it provides an opportunity to modernise legislation that, in some areas, has remained largely unchanged for decades. The Bill strengthens the protection of our fisheries, improves the regulatory framework for aquaculture and enhances the management of our water environment.”
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“Absolutely. It was my intention that it should be available to parents wishing to defer their children from this year. That has been a priority because great concern has been expressed by parents. I was mindful of the fact that I did not want to miss another cohort, hence the need to move this forward in the way in which we have done so that children can access it from 2022 and 2023.”
“<BR /> <BR />I place on record my thanks to the Assembly Business Committee, which has agreed to schedule the Bill's Consideration Stage for next Monday. I also commend my officials for working at great pace to make that happen, and under quite some pressure for me. It is clear that there is widespread political and societal consensus around the need for greater flexibility for young-for-year children. I appreciate the support that I have received to date from the Education Committee. <BR /> <BR />My Bill provides a unique opportunity to benefit children. No longer will there be a one-size-fits-all approach to starting school, but rather parents will decide what is the right approach for their child. The Bill will give children time — time to play, to flourish and to start school at the best possible time for them.”
“That will include a detailed independent research study, which will provide a robust evidence base that is informed by the experience of pupils in our education system, and will be important in informing future monitoring and review of those arrangements. <BR /> <BR />It is vital that parents are well-informed and confident in making a decision on the right time for their child to start school. My Department will work with the Education Authority and the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) to produce accessible and easy-to-understand guidance and resource explaining the option of deferral and the play-based nature of the Foundation Stage curriculum in primary schools.”
“That approach means that children who defer will be treated in the same manner as all other children and will in no way be advantaged or disadvantaged in the admissions process for preschool and primary school. This approach is fair and equitable to all children. <BR /> <BR />I emphasise to the House that, despite the admissions process for September 2022's having commenced, I will ensure that interim arrangements are put in place to permit deferral for September 2022. I also intend to ensure that my Department puts in place effective monitoring and evaluation arrangements, which will inform evaluation of the effectiveness of the current proposed changes and any need for further intervention.”
“Many practitioners have voiced concerns about such an approach. We do not, therefore, at this time propose to introduce greater flexibility for children who are not young for year, but I assure Members that I will keep that position under active review. That commitment is in my Department's revised policy on school starting age, which was published last week. <BR /> <BR />The policy includes a number of key actions that my Department will take to support the introduction of greater flexibility. My Department is already working closely with the Education Authority (EA) to develop revised admissions arrangements, which will take effect following the passage of this legislation. Children who defer will be treated in their new year group as target age children for admission to preschool and year 1.”
“I assure Members and stakeholders that my officials have looked very carefully at the evidence around deferral for older children in the year group, including those born prematurely. Overall, the evidence does not strongly support the approach of deferral for children who are not young for year. <BR /> <BR />My Department aims to ensure that all children receive appropriate support during their early years and that those children who are at greatest risk of poor longer-term outcomes with additional or special educational needs receive additional support from the earliest possible opportunity. A policy of automatic deferral for certain children, regardless of their age, in the year group could potentially delay the identification and support of additional or special educational needs.”
“That is a very important measure that ensures equity of educational provision for children who defer. <BR /> <BR />Fourthly, the School Age Bill also amends the regulations for preschool admissions to facilitate the deferral of preschool education. That means that parents of children born between 1 April and 1 July can choose for them to attend preschool in the school year following their fourth birthday. That will allow children who defer to access preschool immediately before commencing primary school, which provides the important continuity of early years education. <BR /> <BR />Some stakeholders are keen to see further flexibility, such as the option of deferral being extended to other groups of children who are not young for year, including premature children.”
“The Foundation Stage of the Northern Ireland curriculum is designed to meet the individual needs of a wide range of different abilities and stages of maturity. It recognises that young children come to school from a variety of different backgrounds, having had a range of diverse learning experiences at home. During primary 1 and primary 2, children learn through well-planned, challenging play that develops their interests, curiosity and creativity. <BR /> <BR />Thirdly, my Bill amends the definition of the upper limit of compulsory school age for those children who defer entry to primary school so that they will continue to receive 12 years of compulsory education, like all other children. That means that children who defer will not leave education at the end of year 11, midway through their qualification courses.”
“The School Age Bill has four key provisions. First, it provides flexibility so that children born between 1 April and 1 July will be able to commence primary education in the September following their fourth birthday, or alternatively, on parental request, to defer entry to primary school until the September following their fifth birthday. <BR /> <BR />Secondly, it ensures that children who defer do not reach the lower limit of compulsory school age until after their fifth birthday. That removes any requirement to provide full-time home education in the year before deferred children commence primary school. It is important to emphasise that most children born between April and June will continue to start school at the usual time.”
“In light of the evidence around the attainment of young-for-year children, I propose, through this Bill, to facilitate the deferral of primary-school entry for children born between 1 April and 1 July, who are currently the youngest in the school year. Critically, deferral will be available on parental request.”
“Parents have voiced particular concerns about the issues of social skills, emotional readiness, the longer school day and independence in personal care. Parents of children who were born prematurely and are also young for year raised particular concerns. <BR /> <BR />Those parental concerns are echoed by the research evidence. Research, internationally and in the United Kingdom, has consistently indicated that, on average, the attainment of younger pupils, born later in the academic year, is lower than those born at the start of the academic year. The gap in attainment between young-for-year children and their peers narrows as they get older. The difference is most pronounced early in pupil's school lives but remains right through their time in education.”
“Children who turn four between 2 July and 31 August do not start primary school until the following year, when they are five years old. That means that children born in April, May and June are the youngest in the school class, starting school a few months after their fourth birthday. Those children are sometimes known as young-for-year children. <BR /> <BR />At present, Northern Ireland is unusual internationally in that it does not offer any degree of flexibility around the age at which children start school. That is why my priority has been to bring forward change. I have met many parents who believe that starting school shortly after their fourth birthday is simply not appropriate for their child's needs.”
“<BR /> <BR />My new policy on school starting age is a key part of a wider suite of departmental policies that includes the implementation of the 'A Fair Start' report, investment in nurture and the children and young people's strategy. Each of those policies aims to support and develop children throughout their time in education and recognises the importance of early years to our children's development. My aim is to ensure that children have access to high quality education that is suited to their individual needs. Greater flexibility in school starting age is an important element of that approach. <BR /> <BR />I will set out the current position in Northern Ireland and the main provisions of the Bill. Currently, children who turn four on or before 1 July start primary school at the beginning of September that year.”
“I launched an eight-week public consultation on those proposals, which ran from 9 November last year to 4 January and received over 750 responses, which were overwhelmingly supportive of our proposals. That is a huge level of engagement, reflecting the depth of public interest in the matter. The consultation period included a number of engagement sessions with young people. I thank the many stakeholders — interest groups, practitioners, trade unions, parents and young people — who contributed to that wide-ranging review: your contribution has been so important. Stakeholder engagement, consultation and a thorough review of the relevant research evidence have therefore informed the development of the Bill.”
“I am therefore absolutely delighted and privileged to be able to bring forward the Bill, which will make such a difference to so many children's life chances. <BR /> <BR />I will set out details of the policy review for Members. I will provide a detailed overview of the Bill and the evidence underpinning our proposals. Finally, I will set out the important actions that will support the implementation of the legislation. <BR /> <BR />I turn first to the policy review that underpinned the legislation. In summer 2021, I commenced a major review of our approach to school starting age. Since that time, my officials have engaged extensively with key interest groups and stakeholders to develop the proposals for change that form the core of the Bill.”
“I am pleased to bring this extremely important Bill to the Assembly. It is both a legislative and a personal priority. The Bill will provide greater flexibility in school starting age for all young-for-year children. <BR /> <BR />There is long-standing concern that children who are born towards the end of the school year suffer adverse educational impacts by virtue of starting school at a younger age than their peers. When I was a member of the Education Committee, I consistently advocated for greater flexibility — I am glad to see that Mr O'Dowd is in his place today — and, when I assumed office last June, I made sure that it was the top legislative priority for my Department. In late July, I accelerated the policy review, the subsequent public consultation and the drafting of the Bill.”
“<BR /> <BR />A number of important points were raised during the debate, and I will be more than happy to address them at Second Stage.”
“I thank Members for their comments and fully acknowledge those who have expressed concern about the use of accelerated passage in all but exceptional circumstances. Obviously, my preference would have been to have Committee scrutiny, despite the fact that the Bill, in various guises, has been in train over the past number of years. I assure Members that I have not taken the decision lightly, and I am keen that the Bill is progressed. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the support of those who spoke this afternoon. In anticipation of the vote, I thank Members for permitting accelerated passage on this occasion to allow this piece of legislation, which is of utmost importance, the opportunity to progress. The Bill will afford hope and optimism to many parents who are concerned about their children starting school before, they feel, they are ready.”
“In the interim, I seek the support of the House for use of the accelerated passage procedure and look forward to hearing Members' comments.”
“<BR /> <BR />I appeared before the Education Committee on 19 January to explain the need for accelerated passage for the Bill and to outline the consequences of its not being granted. I thank the Chair and members of the Committee for their recognition of the need to expedite the Bill and for their support in seeking Assembly approval for accelerated passage. I acknowledge and share the Committee's concerns relating to the use of accelerated passage. Subsequently, at their meeting on 20 January, the Executive agreed on the need for accelerated passage for the Bill. <BR /> <BR />Members will have an opportunity to raise issues on the detail of the Bill during each stage of the legislative process. It is a short Bill, and there will be an opportunity to review each clause in detail.”
“That is provided in my proposals and in the Bill. There was overwhelming support in the public consultation response for the proposals that form the core of the Bill. Some 93% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that there should be more flexibility in the Northern Ireland education system to allow some children to defer school starting age. Some 90% strongly agreed or agreed that deferral should be available on parental request to any young-for-year child born between 1 April and 1 July. Some 75% strongly agreed or agreed that, in most cases, application for deferral should be made at the usual time of applying for preschool. Some 89% strongly agreed or agreed that I should amend the law on compulsory school age to ensure that deferred children received 12 years of compulsory education like all other pupils.”
“In those exceptional circumstances, it was not possible for my Department to commence a full policy review of the school starting age until the summer of 2021. Since that time, my officials and I have worked at pace to carry out a wide-ranging review of the school starting age, including stakeholder engagement and a full public consultation, in order to develop detailed, full policy proposals and accompanying legislation. Without accelerated passage, it would simply not be possible to effect legislative change on the school starting age in the current mandate. Greater flexibility will not be available to children in either September 2022 or for the admissions process in September 2023. <BR /> <BR />There is widespread political and societal consensus on the need for greater flexibility for young-for-year children.”
“This is an extremely important Bill that is both a legislative and a personal priority. I welcome the opportunity to address the Assembly on the Bill. The use of accelerated passage is not to be sought routinely, nor do I take it lightly. Committees have a key role in the legislative process by carrying out clause-by-clause scrutiny, and Committee Stage provides an important opportunity to have any issues resolved to the Committee's satisfaction. <BR /> <BR />As required under Standing Order 42(4), I will explain to the Assembly why I seek accelerated passage and the consequences of it not being granted. The resumption of devolution in 2020 was swiftly followed by the unprecedented outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March.”
“I beg to introduce the School Age Bill [NIA 52/17-22], which is a Bill to amend the meaning of "compulsory school age" in the Education Orders.”
“I thank the Member for his question. He has a particular interest in the issue of substitute teachers. Substitute teachers are employed for temporary periods on an ad hoc basis and do not have contracts, so that is an issue for them. Some substitute teachers may have other employment that may be able to assist them. The situation is certainly challenging, because they are paid only for the days on which they are engaged. I am, however, happy to take the matter away and come back to the Member.”
“I thank the Member for his question. The programme was quite late in its delivery. There had been some pressures, particularly on the ability to access some services. Some schools have been very fortunate, in that they already had in-school services, while others have tried to be a bit more creative and have been working very closely with the EA in hubs. I am conscious of some of the challenges with the Healthy Happy Minds pilot, and I am keen to see it extended in order to allow a little bit more flexibility. I am therefore conscious of the issues and am working with colleagues to try to address them.”
“Our Department committed £5 million to that, Health committed £1·5 million, and there will be recurrent funding associated with it. A number of programmes have been delivered, and others will be delivered in the coming months. There is Text-a-Nurse, the EA youth service's REACH (resilience education assisting change to happen) programme, an enhancement of the RISE (regional integrated support for education) team in post-primary schools, and the CCEA well-being hub. The Member will also be aware of Healthy Happy Minds, which is a focus for primary school pupils. There is ongoing work. It may not address all the needs, but, at least, it is a very healthy start.”
“I thank the Member for his question. Obviously, the emotional health and well-being of our young people was really important prior to COVID, but, since COVID, there have been much higher levels of anxiety and distress, particularly among those who were transitioning back in the early part of the return to school. When I am out and about speaking to principals, I hear about the pressures. The majority of our young people are very resilient, but not everyone has good support at home. We have been very focused on trying to deliver a suite of measures to ensure that we capture as many young people as possible. <BR /> <BR />The Member will understand that a framework was recently developed in conjunction with the Department of Health.”
“Those numbers are very small, and it is about weighing up the benefit of them coming back in. We may only be talking about 20 inspectors, who are carrying out really important work in supporting teachers at this time. A judgement call will have to be made on whether that would make a difference. The Member will also be aware of the work that we are doing with student teachers to provide cover and free up other teachers. Quite a lot of work has been undertaken to try to address the issue.”
“Work has been ongoing for a number of months to try to supplement the Northern Ireland substitute teacher register (NISTR) and ensure that we can maximise the number of substitute teachers on it. There are 7,100 teachers or thereabouts on that register. The Member will know that, before Christmas, I made a call for retired teachers. That has been very successful. Over 250 retired teachers have expressed a preference to go back on to that register. I have also written to those who are on career breaks. While that is quite a small number, and they may not wish to come back, I have had correspondence from those who would like that to happen, and we are making it possible for them. <BR /> <BR />We have had those conversations with the ETI and other bodies.”
“I thank the Member for his question. Obviously, it is very much a societal issue, but the Member will be aware that there are ongoing discussions about pay, particularly for teachers. I am having discussions with the Department of Finance about that. If there is any way that we can give support, we certainly will do that.”
“The well-being of our young people is my utmost priority. The situation will be kept under regular review. My officials are working very closely with officials from the other jurisdictions to monitor developments and ensure that our young people are not disadvantaged in any way, particularly when they are looking to gain employment or to go on to third-level education. If there is to be any change or alternative awarding, it will be similar to that of 2021 and will be stood up at pace so that there will not be delay. However, I assure the Member that, at the moment, my intention is that examinations will continue this year.”
“While I appreciate that these are still difficult times, it is only fair to the young people that they are tested. <BR /> <BR />CCEA has made it very clear that examiner judgement and not an algorithm will be at the heart of the awarding process this year. Obviously, algorithms became quite the thing a couple of years ago. It is certainly not something that we will be looking towards this year. Examiners, as I understand, will take account of the disruption that has been faced by our students in order to ensure that any grades will be higher than those in pre-pandemic years. That work is ongoing.”
“I thank the Member for his question. It is my intention that exams will proceed if at all possible. That is also the intention in the other jurisdictions. Indeed, I met with Minister Walker yesterday, and he did not lead me to believe that his intention was to do anything otherwise. I also have a four-regions meeting on Thursday to discuss various options for how COVID is being dealt with, particularly examinations. As you know, CCEA has already made significant adaptations to a suite of qualifications, permitting the omission of one of the units of assessment for the majority of qualifications. The omissions are really designed to take account of the ongoing disruption and to significantly reduce the number of exams that young people have to take.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I was very privileged to be able to visit St Anne's Primary School before Christmas, and I got a very warm welcome, I have to say. The Member will understand that there is also a development proposal for St Anne's that makes it very difficult for me to comment, as I may be the ultimate decision maker for it. However, I am very mindful that a ballot for transformation was supported by the parents. I understand that the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) and the Education Authority are working together closely on a timeline for the work that will need to take place post the ballot.”
“I thank the Member for her question. I certainly would not rule that out. It will, however. form part of the review. Quite a range of stakeholders will be consulted on that, including schools, governors, parents and young people themselves. It is really about ensuring that there is a fair policy. My Department has not dismissed that as an option, because I am very mindful of the fact that it has now been legislated for in England. We will keep an eye on how that is rolled out as well.”
“We ask schools to have a policy that is "fair and reasonable". Perhaps, that does not go far enough. I can assure the Member that that work has commenced. I am hopeful that it will be implemented by September 2023.”
“I thank the Member for her question. I very much understand the issue that she has outlined. Work has begun on the review of the criteria for free school meals and the criteria for the school uniform grant. The purpose of the review is to ensure that those grants are available to the most vulnerable. We also plan to consider the current rate of the uniform grant. There is a contribution to the cost of school uniforms. I am mindful of the increase in their cost and the burden that that creates. We are considering options to extend free school meals and looking at the criteria for the uniform grant. Through the review, we are also able to look at the guidance that my Department issues to schools and whether it should be put on a statutory footing. At the moment, it is just guidance.”
“That would help to reduce workforce pressures in the childcare sector, and it would assist families who have no other childcare support. At that time, I was conscious of the impact that closing rooms was having on teaching staff. Of course, that was all part of the rationale for those discussions and the letter that I sent to the Health Minister. Officials in both Departments will continue to work closely together and alongside sector representatives through the COVID-19 childcare reference group.”
“I thank the Member for his question. While my Department is responsible for childcare policy, the Department of Health has statutory responsibility for the regulation and inspection of childcare services. It is important that, when considering the need for additional funding to the sector, it is supported by an enabling and supportive regulatory environment. Following my discussions with the childcare sector, I wrote to the Health Minister to ask him to consider whether there was any scope to ease some regulations or speed up administrative processes, which would help to reduce some of the pressure on the sector at this time. I was thinking of such things as the vetting process, staff:child ratios and the flexibility to mix age groups when needed.”
“The demand for childcare was also increasing, although it was not back to pre-COVID levels. There was a lack of evidence to support specific COVID-19 additional costs having been incurred by providers, and other universal government and departmental support schemes were being phased out. The decision was made at that time. As I said, however, I notified the Department of Finance in December that there may be potential pressure for childcare sustainability funding, and my officials are working closely with stakeholders to make that assessment.”
“I thank the Member for his question. As he will understand, the sustainability funding was allocated from April 2020 to June 2021 over five phases. The objective of the scheme was to focus on supporting settings when additional costs were incurred as a direct result of the Department of Health COVID-19 guidance. At that time, there were wider restrictions on society — schools were closed to the majority of pupils, and there was phased reopening — so it was a difficult time for the sector. We made an assessment at the end of June of what the next phase would be. The decision was very much based on and informed by the relaxation of the wider COVID-19 restrictions, including DH guidance to the sector, which had imposed additional costs on those settings, and schools returning to normal patterns of attendance.”
“I thank the Member for her question. She has shown great commitment to the childcare sector. I gave a commitment when we came back for the recall that I would look to put the temporary closure fund back into play. I plan to make an announcement later this week about that, so I stand by my commitment.”
“Having considered the position at that stage specifically regarding the easement of COVID-19 restrictions across wider society, including the Department of Health guidance for childcare providers, and the need to ensure that remaining funding was targeted to meet the most acute needs, I decided not to extend the childcare sustainability fund beyond 1 July and to focus the remaining funding on support for temporary closures. However, scoping work on reopening the sustainability fund is under way. My officials are meeting key stakeholders to assess the current situation and consider what an appropriate response would be. I alerted the Department of Finance in December 2021 to a potential pressure for childcare. Any further funding will be based on established need and the approval of the appropriate business cases.”
“That fund supports providers that have had to close temporarily as a direct result of a COVID-19 incident in their setting that impacted on provision or were unable to comply with the required staff:child ratios due to self-isolation periods of staff. I have agreed to the extension of the scheme for the period from 1 January to 31 March 2022. <BR /> <BR />The last COVID-19 childcare sustainability fund ended on 30 June 2021.”
“With the Deputy Speaker's permission, I will answer questions 5, 12 and 14 together and respectfully request an additional minute. <BR /> <BR />My Department has paid out almost £40 million of emergency support funding to the childcare sector since the beginning of the pandemic. That has been via two funding schemes: the temporary closure fund and the sustainability fund. I am aware of the challenges being faced by the childcare sector, including childminders, as a result of the omicron variant. Work is being taken forward on an extension to the temporary closure funding and the review of the sustainability funding for childcare providers. <BR /> <BR />The most recent COVID-19 childcare temporary closure fund covered the period from 1 October to 31 December 2021.”
“I thank the Member for his question, although I would probably like him to be more specific. Every child is important and should be important. Each child is an individual and should be treated as such. I would like to think that that is how children are treated in their setting. I certainly do not wish to dehumanise anyone, particularly not our children and young people.”
“The statutory sector funding is fairly comparable across each of those areas, although there is a substantial difference in funding to the voluntary sector. In East Belfast, statutory sector funding is £839,385, and voluntary sector funding is £450,771. In North Belfast, statutory sector funding is £976,173 and voluntary sector funding is £1,614,029. In South Belfast, £732,334 goes to statutory sector funding, and voluntary sector funding is £675,437. In West Belfast, statutory sector funding is £1,095,038, and voluntary sector funding is £2,413,083. I do not have a breakdown showing how many groups that supports or which groups those are, but I am happy to write to the Member with that information.”
“I thank the Member for his question. He will understand that my Department takes special educational needs very seriously. In recent years, considerable work has been undertaken in school provision in particular. I am concerned that parents feel that their children are not able to access adequate provision and am happy to meet the Member and any families who experience those challenges. I am happy to facilitate that meeting.”
“The EA's local area youth development plan for north and east Belfast includes actions to ensure that the needs of SEN young people are met by reducing barriers to participation in generic provision and providing bespoke support. <BR /> <BR />At a regional level, the EA has provided funding to the Royal Mencap Society to support children and young people with additional needs. That work will result in a series of pilot projects, the learning from which will be of benefit to all areas, as they design services for the future. The EA has also committed regional funding to increase the youth workforce’s capacity to provide relevant services to those with special educational needs.”