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 Chairman for his comments and his question. The very reason that I have made this statement is so that we are on the front foot and that we strategically address the issues in special education. I am taking forward this transformational piece of work in the Department so that we are not in a space of crisis management. There is obviously a critical need to address the provision for this September. I outlined in my statement the process that I have taken and how I commissioned my permanent secretary to engage directly with the schools with which we are carrying out the survey so that we can identify the need and provision in order to match it up with the right child or young person.”
“Where it is identified that they need to move into the school enhancement programme, they will be taken into that process. <BR /> <BR />This statement will benefit every single special school in Northern Ireland by virtue of our assessment and how we take forward meeting the need that comes out of that assessment process.”
“The 10 schools are Roddensvale School in Larne, Riverside School in Antrim, Clifton School in Bangor, Hill Croft School in Newtownabbey, Longstone School in Dundonald, Sandelford School in Coleraine, Thornfield House School in Newtownabbey, Beechlawn School in Hillsborough, Kilronan School in Magherafelt and Lisanally School in Armagh. I have asked the Education Authority to take forward the prioritisation of those schools by accelerating the various stages so that they get to that state of readiness. There are over 70 school enhancement programmes in my Department across the school estate. Those 10 will be prioritised for delivery. I am also asking the EA to assess the needs of other special schools that are not currently in the school enhancement programme.”
“I thank the Member for the question. We had a meeting this morning that my colleague Alan Robinson asked me to facilitate, and Cara attended. The Finance Minister was able to drop in as well, and we discussed the needs of Rossmar at that meeting. The principal spoke passionately about the needs of the young people in her school setting. <BR /> <BR />Ten schools are currently in the school enhancement programme. They are at various stages of that process. Members will be familiar with how those processes work: after feasibility, a business case and design, you to get to the point at which a project is at a state of readiness so that, when capital becomes available, you move to construction.”
“This capital investment programme will bring that vision closer for our children with special educational needs. I commend the statement to the House.”
“Inclusion is not a strategy to help our children and young people to fit into the systems and structures that exist in our society; it is about transforming those systems and structures to benefit all learners. I will continue to listen to young people and their parents, and to school leaders and governors, so that we get this right. Together, we can achieve so much. Fairness does not mean that everyone gets the same. Fairness means that everyone gets what they need. We need to give every child the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of their background or circumstance. My Department's vision is for an inclusive and high-performing education system that enables all children to be happy, learning and succeeding.”
“In addition, projections indicate that there may be a need for up to eight entirely new special schools across Northern Ireland over the next decade. Capital planning will also commence for other new special schools over coming months. A new special school in Belfast that will provide 275 additional places for children aged three to 19 has already been agreed, and capital planning work is well under way. A further special school in east Belfast will be taken forward. <BR /> <BR />Our hopes and ambitions for our children with SEN should be the same as those for any other child. That is why I am setting out a programme of capital investment that is wide-ranging and, necessarily, ambitious.”
“<BR /> <BR />To facilitate that, I have directed my officials to set aside the funding thresholds for school enhancement projects in order to deliver those projects at the scale that is required. The Education Authority has also been asked to review all special schools across Northern Ireland and to submit applications for large-scale extension projects for any schools where additional places are needed. We will now take forward special school extensions at pace and scale in a planned, visible and expedited manner with a master plan for each school. <BR /> <BR />The final element in the SEN capital programme is new special schools. I am delighted to announce that planning of new-build schools for Sperrinview and Knockevin will begin immediately, as will the much-needed second campus for Ardnashee School and College.”
“Therefore, alongside the establishment of specialist provision, we will need to expand the available special school places in order to meet the individual needs of our pupils in the right setting. <BR /> <BR />The third key element of capital investment will, therefore, be the extension of existing special schools in order to provide additional places in high-quality accommodation. There are 10 special schools in my Department's school enhancement programme, which provides extension and refurbishment projects across the school estate. Those special school projects will be prioritised and expedited for delivery. We will also consider the longer-term needs for places at each of those 10 schools and, where required, adapt the project to increase the number of available places.”
“<BR /> <BR />I am confident that we are making significant progress, and I thank those schools that have come forward so far and encourage others to do the same. This is a critical phase in our SEN planning, and my officials continue to collaborate closely with their colleagues in the Education Authority in order to engage with those schools that have responded positively to our request to establish SPiMS provision and deliver the necessary accommodation. <BR /> <BR />We know, too, the life-changing impact that a successful special school can have on pupils and their families. We are, rightly, proud to have wonderful special schools across Northern Ireland. They must have the right facilities to support their work.”
“<BR /> <BR />However, ensuring places for all children is a major challenge for us collectively as an education system. It will take considerable effort and commitment, alongside investment and strategic planning. To help meet that challenge, the permanent secretary of my Department wrote to all schools last week asking them to consider establishing specialist provisions for September. My officials followed up with an expression-of-interest survey. The response has been truly outstanding, with over 200 schools expressing interest in setting up SPiMS classes. It has been an extremely challenging time for school communities, and I am deeply encouraged by the positive response from so many schools and heartened by their commitment to play their part in one of the most important collective endeavours facing our education system.”
“The second key work stream in the SEN capital programme is the creation of additional specialist provision classes in mainstream schools across Northern Ireland. Specialist provisions are not new. Smaller, more specialist settings have long been a feature of our education system in providing suitable learning environments for some of our children with special educational needs. We know the benefits of inclusion through SPiMS for pupils and staff. For many schools, having such provision has enriched the entire school community. We now have almost 500 SPiMS classes providing small-group teaching in nursery, primary and post-primary schools across Northern Ireland. We require, in total, around 100 new SPiMS classes for September. We have agreed 48 new SPiMS classes to date, as well as 69 new special school classes.”
“I have asked my officials to ring-fence £5 million annually to provide a programme of continuous planned maintenance across the special school estate. That will start to redress the longer-term maintenance backlog and ensure that our most vulnerable pupils are educated in fit-for-purpose classrooms. It will address health and safety, adapt facilities to meet children's needs and make much-needed repairs to the buildings, grounds and other facilities. In addition, I have allocated £4 million to provide equipment grants to special schools and schools with specialist provision in order to make sure that they have the right resources to support their pupils.”
“The new programme will provide visibility and coherence to SEN capital investment and be an integral part of the Department’s SEN transformation agenda, driven through the end-to-end review of SEN. <BR /> <BR />The new programme will have four main strands. The first is an annual maintenance and equipment programme for special schools and SPiM classes. That investment is the building block for success.”
“The right learning environment can support and inspire those pupils to thrive and achieve not only in school but throughout their lives. <BR /> <BR />To meet projected need, it is essential that we plan effectively for the delivery of capital investment of unprecedented scope and scale over the next decade. I have, therefore, asked my officials to establish a special educational needs capital investment programme as a discrete, stand-alone capital programme. The programme will be led by a dedicated SEN capital programme team in my Department. They will work closely with the Education Authority (EA), sectoral support bodies, school leadership teams, boards of governors and sectoral bodies to ensure a whole-school system approach to special educational needs investment.”
“I hope, in the coming weeks, to bring forward further plans for the wider education estate. Our special school sector, in particular, however, has a legacy of historical underinvestment. It is simply not good enough that many of our most vulnerable children are being educated in ageing facilities, too often without adequate equipment and resources. Our special school staff, who work with our most vulnerable learners, need and deserve facilities that match their skills and expertise. <BR /> <BR />I have seen for myself the impact that a poor physical environment has on our most vulnerable children. As a society, we can and must do better. Inclusive and well-designed school buildings can enable and empower those with special educational needs and disabilities to participate fully in life at school and in the wider community.”
“Therefore, today, I am announcing the biggest step change to capital planning in education for a generation, with an ambitious and far-reaching programme of investment in special education needs facilities that will transform our education system and the lives of our most vulnerable children and their families. My Department’s new special educational needs capital programme will require sustained and increased capital investment of around £0·5 billion over the next decade. That must be additional investment; it cannot be at the expense of other essential capital investment in our schools. <BR /> <BR />I am committed to delivering a modern, fit-for-purpose education system that truly meets the needs of our society and our pupils in the 21st century. A wide range of much-needed education investment projects need to be delivered.”
“<BR /> <BR />I also made it clear that transforming the existing special educational needs system must be a priority. Transformation of the scale needed will take time, but ensuring that our children with special educational needs have access to the right placements to meet their needs is the most important first step. I am delighted to have secured over £60 million of additional capital funding for education this year. That allocation is vital to provide those much-needed specialist school places. However, the funding is only the beginning of what is required to meet our children’s needs.”
“The increase is forecast to continue year-on-year to 2032, with a need to provide over 6,000 specialist special educational needs places across the education system over a 10-year period. <BR /> <BR />The changing profile has presented us with significant challenges in ensuring appropriate places for all children. It has overtaken all previous planning assumptions and placed an unsustainable pressure on my Department’s capital budget. Consequently, when I took office in February, I made it clear to the Assembly that Education could not continue with the current levels of capital funding. We were at risk of failing in even our most basic responsibilities to keep schools open and children safe and to provide places for our most vulnerable learners.”
“Today, I will set out my vision for the development of school facilities to support our children with special educational needs (SEN) across Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />The profile of our children is changing. One in five children has a special educational need, and some of those children require specialist places in a special school or in a specialist provision class in mainstream schools, commonly referred to as "SPiMS". In recent years, there has been an unprecedented increase in the number of children with SEN. Since 2019, the total number of children with statements has risen from 19,000 to 27,000, and we have seen a 21% rise in pupils attending a special school.”
“The Balmoral show is there. I remember when the Ulster Aviation Society (UAS) was based at Langford and needed to be relocated. Edwin Poots was a member of the Maze panel at the time, and, to secure the UAS's future, he was able to get it into the aircraft hangars. There are also the retained buildings. We just need to navigate the space sensibly. We need to make sure that we can unlock the potential of the Maze site — it has huge potential — so that it becomes something of significance for not just the Lagan Valley constituency but Northern Ireland. We need to see progress be made in the weeks, months and years ahead. I hope that, with the Executive having been restored, we can do that in a sensible manner that unlocks the potential of the Maze/Long Kesh.”
“My dad worked with prisoners with whom, as a councillor in Lisburn, he now works at a community level. They were loyalist prisoners, and I see at first hand the contribution that they make to my community, which is improving it. It is important that we look forward to the future, as well as remembering that awful period in the past. We need to find a way to navigate that space, and I think we can. We should be able to do that.”
“We had bulletproof windows installed in the house because his name was on a list that the Provisional IRA had. He was sent a letter bomb that arrived within weeks of him starting in the Maze, a parcel bomb delivered to the house as the prisoners let him know that they knew where he lived. As the son of a prison officer, I know the story associated with the impact that it had. <BR /> <BR />My uncle served in the Maze. The IRA put 13 bullets in his car as he drove up the motorway. He was a principal officer in the IRA wing when they broke out. They wore his uniform; he was hooded and stripped. So I come to this from the perspective of knowing what it was like to be a part of that family, the trauma that prison officers went through and the pain that they endured.”
“Thank you. That neatly takes me to my family and personal connections with the site and its association with the prison, HMP Maze. My father served in the Maze in loyalist and republican wings as a prison officer for 36 years. We lived that life, which was very much different to the lives of prisoners. As a son of a prison officer, I remember going with mum to pick up dad as he walked through the steel gate and the door opened. I remember distinctly the smell of tobacco on his uniform. Dad never smoked, but it was something that I recall as a child. Obviously, it was because of the environment that he was in. I also remember him coming home with snooker balls that had been thrown at him. I know from when I was growing up that he kept his personal protection weapon close. He checked under the vehicle.”
“I appreciate that, in more recent times, it is associated with the time when prisoners were there, but the history of Long Kesh and the Royal Air Force existed long before it became the Long Kesh of the prisoners. Interestingly, important visitors came to RAF Long Kesh. President Eisenhower visited the site; as did Winston Churchill during the Second World War. Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II took her first flight and landed at RAF Long Kesh. There is a great history to Long Kesh and the Royal Air Force, and that is important.”
“The total amount of ground that could be unlocked as part of the opportunity would have huge economic benefits not just for Lisburn but for Northern Ireland. Its accessibility, east-west and north-south, is critical. Some 60% of our population can get to the Maze site within 30 minutes. Some 80% of our population can get to it within one hour. It is accessible to so many people, and we need to find ways to create opportunities for it. <BR /> <BR />Long before it was known as "HMP Maze", locals called it "the Long Kesh". The Kesh Road sits right beside the site. It was a home and a base for the Royal Air Force, known as "RAF Long Kesh".”
“I am on the Back Benches, which are much more comfortable than the Front Bench, although Mr Nesbitt is keen to get to the Front Bench. It is more comfortable here, Mike; trust me. However, the challenge is always better on the Front Bench. <BR /> <BR />I thank Sorcha Eastwood for securing the Adjournment debate. It is tricky for Emma or me to do so in our ministerial capacity, and the debate gives us a chance to speak as MLAs for Lagan Valley. Thank you for that. <BR /> <BR />It is an opportune time to talk about the Maze or Long Kesh. I am comfortable with either, and I will outline why in due course. It is important that we seek to unlock the potential that we have in the Lagan Valley constituency. Colleagues have touched on the strategic importance of the location: 350 acres sitting beside the 400-acre Blaris site.”
“— that I have asked my Department to review the Cass review for any learning that may be appropriate for Northern Ireland.”
“If the motion has been of any value, it is that it allows me the opportunity to announce —”
“<BR /> <BR />The final report of the independent review of gender identity services for children and young people was published on 10 April. Dr Hilary Cass's review found remarkably weak evidence for treatments, such as puberty blockers. Its recommendations were welcomed by both the Conservative Party and the Labour Party.”
“In practice, when such changes to the RSE curriculum took place in England in September 2020, it led to activist groups advising schools and providing them with highly questionable teaching materials. Indeed, many schools adopted radical approaches. In England, under the guise of inclusive and evidence-based RSE, primary-school children have been taught that they all have a gender that depends not on the reality of their bodies but on how their interests match up with stereotypical ideas about boys and girls. It is no stretch of the imagination to think that some of the thousands of children who were referred to England's scandal-hit and now-closed Gender Identity Development Service might not have been had they not received those lessons.”
“I am not going to give way. <BR /> <BR />The challenge, therefore, remains to provide a curriculum that continues to engage with young people and reflect their views, and open engagement with parents and pupils is key to that. I hope that Members will reflect on the approach that my Department takes, which focuses on letting teachers teach rather than directing them centrally. That approach reflects the design principles that underpin our curriculum, which provide schools with autonomy and flexibility to meet the needs of their pupils. <BR /> <BR />The motion calls for "evidence-based" RSE. Let us hope that that evidence is not just a VHS recording. I encourage Members to go into schools to see what is happening.”
“In this country, we have steered a middle path, with limited prescription, which I believe is the correct approach.”
“As I noted earlier, that is fuelling discussion about what should be included in the curriculum and whether there should be greater prescription and standardisation, which is what the motion calls for. However, that would be contrary to the legislation on which the curriculum is built, which states that it should be flexible and teacher-led to best meet the needs of pupils. That does not just apply to the teaching of RSE, it applies to all areas of learning. It is important that flexibility is not lost by a prescriptive approach, which may not guarantee high-quality teaching and learning. That is the approach in England, which has brought schools into conflict with some parents. Scotland takes a largely non-prescriptive approach through guidance, which has caused similar issues with parents.”
“When I went into a school, a girl said to me, "We should not be viewed as a commodity and a product that can be bought by men." Which party in the Assembly voted against that legislation? The Alliance Party. When it had an opportunity to stand with women and girls, it did not take it. It stood instead with pimps and those who traffic people into the country. That is the Alliance Party's record on ending violence against women and girls. <BR /> <BR />The policy landscape on RSE has changed significantly and will continue to do so as we consider the recommendations that arise from the various reports and evaluations and the Secretary of State's legislative change.”
“The sponsors of the motion arrogantly assume that it should be politicians and not parents who make decisions for their children. Schools are very well placed to lead the way in attitudinal and behavioural change, with a whole-school environment that equips and supports the empowerment of future generations to develop healthy, respectful relationships. Addressing the root causes of violence against women and girls, including coercive control, will be a central part of achieving that outcome. <BR /> <BR />On the issue of addressing violence against women and girls and coercive control, the Assembly passed legislation that criminalised the purchase of sexual services.”
“Boards of governors are ultimately responsible for the curriculum that their school delivers and for ensuring that it meets the minimum requirement. It is their responsibility to ensure that a comprehensive programme is delivered that meets the needs of its pupils and aligns with its RSE policy and school ethos. <BR /> <BR />The Department requires schools to consult parents and young people on the development and review of their RSE policy, and it re-emphasised that requirement in guidance that was issued at the start of this year. That is the right approach. It is essential that parents are consulted on what their children are taught and not condescended to by Members who think that they know better. I would not presume to tell parents what to think or second-guess the choices they would make for their children.”
“I want to make some progress, please. <BR /> <BR />Such piecemeal and selective interventions risk calling into question the very nature of the devolved settlement. <BR /> <BR />There have been many calls for RSE to be standardised and made mandatory in the curriculum. That call has been repeated today. However, RSE is already a mandatory part of the curriculum in schools. The minimum legal content has to be taught and is set out as high-level areas of learning, but it is fundamental to our approach to education in Northern Ireland, across every area, that it is for teachers to decide how the curriculum should be delivered, which resources to use and which specific topics to cover. The flexibility of our curriculum is a key strength.”
“<BR /> <BR />On 1 September 2023, the Department launched a consultation on proposals for regulations that would prescribe the circumstances in which, at the request of a parent, a pupil may be excused from lessons pertaining to the change to the statutory curriculum. An enormous total of 13,461 responses were received by the close of the consultation. The responses also indicated the overwhelming opposition to the Secretary of State's regulation. At a time when Westminster was not prepared to intervene to support key priorities such as health and education, it saw fit to interfere in what are, clearly, issues that were devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly.”
“to reflect the legal duties placed on the Department as a result of the legislation that had been brought forward by the Secretary of State. <BR /> <BR />Whilst the board of governors and the principal in a school have a statutory responsibility to deliver minimum curriculum content, they also have autonomy over when and how that is done and who is involved in curriculum delivery, aligned with the ethos of the school. That includes the change to the RSE curriculum that was made by the Secretary of State. It should be noted that the change to the curriculum that was made by the Secretary of State does not prevent teachers and pupils from discussing and commenting on moral, ethical or spiritual issues that may arise in relation to the matters associated with the legislative change to the minimum content that has been outlined.”
“In 2011, the Education and Training Inspectorate published a report on RSE in post-primary schools. The Department of Education subsequently wrote to schools, in 2014, and published a revised guidance circular in 2015 that required schools to have an RSE policy that was based on their ethos and subject to consultation with parents and pupils, and that highlighted issues around dealing with sensitive issues. <BR /> <BR />On 5 June 2023, however, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland brought forward regulations. The 2023 regulations required pupils at Key Stages 3 and 4 to receive:”
“The statutory curriculum for personal development and mutual understanding at primary level and the personal development strand of learning for life and work at post-primary level prescribe the high-level minimum content for relationships and sexuality education. At each Key Stage, that is the minimum entitlement that all young people must receive. The minimum content provides flexibility, and schools have a high degree of autonomy over what is taught. <BR /> <BR />Relationships and sexuality education in the Northern Ireland curriculum is not new. There were requirements for schools to deliver RSE before the introduction of the Education (Curriculum Minimum Content) Order (Northern Ireland) 2007. In 2013, a circular required schools to have an RSE policy.”
“The Education (Curriculum Minimum Content) Order (Northern Ireland) 2007 sets out statutory requirements relating to the curriculum through high-level areas of learning. Specifically, it provides that the statutory curriculum:”
“I agree with the Chairman of the Committee that we ought to engage with children and young people in relation to this area, and we do. I will further outline how we do that. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Chairman of the Committee for the respectful manner in which he engaged in the debate and for the way in which he conducted himself, which is in marked contrast to the manner of the Member in front of him, with his sniggering, snarling attitude towards Members of the House throughout the entire debate. <BR /> <BR />If we were to go down the route of standardisation, that standardised approach would, in the words of the motion, be "compulsory" for every child. That fact would fail to respect diversity in the school system and in society in Northern Ireland. It would be fundamentally undemocratic.”
“approach" and that we need to equip children and young people with the information to make the right decisions. The rights of parents are important. They have a "vital role", said the Chairman of the Education Committee. He said that they should be consulted and engaged. He recognised that there are "strongly held views" on the issue, yet he went on to say that we must get a standardised approach. The two cannot sit beside each other.”
“Unlike those who proposed the motion, I trust schools to make decisions that are appropriate for the needs of the children whom they understand best. I fundamentally believe in the autonomy of schools. Standardising an approach means the imposition of a single approach on all schools. RSE is an area that is both sensitive and contentious. There are differing views on what the standardised approach should be. Standardisation would therefore involve the Minister imposing a contentious approach on every school and child, regardless of the professional judgement of teachers, the ethos of the school or the views of governors, parents and children. <BR /> <BR />I agree with the Chairman of the Education Committee. He said that we need a "whole-school ...”
“As a result of industrial action, the proper inspection of schools has not taken place for years. We have not had system-level data on statutory assessment at Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2 or Key Stage 3 for almost a decade. There is a critical challenge to update our curriculum to keep it under review and fit for the future. Qualifications at Key Stage 4 and 16-plus will need to be fundamentally reformed to meet the needs of our learners. We must drive up standards right across the sector. I could go on. <BR /> <BR />Today, however, we are faced with a motion that addresses none of those issues. Instead, the motion is effectively a vote of no confidence in schools, teachers and boards of governors that implicitly says, "Stormont knows better". I do not accept that analysis.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to respond to today's motion. Education in Northern Ireland faces massive challenges. The budgetary challenges are enormous. While we have secured a pay settlement for teachers, the situation with support staff remains unresolved. The maintenance backlog for schools continues to grow, with many children being educated in facilities that are unfit for purpose. At the present rate, the programme for building new schools, which has already been announced, will take decades to deliver. The ever-increasing challenges concerning children with special needs are well understood by Members across the Chamber and will be a top priority for my Department in the months to come. The issue of childcare and early learning has been identified as a priority by every party in the Executive.”
“Once again, I acknowledge the work that he did when he was a Member for Lagan Valley. I commend the regulations to the House.”
“I thank everyone for participating in the debate on the regulations. I thank the Chair of the Committee for Education for the work of the Committee and his kind remarks in commending the Department for taking a lead in the area. The other Members who commented quite rightly highlighted the importance of making sure that free period products are accessible. That is a necessity, and we need to make sure that they are provided in a dignified manner for those who need them because there should be no barriers for girls when it comes to being in school or other educational settings. That also helps to break down taboos on the subject. <BR /> <BR />I share the sentiment of what Ms Hunter said about Pat Catney. He was an Assembly colleague of mine, and he sponsored a private Member's Bill on this matter and spoke passionately about it.”