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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“I thank the Member for welcoming the statement. The statement spoke to the need to focus on what I have just outlined, which is that we support every school and every teacher. It is too easy to have a debate about the merits or otherwise of academic selection — I can engage in that, and I can provide my view — but how do we ensure that every school is supported? That is what will address educational underachievement for children in all of our schools. Let us have the focus on driving up attainment in every school. The best way to do that is detailed in the statement that I have made to the House.”
“Workload issues can often be important, but, if there are workload issues that distract teachers from focusing on the critical work that they do in teaching, we need to address them. That is why we have positively engaged with the unions. We have identified workload issues and have identified and committed to a timeline for how we can address them. I hope that we will be able to make progress on those wider workload issues.”
“I thank the Chairman for welcoming the statement. He is right to highlight the issues to do with professional learning. Our teachers are central to the success of a child's educational outcome. They are the most critical asset that we have in our education system, and everything that we build around the system is to support our teachers. Teaching in the classroom is what will have the most impact, so we need to ensure that we have the most up-to-date international best practices in place in what we teach — the curriculum — and ensure that how it is taught reflects the best practices so that our children get the best opportunity for learning. <BR /> <BR />I want to ensure that the focus for teachers is on how they teach and that our focus is on supporting them through professional learning.”
“I thank the Member for welcoming the statement. It should unite Members across the House on what we are trying to do to support every child and every school. That is the ambition behind the statement. <BR /> <BR />Of course, I am happy to work with any organisation that wants to help our children and young people. The Member mentioned those who come from a more disadvantaged background. The strategy is absolutely driven by the desire to ensure that we give the best possible opportunity to those who are not as fortunate as others in our society. Those who are better off have the means to provide additional support outside the school setting. For those from an educationally disadvantaged socio-economic background, school is often their only opportunity. That is why we need to drive up our standards in every school and support every teacher.”
“We must focus on investing in and supporting high-quality professional development for our school leaders and teachers and on relentlessly improving curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. I approach the task of reform with a sense of ambition and energy. I look forward to working together in partnership with all representatives, parties and stakeholders to transform and improve education delivery in Northern Ireland. My aim is to ensure that our education system is truly world-leading, excellent, equitable, inclusive and able to meet the needs of all children and young people in an ever-changing world. Together we can build an education system that is stronger, fairer and fit for the future. Our children deserve nothing less. <BR /> <BR />I commend the statement to the House.”
“They are the pillars on which we will build our children's future. <BR /> <BR />The strategy represents a critical commitment to invest in teachers and in teaching. I want us to work together to build a culture across our community where education is truly valued. World-class economies prioritise education. They make education a priority, having convinced their citizens that it is worth investing in the future through education and making choices that value education more than other things. I will continue to make the case for increased investment in education as a protective factor in the lives of our young people and as a key driver of improved economic, social and health outcomes. <BR /> <BR />We must be radical if our ambition is to be world-class. The strategy represents a new direction for education in Northern Ireland.”
“That is why the strategy sets out our intention to develop a replacement qualification for headship to support our newly appointed and aspiring principals, strengthen the provision of school-to-school support through a leaders of education programme and develop a professional learning programme for experienced principals. We will also review, strengthen and invest in professional learning for middle leaders. <BR /> <BR />Today, I want to address school leaders and teachers across Northern Ireland directly. I take the opportunity to express my gratitude for your hard work, professionalism and commitment to supporting children and young people. I recognise the challenges that you face each day and the increased pressures that have been placed on teachers and school leaders in recent years.”
“The strategy sets out a series of commitments to provide additional funding for schools to purchase high-quality professional learning, improve access to education research and pilot investment in supporting collaborative professional learning communities. <BR /> <BR />School leadership is also crucial to the success of high-performing education systems. Schools are rarely more effective than their leaders. Regrettably, there are increasing concerns that school leadership is not viewed as an attractive role, and senior leadership roles are increasingly difficult to fill. Providing the right opportunities for leadership development and the right programmes to develop future leaders is crucial in strengthening our education system.”
“As Minister of Education, I reaffirm my pledge to support teachers at every stage of their careers. I am determined to make teaching in Northern Ireland an attractive, high-status profession where every teacher receives world-class professional learning and development. From initial teacher education to ongoing professional development, we must ensure that every teacher has access to the resources, training and support that they need to excel in their profession. <BR /> <BR />Central to the education strategy is a commitment to invest in a comprehensive approach to teacher professional development.”
“To keep pace with the best education systems in the world, we must refresh and renew. It has been said that it is not the strongest who survive but those who are the most adaptable to change. The cornerstone of effective governance lies in our ability to make informed decisions. By grounding our decisions in solid evidence, we honour the trust that is placed in us, ensure that public money is spent wisely and, most important, create policies that genuinely improve the lives of those whom we serve. <BR /> <BR />If we value education, we must also value and support our teaching profession. I quote McKinsey's famous maxim:”
“Northern Ireland must do the same, or else we will be left behind. The world is indifferent to past reputations and unforgiving of frailty. Complacency is the enemy of progress.”
“Over the coming weeks, I will make a series of important announcements about assessment, professional learning, literacy and numeracy, and school improvement, work on which is already at an advanced stage. <BR /> <BR />I have appointed two school principal panels — one for primary schools and one for post-primary schools — to offer insights and advice as we implement the strategy. My Department will also publish a costed implementation plan to support delivery of the strategy over the next number of years. I have asked my officials to prioritise the funding that is needed. It must be the first call on the Department of Education budget. The growing economic powerhouses of the 21st century are those nations that have placed an absolute premium on getting their education system right.”
“We will take an integrated approach to tackling educational disadvantage in our schools, families and communities. We will introduce legislation to ensure that all learners remain in education, an apprenticeship or training until the age of 18. We will develop a coherent accountability framework for education in order to demonstrate value to government, taxpayers and parents. We will have an excellent teacher for every child, a high-quality curriculum for every school and a core offer of excellence for every parent. <BR /> <BR />Devolution is about making a difference, and, when delivered, the strategy will make a difference. Today is an important beginning, but, make no mistake, it is only the beginning.”
“Through each of the 10 strategic commitments, we aim to learn systematically from the most effective and fastest-improving school systems in the world and to tackle the weaknesses currently identified in our system. <BR /> <BR />We will review and redesign the Northern Ireland curriculum to ensure that every child enjoys an ambitious and knowledge-rich curriculum that develops their learning in a well-sequenced and explicit manner. We will invest in high-quality teacher professional learning and curriculum resources. We will introduce new literacy and numeracy strategies and a new school improvement policy based on international best practice. We will provide a new system of attainment measures for end of Key Stage assessment in order to set high standards for all children.”
“I want us to have an evidence-informed system that uses the best available research, data and evidence to shape the policies, practices and decisions that will govern our education system for the next decade. Taking such an evidence-based approach requires humility: the willingness to acknowledge what works and, importantly, what does not. The new strategy sets out our determination to learn in a sophisticated way from those countries that outperform us at present. It identifies the core elements of excellence that are common across high-performing jurisdictions and uses them to inform the way forward in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />The strategy is accompanied by a 10-point plan for delivering educational excellence.”
“That is why I established an international ministerial advisory panel, which is made up of exceptional individuals with international expertise, to support our education system's transformation. Some are from countries that have already transformed their education system, while others are from countries that are beginning that process. They have helped inform the strategy. <BR /> <BR />I am not an education expert, and I do not pretend to be one, but I know that we can and must learn from what works here and across the world. Northern Ireland has some of the most highly qualified teachers anywhere in the British Isles, so we should also have an education system that outperforms the world's best.”
“Positive words cannot be just the title of a strategy. They must be the reality for every school. <BR /> <BR />To ensure that our education system is world class, we must be willing to look beyond our borders and learn from the best performing education systems globally. Countries such as Singapore, South Korea, Canada and Estonia have consistently ranked among the top performers globally. They have achieved excellence not by chance but through deliberate policies, innovative teaching and a commitment to continuous improvement. <BR /> <BR />Learning from international best practice does not mean copying blindly. Every country has its unique challenges and strengths, but by studying what works elsewhere and adapting it to our context, we can create a culture of continuous improvement.”
“The time for change is now, and the pace of change will be faster than it was in the past, because our children only get one chance. They cannot afford for us to bring change at a glacial pace while their life chances are limited by our inaction. <BR /> <BR />For too long, we have focused on structural issues, be they academic selection or types of schools, to little avail. The heart of education lies in the classroom. We need to put aside those tired old conversations and focus on what children learn, how and for what purpose. The new strategy represents a break with what has gone before. Make no mistake, this is a far-reaching agenda. It is a vision, a commitment and a call to action. Its message is simple: excellence for every child; high expectations of every child; and success by every child.”
“That is not acceptable, and it makes Northern Ireland an outlier, internationally, in being without basic performance data. Equally, we have not invested in a coherent approach to professional development, nor in curriculum review, advice or resources. It is a similar picture with our qualification system. That is simply not good enough. We are faced with what Martin Luther King referred to as, "the fierce urgency of now". There is a Chinese proverb that states:”
“Let us be clear: we have been overtaken not just by the East Asian powerhouses or the Scandinavian countries but by our neighbours in England and the Republic of Ireland. That is, perhaps, unsurprising, when action short of strike has left us — for many years — without inspection or effective measures of system and pupil performance. The most fundamental feature of any education system that promotes social mobility is one in which every child can attend a good school. The absence of inspection means that many schools have not been identified for the support that they need. It is incredible that we are currently without any national measure of how our children are performing in the key skills of literacy and numeracy at primary school and Key Stage 3.”
“Our programme for international student assessment (PISA) outcomes and evaluation of the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students from around the world show an education system that has stagnated in recent years. Our outcomes are strong in reading but only average in mathematics and science. As is the case in many systems internationally, there remains a strong correlation in Northern Ireland between socio-economic disadvantage and educational outcomes. The gap is closing, but much, much too slowly. <BR /> <BR />Notably, there are also significant variations in outcomes between schools with similar levels of disadvantage. Some schools are performing strongly but others poorly.”
“Together, those elements form the cornerstone of our education system, yet they have received limited focus or investment during recent decades, and all need reflection, evaluation and improvement. <BR /> <BR />The new education strategy provides a series of coherent and evidence-based actions that will transform education in Northern Ireland, allowing us to learn from and outpace the world's best. We must start the journey to reform our system with an honest understanding of where we are now. <BR /> <BR />TransformED reforms the discussion about education within the wider international context. Put simply, many countries are improving their school systems faster than Northern Ireland is, and they have smaller gaps between the more and less affluent.”
“Today, I am delighted to launch TransformED NI, my Department's new strategy for transforming teaching and learning. Last summer, writing for the Belfast 'News Letter', under the heading "Paul Givan: Change is coming to ensure Northern Ireland has a truly world class education system", I set out my ambitious intention to begin a period of renewal and reform in our education system. <BR /> <BR />Today, that strategy sets out the most detailed and systematic programme of transformation in over a generation, which will make Northern Ireland's education system truly world leading. It provides a pathway to educational excellence that is based on supporting effective teaching and a renewal of curriculum assessment, qualifications and school improvement, all underpinned by a relentless focus on tackling educational disadvantage.”
“Test the commitment that Minister Lyons has shown: he brought the strategy forward and engaged with the work, and he is now bringing a paper to the Executive on it. I trust that the strategy will be put out to consultation and made available to enable the public to see what it contains. We will then have the responses to that consultation process. Good work has taken place. There is more to do, and I have every confidence in my colleague that he will continue to drive the work forward.”
“We will then be able to get on with the job of helping, protecting and supporting the most vulnerable in society — an objective that, I believe, the Member and I share.”
“We live in a democratic society where people are entitled to seek recourse through the courts. It is an entitlement of any citizen to hold the executive branch to account through the courts. I welcome the opportunities that our citizens have. Many places across the world do not provide such freedoms to their citizens; we do. However, it did not take a court challenge for my ministerial colleague to get on with the job of bringing the strategy forward, nor should it take court challenges in other areas. <BR /> <BR />I assure the Member that the work has been taken forward by Minister Lyons. A paper will be presented to the Executive, I trust, before the end of this month, as he has committed to doing. We will allow the public consultation, and that will give people an opportunity to provide feedback.”
“As would be the case in any democratic institution, MLAs are elected to seek answers on behalf of their constituents, and I would expect them to be facilitated.”
“I hope that no Committee or Member will be prevented from asking questions about the implementation of this strategy or, indeed, any other strategy. I know that the Member is tenacious in how she goes about her work, and I am confident that she will get accountability and answers to the questions that she asks. I would expect Departments to provide answers to Members when they ask questions. <BR /> <BR />When it becomes an Executive-agreed strategy and there are commitments for other Departments to follow — as the Member highlights, the Minister has led on it, but it then becomes a collective, cross-cutting departmental commitment by the Executive — all of us will be held to account, my Department included, in how we go about meeting the objectives in the strategy. I would expect Departments to facilitate Members.”
“Minister Lyons has very much been leading on it, and I trust that, in the next number of weeks, he will secure Executive agreement for the paper that he intends to bring forward.”
“The Member is absolutely right about that engagement, including with my Department. I have engaged with the Minister and indicated the need to facilitate the outworkings of the strategy when it comes to education. One area that Members have raised as a concern is the holiday hunger payment, which the Department of Education cannot take forward — it does not have the resources to do it. However, I have asked whether the Department of Education and our schools can play a role in helping to address some of the issues. <BR /> <BR />Once the strategy is agreed by the Executive, it becomes an Executive-endorsed strategy; it will be a collective effort to see it taken forward.”
“You would have had an anti-poverty strategy had your party not collapsed the Assembly when I was in post. It would have been out of the door and in place. <BR /> <BR />Minister Lyons is very much applying himself to addressing the issue. He has engaged extensively on the issues and will bring a paper to the Executive in the next number of weeks, and I trust that it will be supported. <BR /> <BR />The Member makes a point about frustration. When we get the strategy through the Executive, the frustration will not be over the failure to have a strategy but over what resource is applied to it. It is the Member's party that holds the purse strings when it comes to what resources will be applied to the strategy. We will see how that test is passed or not.”
“Thank you. You got there. <BR /> <BR />As I was saying, when I was in post, I was making progress with the strategy. Gordon Lyons has now picked up the mantle and has been effective in getting us to this stage, but we need to get to the other side of an Executive decision and allow the public consultation to take place. The strategy needs to have a meaningful impact, however. Setting aside the political points that are being made, we all have the same objective, which is to help the people most in need in our society. That is a test not just for the Minister for Communities but for the entire Executive.”
“That is an important question. In bringing forward the strategy, what resource will be made available for it? That will be the real test. We need to get the strategy right, and it needs to be comprehensive. As with the strategies that I am pursuing, we need to make sure that they are the right ones. They need to be backed up with resource, however. <BR /> <BR />My colleague has been applying himself to the strategy. Indeed, when I was Minister for Communities, I had been making progress on it, but the Executive were then collapsed and not by me. I suspect that we would have had —.”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I can confirm that Minister Lyons has raised the issue at Executive meetings. I can bear testimony to the fact that he has raised it and has kept Executive colleagues updated on the progress that has been made to get us to this stage. We are now close to having a paper presented to the Executive and, hopefully, a positive decision taken on it. We will then be able to make progress. Minister Lyons believes very much in providing support to people who need to be supported. He has been acting on that belief, and I believe that we are very close to making the progress that we need to see.”
“My colleague has applied himself very much to the job of getting the strategy done. It did not need a court case for him to do that, because he has been getting on with the job. We will see the fruition of that over the next number of weeks.”
“The Member has articulated that, when it came to the finding, there was a breach by the Executive because of their duty. Minister Lyons has been progressing the work since he took up office. The court recognised the work that he has taken forward. The court dismissed the challenge from the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) relating to a failure on the part of the Minister for Communities. The CAJ also challenged the First Minister and deputy First Minister about complying with their obligations, and, again, the judge dismissed the case. <BR /> <BR />It is important now that we get on with the work of concluding the Executive's consideration of the paper when it comes forward. That will allow a consultation to take place on the strategy, which will give people further opportunity to engage with the process.”
“<BR /> <BR />The paper will come to the Executive. It will then be for the Executive to agree it, which, I trust, they will. It will then go out for public consultation. There will be further opportunity for stakeholders to engage during that public consultation period.”
“The Member will know more about this than I do, so I seek to relay as much information as I can to him. He will know that there are three pillars that form the anti-poverty strategy: minimising the risk of falling into poverty; mitigating the impacts of poverty; and assisting people to exit poverty. <BR /> <BR />I know that my colleague has been working on the issue over the months since he took up his position as Minister. He has engaged with stakeholders. He has committed to bringing a paper to the Executive within the next number of weeks, so it is his intention to have a paper with the Executive before the end of this month. I understand that he is considering that Executive paper right now while he does his duties in the United States of America representing the people of Northern Ireland and continues to do his work as Minister.”
“Therefore, it would be inappropriate for him to comment further on the matter until after the judge has ruled on potential relief in the case.”
“My colleague the Minister for Communities is unavailable at present. Therefore, I answer the question on his behalf. <BR /> <BR />Minister Lyons's Department has noted the findings of the court, and officials are considering them in detail. He has noted that the case brought against him as Minister for Communities was dismissed, and he welcomes the fact that the court recognised his intention to produce an anti-poverty strategy in the near future for consideration and, if appropriate, adoption by the Executive Committee. <BR /> <BR />It is Minister Lyons's intention to present a paper on the anti-poverty strategy to the Executive by the end of March. Final decisions on consultation and implementation will be subject to decision by the Executive.”
“The Member can be assured that, when the issue was brought to my attention, I was aghast. I made it clear that the situation was in no way satisfactory or defensible. I immediately engaged with the Education Authority on what steps it was taking to ensure that the appropriate paperwork was being carried out. However, individuals should not have commenced their employment without it. I have raised the issue of their employment status. If they have not completed the paperwork, why are they continuing to be employed by the school? <BR /> <BR />Work is taking place to address the issue. I want to get to the point where those numbers at not at the high level that they are at now. I have made it explicitly clear that we need to get to grips with the issue, because we can never compromise when it comes to child safety.”
“There has been a significant decrease in the number of individuals who have not had their safeguarding paperwork carried out.”
“I do not have the precise figures for the Member right now, but I will get them. I know that they were released in a question for written answer to her colleague Michelle Guy.”
“That situation is not only regrettable but should not be happening, because we cannot then disseminate best practice, and, importantly, we cannot have the inspectorate in our schools to identify any child safeguarding issues. I do not think that that is a tenable position.”
“I know that some schools in Northern Ireland have, for example, incorporated elements of the Michaela approach. So, yes, you can disseminate that best practice. <BR /> <BR />Importantly, the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) has a key role to play in Northern Ireland when it comes to identifying best practice and sharing that information, as well as identifying where there may be issues in schools, not least those around the safeguarding of children. Our inspectorate can go in and get that information, and it is there to support schools. However, as a result of the action short of strike, our inspectorate is, once again, being prevented from getting into our schools.”
“We have looked at how that happens in other jurisdictions in the home nations. An independent evaluation of the extended schools programme was commissioned, which included an examination of best practice in England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland. We have looked at the Fair Start programme. We have also looked at the four nations' equity in the education group. To answer the Member's question: yes, we should look at international best practice as well as the expertise that we have in our country.”
“It is always important to reflect on not only the expertise that exists in our country — there is expertise — but what is happening in other areas. I had the opportunity to visit a number of different schools, one of which was the Michaela Community School in London. The principal there is heralded as the strictest principal in the United Kingdom and is currently engaged in a bit of a battle with the Education Secretary. I do not want to weigh in on that issue; I have enough of my own challenges. <BR /> <BR />You can learn from schools in other places and the way in which they go about their education system. If there are lessons to be learned, we should do that. There are good examples of where that takes place. I have engaged on, for example, improving pupil attendance.”
“I am happy to take up the case that the Member has brought to my attention. I have engaged directly with the Department for Infrastructure on behalf of some other schools. I am sure that the Minister for that Department is listening and will want to respond. I certainly will ask my officials to engage with the Member and get the details, and I will happily raise the issue with the Department for Infrastructure on her behalf.”
“In some situations, such schemes can help to improve the flow of traffic around a particular school. The point is well made. Government have a responsibility, but so too do the people — they have to take responsibility for their own behaviour.”
“The Member highlights a challenge due to speeding motorists that, unfortunately, is not unique to Fivemiletown Primary School. I appeal to those who are driving past schools to slow down and take their environment into account. Often, road safety measures are only as good as the individual behind the wheel of the car. Even when we have 20 mph limits outside schools as a result of projects taken forward through the Safer Schools scheme, which DFI supports, you still have reckless individuals speeding. Addressing that requires those individuals being much more sensible as well as a policing response. Unless people's behaviour improves, we will always have those challenges. <BR /> <BR />Typically, traffic management schemes at schools, which are taken forward as minor works, do not score highly in the current environment that we face.”