Paul Givan
Lagan Valley · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“The EA's enhanced support model has been out for consultation. The Member's party is the largest political grouping on the Education Authority, so his party supported the model's being consulted on.”
“Protections around strike action and action short of strike are firmly established in statute for all workers, including teachers. If the Member is referring to the Education Inspections Bill, let me be clear: nothing in that legislation removes or undermines that right.”
“The issue was covered at length at the Education Committee. The position is still not where it ought to be. When I came into office, the position that I inherited was much worse than it is today.”
“It is an area that I have had to navigate, as have many previous Education Ministers. Industrial relations is an area that needs ongoing work. I have outlined how we can address it, but I come back to saying that, when workload was undefined, trade unions struggled to specify the challenge.”
“That is not a fair characterisation. In fact, I was with Justin McCamphill, the leader of NASUWT, at the launch of the curriculum reform, at which he commended me for it and said that he thought that it was good. I have sat in many a meeting with trade union representatives during which they have said, "This is a good initiative.”
“That is exactly why there is a 16-week consultation period, rather than the normal 12 weeks or the minimum eight weeks; to allow the public and teaching profession to very much engage in that curriculum, which I commend to all Members.”
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“We would always like to do more when it comes to providing financial support to people. A clear need was identified by principals whom I met, as they were not able to fill vacancies in key subject areas. I engaged with the initial teaching education establishments, which recognised that there had been a shortfall in applicants to those posts. In order to fill the vacancies, we need to create a pipeline of graduates in those specific specialist areas. <BR /> <BR />I am pleased to tell the Assembly that, as a result of the bursary scheme, we are recruiting and attracting people to fill those key subject areas, and we will benefit from that in due course when they graduate.”
“My Department will continue to monitor teacher supply in schools, along with the operation and scope of the ITE bursary scheme, as part of the wider teacher workforce planning process. Any future changes to bursary eligibility will be considered and implemented in that context.”
“My Department has no plans to extend financial support for student teachers at local higher education institutions beyond the provisions of the pilot initial teacher education (ITE) bursary scheme, which will commence in September 2026. The Department recognises that students who are not eligible for bursaries may be studying alongside recipients. The purpose of the scheme, however, is to target specific post-primary subject areas where recruitment pressures are most acute. Higher education students in Northern Ireland, including those studying to qualify as teachers, remain eligible to apply for financial support provided by the Department for the Economy through Student Finance NI.”
“As I indicated in my answer to the original question, such processes include area-based planning, a rural impact assessment and the various criteria that would be applied. That process already exists. One of the central tenets of the five-year plan is to look at an area planning commission that can review the sustainability of all schools right across Northern Ireland. That has not been established yet. The terms of reference have not been agreed. It is pending the consultation response and is subject to the budget allocation for the Department of Education that will follow from the Executive.”
“All those issues relate to the five-year sustainable financial strategy, which is out for consultation. I have made it clear that there are aspects of it that I do not want to take forward, but we also have to prepare for what the Department of Education might receive. Members can see what was proposed in the draft Budget. They know what John O'Dowd has indicated will come to Education, and the crippling financial consequences if that were to be the agreed budget. Every Department was asked to produce a five-year plan. I followed through and provided such a plan. It is out for consultation. Let the people and the public have their say. <BR /> <BR />There is a clear process to be followed for area-based planning decisions. No immediate closure will fall on any school without proper processes being followed. That is hugely important.”
“Everything that takes place when it comes to transformation should be done on the basis of the needs and best interests of the child. That has to be the driver, not financial considerations: it has to be what is in the best interests of the child. I have very much been struck by the number of principals and professionals who believe that there is a much better way in which to provide support for some of our most vulnerable children. I say this to Members: listen to those principals and professionals when it comes to how best the needs of young people and children can be met in our schools. I am certainly listening to them.”
“That requires proper processes, engagement and taking communities with you. All that needs to be addressed. It is among the key areas in that five-year sustainability strategy when it comes to having an area-based-planning-type commission to be able to look at those matters independently of the Department.”
“At present, the sustainable schools policy recognises the needs of rural communities. That is reflected in the lower enrolment threshold for rural primary schools, an accessibility criterion that provides guidance on home-to-school travel times and a "Strong links with the Community" criterion, which recognises the central place that a school has for many communities. Therefore, that is already recognised in the policies and approaches that are taken towards the provision of rural schools. I have no doubt that there will continue to be that recognition. <BR /> <BR />However, we are also dealing with hugely challenging times financially for Education and the Executive at large. There is a need for that proactive, managing-authority responsibility that exists for area-based planning to occur.”
“There are examples across Northern Ireland where that could be encouraged in order to ensure the preservation of some of those smaller schools in rural communities.”
“I understand and share the sentiment that the Member has just articulated about the importance of rural schools to the community. I can certainly point to that in my constituency. I have benefited from visiting many of those rural schools. "Twinning", as it is often referred to, is where you have a very small controlled school and a very small Catholic maintained school, neither of which are viable on their own, but, if they pool together and even enter into a managing arrangement — they do not need to become officially integrated in that respect — they could share joint governance and managing arrangements, which would help to create greater financial efficiency. That is possible legally but has not been taken forward previously.”
“However, I encourage all schools, including small rural schools, to take the opportunity to respond to the ongoing consultation. I should point out that consultation and equality and rural needs impact assessments will continue to apply to any forthcoming proposals for change to the pattern of educational delivery in rural areas.”
“My Department has set out its proposals for a five-year Education budget strategy, which has been brought forward in the context of an exceptionally challenging Budget position. Consultation on the strategy closes on 3 April 2026. The strategy identifies a number of key areas where reforms could reduce costs over the next five years, including reforming home-to-school transport; modernising school meals delivery; reshaping the SEN support model in mainstream schools; restructuring the schools estate, including reducing the number of schools; and introducing a new model of financial management for schools. <BR /> <BR />At this stage, those reforms are consultation proposals only, pending final confirmation of the budget position.”
“The independent review of education outlined that suboptimal arrangements exist when it comes to managing authorities. That review also said that work should be done towards having a single authority, and I very much aspire to that. However, every member involved in the independent review of education has said in correspondence that there should be no impediment to allowing a managing authority for controlled schools to be created. Indeed, that would be an enabler towards the creation of a single authority: there would be equality in the existing provisions, and organisations could then work towards creating that single authority. However, we should not hold back our support for the controlled sector because of the issue that the Member just mentioned.”
“<BR /> <BR />Ultimately, however, the test will be whether Sinn Féin really believes in equality for controlled schools or whether it prefers to maintain the status quo, which is a two-tier system that gives preferential treatment to the Catholic maintained sector over controlled schools. That will be the test upon which Sinn Féin and others will be measured. I trust that, having got all the evidence, there will be no more excuses left and that, when the Executive meet on Thursday, Sinn Féin will have removed its veto and blockade on allowing this issue to be placed on the agenda, so that other Ministers can take a decision to allow work to commence on drafting the legislation and, ultimately, allow the Assembly to take these decisions.”
“The consultation evidence is from school principals, over half of whom are from the controlled sector. They are crying out for it. This is not Paul Givan and the DUP saying, "We need better support, a managing authority and equality with our counterparts in the Catholic maintained sector"; it is the school principals and boards of governors of the controlled schools who are saying that. I have outlined clear evidence. Indeed, I sent a letter this morning to the First Minister in response to a query that she raised. That is a detailed submission that gives an evidential basis as to how we can improve controlled schools and why this is necessary.”
“In the past academic year, there was a 10% differential between pupils in Catholic maintained non-grammar schools achieving five GCSEs at grades A to C compared with those in controlled non-grammar schools. That is clear evidence that pupil outcomes are impacted on by the suboptimal management arrangements for the controlled sector. International evidence consistently demonstrates that improvements in school leadership, governance and targeted support services lead to better educational outcomes — exactly the type of functions that the proposed new body would provide.”
“I have outlined the clear evidence to back up the need for a controlled sector managing authority. The findings of the independent review of education, alongside evidence from controlled schools, point to long-standing systemic challenges in delivery of effective and equitable support for controlled schools. Since the current system of support for schools was put in place through the formal intervention process in 2009, 62% of schools entering that process have come from a controlled sector background, compared with only 26% from the Catholic maintained sector. That is a credit to CCMS and the support that exists for the Catholic maintained sector. Public examination outcomes in the controlled sector are also consistently significantly lower than in the Catholic maintained sector.”
“I thank the Member for the question. Time will tell whether those in the Chamber and elsewhere will face down the stark reality of the evidence and be motivated by other issues, in which case I would be gravely concerned about the basis of their opposition.”
“Such an organisation cannot be established without legislation. This is becoming time-critical. With Executive agreement, I will bring forward the necessary Bill at pace.”
“The evidence also points clearly to the need for improved support. There is a 10% difference in GCSE outcomes between controlled and Catholic maintained non-grammar schools; 62% of schools that enter the formal intervention process are in the controlled sector, compared with 26% in the Catholic maintained sector; and only one of the 13 post-primary schools that were identified by the independent review of education as overperforming, relative to the proportion of free school meal entitlement, was in the controlled sector. <BR /> <BR />Public support for a dedicated managing authority is unequivocal. Indeed, the consultation response from the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) articulated that with striking clarity. It stated:”
“Last month, I returned to Executive colleagues with an updated paper seeking agreement to legislate to establish a managing authority for controlled schools. I did so following the clear mandate that I received from my Department's public consultation on proposals to improve management arrangements for the controlled sector. The 744 responses included over half of all controlled school leaders, governors, teachers, support staff, parents and education bodies. Some 91% of respondents agreed that support for controlled schools must improve, and 84% backed the creation of a new, dedicated organisation. <BR /> <BR />The consultation substantiates the findings of the independent review of education that management arrangements are suboptimal, particularly for controlled schools.”
“There needs to be clearer visibility on how the benefit of the subsidy provided is passed on to the parents and those who avail themselves of that support. We need to address that further, but I caution against the heavily regulated capping process of other jurisdictions, because that approach has had unintended consequences.”
“The Member has engaged with me on the scheme; it is something that she has supported. She is right to raise the point about how we can see accountability from childcare providers. The fear is that the subsidy is not being passed on to parents. We have documentary evidence there has been a benefit, but there is a significant disparity in the costs charged by providers. The alternative is to go down the route of a heavily regulated system. The Republic of Ireland has had that, which has created its own challenges, with providers opting out of the regulated process because it was not financially viable for them to continue to operate. <BR /> <BR />There are therefore pros and cons in all of this.”
“The Executive have made a good start, but it is nowhere near good enough, and those who need the support are, rightly, demanding more. I am committed to providing that, which is why the draft strategy is hugely ambitious. That needs to be met with support from Executive colleagues when it comes to the resources required to implement it.”
“As I have indicated, there have been rising costs right across our economy, and childcare providers are feeling them no less than any other sector. They have to be able to pay their staff an appropriate wage if people are to be attracted into the sector. The draft strategy recognises that we must support the sector. When we introduced the 15% subsidy, which is attached to the UK tax-free childcare scheme, I also increased the cap by a further 10% in that financial year. I did so because I recognised the pressures from inflation that childcare providers were feeling and how the value of the subsidy was being diluted as a result. We therefore made an intervention to allow those pressures to be recognised. I agree with the Member: it is a very challenging area.”
“I need £80 million to be ring-fenced in order to deliver year 1 of the strategy, the draft of which is currently out for consultation. When Members and the Executive look at the Budget, an opportunity exists to put our money where our mouth is and provide the support that is needed, rather than make the real-terms cut that is proposed in the draft Budget.”
“That is exactly why the DUP prioritised the issue at the previous election. We made a manifesto commitment, because we know the challenges that many people right across Northern Ireland are facing as a result of the cost of childcare. It is a barrier to entering or re-entering the workforce, particularly for women. <BR /> <BR />With the childcare subsidy scheme, we made a very good start. We have been standardising the number of full-time places in early years settings, and that has had an impact. There have been rising costs, but, had the 15% subsidy not been in place, the pain would have been felt even more acutely. I want to do more, however. The Finance Minister's draft Budget, which is out for consultation, allocates only £55 million to childcare, which represents a real-terms cut to childcare support.”
“There will also be a separate event held that is specifically for young people. <BR /> <BR />Once the consultation period has ended, a thorough analysis of the responses will be undertaken to inform the final version of the strategy, which I will bring to my Executive colleagues for agreement, along with a draft implementation plan for the timely delivery of the priority actions. All that I can say at this stage is that the timing will be wholly dependent on the quantity of consultation responses received and the complexity of the issues that are raised. I am, however, committed to bringing the final strategy to the Executive as quickly as possible.”
“In addition, my officials are currently taking forward a comprehensive engagement plan that will reach sector representative organisations and early learning and childcare providers, as well as workers and parents. It will create a forum to hear relevant views and opinions and to encourage responses to the consultation questionnaire. A number of separate meetings have also taken place at the request of sectoral partners such as the Northern Ireland Childminding Association, Early Years, Altram and the Education Authority's preschool education group. <BR /> <BR />Further sessions are planned with PlayBoard NI to take on board the views of Children in Northern Ireland (CINI), the school-age sector organisation, to explore how it sees the proposals impacting on the lives of children and young people.”
“<BR /> <BR />At a departmental level, a mix of online and in-person public consultation events is taking place in the evenings to facilitate parents and childcare practitioners, with sessions planned for Belfast, Londonderry and Enniskillen.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 2 and 9 together. <BR /> <BR />With the agreement of my Executive colleagues, I released the draft Executive early learning and childcare strategy for public consultation on 17 December last year. The consultation will run for 14 weeks and will close on 24 March. I attended a meeting of the all-party group on early education and childcare on 2 February to set out my ambition for the strategy and had the opportunity to listen and respond to the issues raised at the meeting by fellow Assembly Members and stakeholders from the early learning and childcare sector.”
“That demonstrates the significant backlog of works that can be released only if there is a significant increase in capital allocations to my Department. I certainly welcome the support of all Members from all parties to achieve that as part of the Budget discussions.”
“There is an extensive list of major capital works projects that were announced by previous Ministers, and we are working through that pipeline of work. However, based on the current allocation of funding, that list will take decades to clear. That is why there is no point in putting out a further call for new builds when we have such a significant pipeline of work to be completed. Unless there is a significant increase in capital expenditure, we are in a difficult position. <BR /> <BR />Currently, there are eight projects that are on-site or in-contract, at the awards stage; 13 at technical design pre-tender stage, or stage 4; 13 in early design stages, or stages 2 and 3; and 16 at the feasibility stage, or at the commencement of the process. As I indicated in the earlier answer, 22 projects are completely on hold.”
“I was able to announce that works at seven of the highest-priority schools would be restarted in February 2024, but, unfortunately, St Brigid's and Lumen Christi were not among the highest-scoring projects and remain on hold.”
“I absolutely share the sentiment expressed and frustration articulated by the Member on behalf of her constituents. I certainly would love to be able to do more not just for St Brigid's but for many schools across Northern Ireland, but I can do so only based upon the financial resources that are available to me. <BR /> <BR />St Brigid's College and Lumen Christi College were two of the 28 schools that were announced under the major capital works programme in March 2022. The schools were scored and ranked using the published major works protocol that examined the condition and suitability of the buildings, as well as other factors such as levels of deprivation.”
“Given the current capital budget position and the number of major works projects that have yet to be delivered, I have no plans at this time to bring forward further capital school projects previously identified under the major capital works programme. There are a number of projects at the pre-construction stage that cannot be progressed to construction at this time due to funding availability. I continue to make the case for much-needed investment for the major capital works programme.”
“— learns in a positive, ambitious and supportive environment. That is fairness, inclusivity and equity in practice, not just in principle. Those are reforms that will benefit all children, change lives and raise standards and that will give every child in Northern Ireland the opportunity to succeed. That is the path to a fairer system and a stronger society, and it is the path that my Department is committed to delivering.”
“I appeal to Members not to be distracted by the arguments about academic selection, which go over old ground where there is no consensus, but to focus on tackling the key issues that I am taking forward through TransformED, which has the support of our professionals across Northern Ireland and is reflected in all the working groups that I am taking forward. Members, when we determine whether children thrive, what drives that achievement, opportunity and social mobility? My aim is simple and unwavering: it is that every school in Northern Ireland is a centre of excellence with high expectations and that every child, whatever their background and wherever they live —”
“Those are the issues that determine whether we genuinely improve outcomes for young people. Structures matter far less than what actually happens in classrooms and less than the accountability and support mechanisms that keep standards high. <BR /> <BR />That is why I have been taking forward TransformED. That is why we are addressing issues to do with curriculum, assessment and qualifications, and that is why we will be able to address educational underachievement and disadvantage. The work of TransformED will make the most impact when it comes to addressing the issues that concern Members.”
“<BR /> <BR />One of the aspects that I want to get to is how we improve our schools. For eight years, we had action short of strike by the main teaching unions, and that fundamentally weakened the inspection system. It made it harder to identify issues early, harder to support schools properly and harder to secure improvement for pupils. What happened when I brought forward a Bill to safeguard inspection and put in place the same basic arrangements that operate across the UK and Ireland? Did Sinn Féin support the Bill? Did it stand behind the principle that every child has the right to attend a good school and receive a high-quality education, or did it prioritise the rights of adults above the rights of the children whom our system exists to serve? Those are the real questions.”
“I will keep moving, Mr Deputy Speaker, because I want to conclude the speech. <BR /> <BR />Let us look honestly at the outcomes in Northern Ireland. The independent review of education highlighted something deeply important: there are significant variations in pupil outcomes between schools that, on paper, appear to be very similar, including schools with comparable levels of disadvantage. The review found that the highest concentration of underperformance is in schools where free school meal entitlement sits at around 30% to 40%. In those schools, the gap between the highest and lowest performing schools was staggering: around 72 percentage points at GCSE and nearly 70 at A level. That is an extraordinary variation between schools that serve broadly similar communities.”
“Again and again, international evidence shows that the strongest predictor of student achievement is the quality of teaching and instruction. That relationship holds across countries, contexts and time.”
“That does not move us forward; it simply changes the rhetoric. <BR /> <BR />The motion refers to the OECD, but we should be clear about what OECD research consistently tells us. It is not that structural arrangements determine outcomes but that teaching quality matters more than any structural design of a school system. Its major 2025 report, 'Unlocking High-Quality Teaching', makes that point unequivocally. It states that refining and improving teaching practices is the most powerful lever for better student outcomes. The central drivers of improvement are teacher practice, pedagogical skill and supportive school environments. That is what matters, not whether a system is comprehensive or selective. OECD research consistently positions teaching and learning, rather than system design, as the key determinant of educational improvement.”
“In Northern Ireland, there is, of course, no academic selection at primary level, yet we still see significant variations in social composition between schools due to housing and community patterns. Some primary schools have no pupils who are entitled to free school meals; others have more than 80%. Of our 781 primary schools, 75, around 9%, have free school meal levels above 50%. That compares with just 7% of post-primary schools. The social composition of schools reflects the social geography of our wider society. <BR /> <BR />In practice, comprehensive systems often replace academic selection with social selection. Academic selection may disappear on paper, but selection reappears through postcodes, parental choice, private schooling, internal streaming and housing patterns.”
“<BR /> <BR />Geography continues to reproduce advantage and disadvantage, regardless of whether formal academic selection exists. Community patterns and housing markets shape which children end up in which schools. At the same time, in many non-selective systems, private schooling expands significantly. Families with the means to do so opt out of the state system in pursuit of perceived quality or social advantage. Across OECD countries, nearly one in five students now attends a private school. Contrast that with Northern Ireland, where private schooling barely features. In the Republic of Ireland, which is mentioned in the motion, there are around 75 fee-paying private schools.”
“Access to quality education becomes shaped by the ability to afford a house in the right postcode. It becomes a postcode lottery, not a meritocracy. <BR /> <BR />Research also shows that, even in fully comprehensive systems, pupils are usually streamed within the schools themselves: banding, setting, tracking, reinforcing social and economic differences, and replicating the very inequalities that the system is designed to remove. I attended Laurelhill Community College, where I sat exams and was streamed into upper, middle and lower streams. I witnessed the very same issues that people talk about — stigmatisation and failure — at Laurelhill. It depended on the band for which you were selected, based on your academic results in a comprehensive non-selective school.”
“<BR /> <BR />The motion focuses on the negative impact of academic selection on children, outcomes and social mobility. It calls for a fully non-selective post-primary system that provides equality of opportunity for all. Equality of opportunity is a critical aspiration, but we must ask: is that actually what happens in non-selective systems? Do comprehensive systems create the utopia of perfect social mixing and equal opportunity and schools that are free from concentrations of disadvantage? Quite the opposite. When formal academic selection is removed, selection often reappears in other ways that are less visible, less accountable and harder to address. In many non-selective systems, high-performing comprehensive schools draw overwhelmingly from affluent neighbourhoods.”
“The evidence on whether selective systems improve academic outcomes is mixed and heavily shaped by context. The same is true of non-selective systems. No system is successful because it is or is not selective. Systems succeed because the fundamentals are right. The real question is not, "Does the system select?" The real question is whether the curriculum and assessment are right; the governance is effective and coherent; the teaching and learning are of the highest quality; and all pathways offer genuine high-quality routes into the economy. Those are the factors that raise standards, those are the levers that improve outcomes for children, and those are the areas where our energy and focus will make the greatest difference.”
“<BR /> <BR />The debate on selective versus non-selective systems is the wrong debate to have. Across the world, we see high-performing and low-performing selective systems and high-performing and low-performing non-selective systems. It is easy for Members to cherry-pick examples of either model. The Netherlands, Switzerland and Singapore have selective systems with very strong educational outcomes. The Republic of Ireland, which is rightly mentioned in the motion, has a predominantly non-selective system, and it performs strongly. In contrast, Wales, which has a fully non-selective comprehensive system, performs below Northern Ireland and below the OECD average in reading, maths and science. Members, what does that tell us? It tells us that structures alone do not determine educational outcomes.”
“We can continue to expend time and energy on a debate that polarises parents, divides schools and entrenches public disagreement, or we can focus our collective efforts in areas in which they will have the greatest impact, thereby improving outcomes for children. That means focusing on what happens every day in classrooms and having reforms that strengthen teaching and learning; modernise the curriculum, assessment and qualifications; and build a system that supports every child to thrive. It means investing in high-quality professional development for teachers and ensuring that schools have the resources that they need to raise standards and tackle educational disadvantage. That is where we can make the most meaningful difference to children's well-being and life chances, and to the overall performance of our education system.”