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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“<BR /> <BR />I also wish to begin a wide-ranging conversation on the future of our qualifications system. We need to ensure that qualifications are accessible; are fit for purpose; can be easily understood by pupils, parents and employers; and remain comparable with those in the rest of the United Kingdom. I will refine and improve accountability measures to remove perverse incentives for schools to enter pupils into low-value qualifications and instead reward schools for providing all pupils with a stretching curriculum. <BR /> <BR />Underpinning all the reforms is the need to support the education workforce effectively. Investment in teachers is at the heart of the panel's vision for education. No education system can be better than the quality of its teachers. The independent review is clear:”
“Curriculum review will be accompanied by a new literacy and numeracy strategy for Northern Ireland. There is a substantial body of evidence that demonstrates that systematic synthetic phonics is the most effective way of teaching children to read. We must ensure that our teachers are supported and guided on best practice throughout their careers. <BR /> <BR />Curriculum and assessment are two sides of the same coin. The independent panel described in detail how action short of strike had impacted on our education system, leaving us without effective measures of system, school and pupil performance. In line with the panel's recommendation, we will put in place arrangements to ensure that assessment takes place throughout a learner's time in school. My officials have therefore commenced an immediate review of assessment arrangements.”
“All pupils, regardless of where they were born or how much money their parents have, deserve an education in the best that has been thought and said. Knowledge is transformational. A knowledge-rich curriculum has been demonstrated to reduce inequality in education by empowering children to acquire invaluable information, which inspires and motivates them beyond their own life experiences and develops their learning in a well-sequenced and explicit manner. By ensuring that all children have access to high-quality content, we can bridge the gaps in knowledge that often arise from socio-economic disparities. Such an approach will also provide our teachers with a clear progression framework and high-quality resources.”
“High-quality curriculum design and content must be reinforced by strong implementation, enabled through high-quality teacher professional learning and excellent resources. I have therefore commissioned Lucy Crehan to carry out a focused, time-bound curriculum review that will examine curriculum design and delivery in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />I want to ensure that every child is taught a broad, ambitious and knowledge-rich curriculum. As the panel's report highlights:”
“I am therefore drawing on the report today to set out my immediate priorities for the current mandate. <BR /> <BR />My priority is a sustained, evidence-based approach to the improvement of the education system that is focused on the core areas of curriculum, assessment, qualifications, school improvement and tackling educational disadvantage. Reform in each of those areas will be underpinned by investment in high-quality initial teacher education, teacher professional learning and leadership development, all wrapped, as the panel has recommended, in an intelligent accountability framework. <BR /> <BR />The curriculum is at the centre of every classroom, every school and, indeed, our entire education system. The independent review is clear: we have not invested sufficiently in curriculum review, advice or resources. That needs to change.”
“The panel stresses that all those reforms must be underpinned by significant investment in the workforce and a sustainable model of funding for our education system. <BR /> <BR />Together, the panel's recommendations form an important blueprint for the next two decades of educational improvement and reform. Today, I have published my Department's response to the report's recommendations. A copy has been provided to Members and laid in the Assembly Library. It is intended as a summary document setting out the direction of travel. You will note that I have accepted almost all the recommendations falling within my remit, though, in some areas, the approach to implementation may vary. The review clearly recognises that the report provides a longer-term framework for progressive reform and will require a plan for phased implementation.”
“The key recommendations focus on reform and greater investment in early years provision; major reform of the curriculum, accompanied by greater ongoing investment; reform of statutory assessment to measure learners' progress throughout their educational journey; reform of the qualification system to meet the needs of learners and employers; reform of area planning to create an efficient network of schools where more learners are educated together; reform of service delivery for learners and schools, including a new approach to school improvement and the reorganisation of the Education Authority (EA); reform of SEN services, so that learners with additional needs receive tailored support at the earliest possible opportunity; and reform of the age of education participation, so that all children remain in education or training until they are 18 years of age.”
“Equally, the current system is not working for many children with special educational needs (SEN). Expenditure continues to grow, but planning is poor, with a focus on process rather than children. The panel was also particularly concerned that a prolonged period of action short of strike has resulted in a lack of performance data and an erosion of effective systems of school accountability. We need comprehensive measures of pupil and system performance to give better assurance to learners, parents and the taxpayer that money is being spent effectively and that the system is achieving its objectives. <BR /> <BR />The review report centres on 25 key recommendations underpinned by a further 106 areas for action. The watchword of the review is "reform".”
“It is a vision for a well-designed, efficient and adequately funded system of education that continues to provide choice, is inclusive, encourages collaboration ahead of competition and will offer greater opportunities for young people from different communities to learn together. <BR /> <BR />The independent review outlines that Northern Ireland should be proud of its track record of high achievement and can build on many areas of strong practice in promoting excellence and reducing failure. We have a highly trained and highly motivated education workforce that is the envy of many nations across the world. However, much more could be done to support those vulnerable to disadvantage. Too many young people impacted by poverty continue to leave education underskilled and underqualified.”
“Two years of engagement, consultation and consideration of a wide range of international perspectives has produced a thorough and evidence-based report that will act as a platform for the transformation of our education system. The panel's commitment to that task speaks volumes about their passion for education and their belief in its transformative power. <BR /> <BR />The review required the careful consideration of diverse perspectives, a deep understanding of the many challenges in our education system and, most importantly, the ability to produce a vision for the future. The panel has set out a vision for the transformation of education over the next 20 years. I endorse and commend that vision for educational excellence.”
“Today, I wish to set out my Department's response to the independent review of education in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Education is the cornerstone of our society. It shapes the future of our children and, in turn, our communities, our economy and our society. Like all systems, it requires regular reflection, evaluation and improvement. The independent review was commissioned by the Northern Ireland Executive to do precisely that. <BR /> <BR />I express my immense gratitude to and admiration of each member of the review panel: Keir Bloomer, Sir Gerry Loughran, Isabel Nisbet, Marie Lindsay and Robin McLoughlin. I commend their tremendous effort and dedication in carrying out that comprehensive review of our education system. It is, as one school principal described it, the most important education report in Northern Ireland in decades.”
“We all deal every day with constituents who come to us with housing issues, and I think that, collectively, we want to get to a better place with the matter. The housing Minister is leading on that work. With the support of colleagues in the Executive and the Chamber, we can deliver to meet the need.”
“Additional funds have been allocated in the June monitoring round, which is welcome, but the overall budget remains short of what is required. The Minister will continue to bid for further funding to support the social housing development programme and help to deliver much-needed additional new social homes. <BR /> <BR />I thank everyone for their comments and their contributions to the debate. Setting aside some of the political points, I think that every one of us believes in and agrees on the need to provide much more support for people who need homes.”
“They were meant to come in and get rid of Tory austerity, and many in the Chamber championed and heralded the day when Labour would take over; in fact, the SDLP is the sister party of the Labour Party. Yet the Labour Party is bringing in even more austerity. I wonder why the SDLP MPs sit on the same Benches as the Labour Government. They might need to revisit that, given the way in which the Government are failing to provide this Executive with the resources that they need. <BR /> <BR />No Executive Minister is happy with the budget that they have received. Minister Lyons was particularly disappointed, because starting 600 social homes this year is not where we need to be. He has stated that he will do everything that he can to increase that number.”
“Minister Lyons continues to allocate the majority of his Department's capital budget to the provision of new social homes. In the past three years, his Department has invested over £510 million in the social housing development programme to start over 5,000 new social homes. This year, the Minister would have liked to start 2,000 new social homes, but his Department was not provided with the capital resource to fund that. I do not necessarily blame the Executive for that. This is where I appeal to colleagues that, rather than criticising the Executive on the issue, we in the Executive should consistently make a case to the Labour Government.”
“At those meetings, the Minister emphasised once again that action will be required to address those issues, if any of the supply strategy is to have a chance of succeeding. <BR /> <BR />We are at a point where it is more important than ever to sustain and increase the annual level of new housing starts that has typically been seen here over the past decade. Over the last few years, the number of homes that we were building has started to fall, but, without full Executive commitment, reversing that trend simply will not be possible, and we will inevitably slide into a housing crisis similar to those being seen in London, Edinburgh and Dublin. <BR /> <BR />Alongside finalising the strategy, Minister Lyons has continued to push forward with what he can do, as housing Minister, to address housing issues.”
“<BR /> <BR />The housing Minister is working to bring his final housing supply strategy to the Executive as soon as possible. From the outset, that strategy was developed recognising the necessity of the whole-system approach and so that it would be responsive to a Programme for Government. It will provide a framework to drive that priority forward. Recently, as part of the work to finalise the strategy, the Minister met the Infrastructure and Finance Ministers to discuss the need for ongoing collaboration and action on some of the strategic issues that impact on supply. That included crucial issues that I have mentioned, such as water infrastructure, planning and finance. Many Members spoke about those issues.”
“<BR /> <BR />I welcome Mr O'Toole's comments. He assured us that the SDLP intended to be a constructive Opposition. That was lacking, however, when the initial commentary was made; indeed, there was a lot of political posturing around the Assembly not being up and running and paralysis. I say this to the SDLP: you stood in the shadow of Sinn Féin when it kept this place down for years. You did not step forward. We want to get the Executive working on a stable footing. However, for SDLP Members to pontificate as though they are paragons of virtue when it comes to political stability is not lost on us when we look back on the many years when the SDLP was one of the leading parties: this place was not particularly stable then.”
“The Minister has been engaging with all Ministers and will continue to do so. That is why it is important that we recognise that a whole-system response is required. In proposing the motion, your colleague Mr McCrossan, who is one of the most capable Members in the House, failed to provide constructive opposition. He offered no solutions. He showboated around criticism and highlighting fault. He lacked the detailed knowledge that, to quote Ms Mulholland, the "housing nerd" has on the issue. He outlined the need for collaboration on councils' local development plans. On the construction industry, any recognition of the inflationary pressure on the costs associated with building new homes was absent. That pressure is replicated elsewhere, and collaboration with other Ministers is required to move forward.”
“My party does not hold the Finance Ministry, so, when that strategy is agreed and supported, let us make sure that the same pressure is applied to other Ministers to enable my colleague to bring forward the proposals that will be in the strategy.”
“That means that the challenges that impact on supply cannot be addressed by the Department for Communities alone. An Executive commitment and funding to match it will be required. It is important to note that decisions on the allocation of any available capital are for the Executive as a whole to make. That is why I welcome Sinn Féin's support for bringing forward the housing supply strategy. Minister Lyons is working on that this week. Whilst he is not here, he is still engaging with officials on that. Sinn Féin has been pressing for that strategy to be brought forward, and I am confident that, when it is brought forward, it will get support, because the Minister has been doing extensive work. However, the resource needs to follow.”
“It is right that we create a society in which people aspire to own their own homes. It cannot always be that the solution is social housing. It is a vital component of the housing market, but many of the contributions spoke to the provision of social housing being the default position: I want a society in which people can access their own affordable home and buy their home. That is something that we should all support. Those who believe that it should always be a social house often own their own home, yet they seek to remove the right of some to purchase their own home. That is something that we need to give serious thought to. <BR /> <BR />The housing Minister has stated on numerous occasions in the Chamber that we need a whole-system approach to address the issues that impact on supply.”
“<BR /> <BR />First, the Assembly has already passed a motion declaring a housing crisis. That was in April this year, which demonstrates the ongoing importance that Members give to the issue. The Communities Minister recognises and shares the concerns that Members and others continue to raise on housing supply, the issues that impact on it and their consequences. Minister Lyons remains concerned by the high need for social homes, the increasing waiting lists, the pressure on the homelessness system and the increasing pressure on our private rented sector. <BR /> <BR />Many Members have spoken about the lengthy waiting list for social housing. That is important, but we also need to ensure that there is provision for housing for everybody in our society. Often, getting on to the housing ladder is incredibly difficult for young people.”
“Thank you, Principal Deputy Speaker. It is a delight to represent my colleague and good friend Gordon Lyons. He is engaged in important business in America this week on behalf of the Department. I am coming home when it comes to the Department for Communities: it is one of the Departments that is hugely important, because it touches on so many aspects of people's lives. Today, we are dealing with housing, and Cara Hunter summed it up well when she talked about the importance of a house and what it means to people: a safe place and somewhere for your family to live. The absence of that creates difficulties and challenges in people's lives and can have a really negative impact. I thank everyone for their contributions and will turn to them in due course.”
“One of the key outworkings of the review is to identify how you can move those interventions to a much earlier stage. I assure the Member that I very much believe in early intervention. The challenge has always been about meeting the current need whilst investing further upstream in earlier intervention. We need to be able to do what we currently do, but we need the additional investment. That is why a significant bid has been put forward as part of the transformation, and the transformation board will assess the Department's bid in due course, but a key component of the bid is how we can transform our approach to special educational needs provision.”
“Last week, I met the independent autism reviewer, and we discussed those very issues, including support for families and young people in particular, especially in early intervention. All the evidence shows that the sooner that you can intervene and provide that support, the better your outcome. Part of the special educational needs end-to-end review has been about looking at all those issues. That review is coming to a conclusion. I hope to be able to provide an update to the House about how we will take forward special educational needs transformation across all the issues, including autism.”
“Once we have analysed the consultation responses, I would be keen to bring forward legislation in the coming months so that the Committee can carry out its scrutiny role and the Assembly can give due consideration to it. I hope to bring legislation to my Executive colleagues for their consideration in the next number of months.”
“The consultation was launched in June to gather stakeholders' views on matters such as the need for statutory guidance on school uniforms, particularly on the cost and affordability of uniforms, the use of branded items and sole-supplier arrangements. The consultation closed on 27 September, and there was a large response to it. I am pleased to say that many people shared their views with us. There were just under 7,500 responses overall, and approximately 4,000 of those were from children and young people.”
“I am happy to look at any proposals. I have visited a number of Irish-medium schools, and I have been particularly impressed by the cognitive impact of learning another language. It has a clear educational benefit for those who immerse themselves in the Irish-medium system and those who learn other languages. There is a clear correlation between that cognitive ability and abilities in other parts of those children's education. I am more than happy to support proposals that will have a positive impact. I come back to the point that the financial resources that my Department needs are significant and that it is underfunded.”
“Any funding is subject to the allocation that I receive in the Department. Education is not funded to the level that we all want it to be. That has implications for resources, but I am happy to write to the Member on the case that she has raised in order to provide specific details for that organisation.”
“Treasury has advised that a change to the definition of a private school that is set out in the draft legislation is not required for grammar schools that charge a capital fee of up to £140. Nine voluntary grammar schools charge that capital fee, and they will not be within the scope of the legislation. A further 12 schools with prep or boarding departments may be within the scope of the legislation, and my officials continue to present evidence that, we believe, should justify their exemption. We await clarification from the Treasury on that matter.”
“A number of months ago, the Treasury Minister James Murray MP asked to engage with me as a result of the Labour Party's election manifesto commitment to apply VAT to private schools. We had that engagement, I outlined my opposition to what was proposed, and we have continued, with our officials, to engage. I met James Murray again on 7 October to highlight my concerns. We have made some progress on VAT exemption in the case of group A voluntary grammar schools, but we continue to have issues with group B voluntary grammar schools and grammar schools that have prep departments. The proposal also has a negative impact on independent schools in Northern Ireland, and we continue to make the case on their behalf.”
“Otherwise, because of her complex medical needs and provision not being made by the health trust, she would not be allowed to be in the school. That is not satisfactory — far from it — but I need the Department of Health to step up and help me on that.”
“The Member rightly highlights the collaborative way in which Departments need to operate in order to meet the needs of the children and young people in our special schools. We will not be able to provide an education for those children and young people if we do not have the appropriate professional support from the Department of Health and the trusts. It is critical that that support is put in place. Clear concern is being raised by teaching professionals and principals that the withdrawal of services is already having an impact on the educational potential of those children and young people. I was particularly struck by the fact that, in one of the schools that I visited, the only way in which one child was able to be at school was to have her parent or grandparent stay in an annex beside her classroom for three to four hours a day.”
“I had a very helpful meeting, organised by Michelle Guy and Nick Mathison, with a number of principals. We talked through all the issues that are impacting on our special schools, particularly the concern about the potential withdrawal of nurses but also changes that have resulted from allied health professionals withdrawing from those settings. On the back of that meeting, I have corresponded with the Health Minister, and I believe that we have a date for another meeting with Nick, Michelle and the principals to go through the issues with the Health Minister.”
“That is a key component underpinning the scheme. It is not just about helping to meet the costs of childcare but enabling women, in most cases, to re-engage in the workforce or to do more through their employment. I have some evidence that suggests that that is happening.”
“As of 7 October, 12,966 children and 1,524 providers had registered for the scheme, and the first payments were made just last month. In September, the scheme alone saved parents almost £1 million on their childcare bills, along with the additional £1·1 million of savings through the tax-free childcare allowance from Westminster. That is a demonstration of how the Executive and the Department are making an impact. From speaking to families, I know that they have greatly appreciated the support because they are finding it difficult. I have also had feedback to indicate that some of those families have been able to increase the number of hours that they work.”
“The Executive agreed that £25 million be allocated towards that, and we have been drawing that down since September and October of this year. If you applied that to the full financial year, you would need in the ballpark of £50 million to do what we currently do. We need to build on that, which is why, as we develop the scheme, I will continue to put proposals to the Executive on what further funding will be necessary to build on the work that we have started.”
“It will take a number of years to get the final comprehensive childcare strategy in place. My engagement with the stakeholders has indicated that they want it to be comprehensive and detailed. That has not prevented us, as an Executive, from taking forward measures around the childcare subsidy scheme, including the standardisation of preschool provision towards full-time places. I want to do more where I can, but we need to get the development of the strategy right and engage with as many different organisations as we can to shape the totality of the comprehensive scheme when it comes forward by way of the strategy.”
“We are developing that, and I hope to be in a position in due course to announce which 100 settings can move to that full-time provision. We are also using the information that has been gathered from the childcare subsidy scheme to inform all of the work that will take place to develop a comprehensive strategy.”
“I assure the Member that there has been no pause in the development of the childcare strategy. We prioritised the establishment of the Northern Ireland childcare subsidy scheme. It was important that we set that up, and it has been rolled out across Northern Ireland incredibly well. Early Years is the organisation that the Department commissioned to carry out that work, and the uptake demonstrates the efficient manner in which the childcare subsidy scheme has been delivered. The 15%, in addition to the 20% tax-free childcare allowance, has proven to be the right model on which to base the scheme. <BR /> <BR />We have also been taking forward other work, including identifying what preschool provision could move to be standardised as full time as opposed to part-time.”
“A review of the home to school transport policy commenced in 2018, However it was paused by the then Minister due to the pandemic and further suspended pending the outcome of the independent review of education. It is important to note that the transport policy supports other policies in the Department, such as parental preference and special educational needs. Work progresses on the end-to-end review of SEN. Work is already under way on an action plan arising from the EA's landscape review to include detailed consideration of the operational delivery of services such as school transport. Any review of the home to school transport policy should complement and build on the outcomes from all those work streams. It is in that context that I will consider the utility and timing of a new separate review of the transport policy.”
“It is about providing the service in the right place for pupils, but there is also an issue as regards the increased expenditure. From the public's perspective, we need to be satisfied that the money is being well spent and can be justified.”
“The policy is underpinned by legislation in many respects. A full review, which some Members have advocated, may require legislative change. I am keen to look at transport in its totality. The Department spends approximately £120 million a year on transport, which is a significant amount of funding. Some colleagues advocate that the current two-mile distance for primary schools and three-mile distance for secondary schools is too restrictive and would like to see it made more accessible. That would present a clear funding challenge. Our transport policy underpins the plurality of choice of type of school. If we were to look at the policy comprehensively, that may lead to changes that require legislation. However, we have to look at it.”
“In some cases, that has required new provision and Access NI checks, all of which has led to delay. That is regrettable, and we need to find better ways to improve the process.”
“I like to facilitate everybody in asking their questions and engaging with me. <BR /> <BR />The Member is right about the sharing of information. That is why the digital scheme will be helpful. It will help to capture that data and make it more readily available to those who are involved in taking the decisions. Part of the end-to-end review of special educational needs is about looking at the processes that are involved. Streamlining those processes, sharing information and all that should help decisions to be made more speedily and effectively. I recognise that, in some cases, that was not what it should have been in September. That is partly a result of the process whereby you secure a placement and then seek to put in the transport arrangements.”
“As a potential enhancement of the current model, the EA is piloting a seven-seater vehicle in its fleet to determine whether that affords flexibility in the delivery of transport for pupils who need more bespoke arrangements and would help minimise disruption and delays at the start of the school year.”
“<BR /> <BR />Transport assistance is provided to over 90,000 pupils travelling to and from school each day, of whom around 10,000 have an additional transport requirement detailed in their statement of special educational need. The number of children with a statement of SEN requiring bespoke transport arrangements continues to increase. The EA can only start arranging transport once a school placement has been confirmed. That can present operational challenges in the management of transport provision at the start of the school year, especially in relation to taxi transport.”
“It is for the Education Authority to determine what measures can be taken to improve the management of school transport at the start of the year. My Department is, however, committed to supporting the EA in delivering those improvements. The EA is developing a smart transport project that will digitise key transport functions, such as route planning, and introduce other digital solutions, enabling it to have visibility of all services travelling to a school. That will allow the EA to optimise the school transport network, deliver efficiencies and improve the information available to parents about transport arrangements.”
“No, I do not. It is interesting that the Alliance Party now seems to be positioning itself against the controlled sector, yet that party brought through the Integrated Education Act to give preferential treatment to one sector. What I am after is equity for all sectors. That is why I support the proposal and ask that the task force report to me by the end of the year.”