Latest releases
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64 releases
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TransformED is taking education system in the wrong direction – Sheehan
Sinn Féin education spokesperson Pat Sheehan MLA says Education Minister Paul Givan's TransformED reform plans would add exam pressure, cut coursework and narrow the curriculum, and calls on him to rethink them and stop avoiding academic selection.
Education Issue: TransformED education reforms announcement Original release: TransformED is taking education system in the wrong direction – Sheehan (opens in a new tab)Archived copy, Internet Archive capture of 9 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)
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McDaid slams ‘wear more clothes’ advice in schools
SDLP councillor Catherine McDaid criticises Education Authority guidance telling pupils to dress warmer in schools amid high energy costs, linking it to cuts and crumbling school buildings. She raised the issue at a Derry City and Strabane council committee.
Education Public finance and taxation Issue: Education Authority "wear more clothes" energy cost advice to schools Original release: McDaid slams ‘wear more clothes’ advice in schools (opens in a new tab)Archived copy (captured later), Internet Archive capture of 9 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)
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Wear more clothes advice shows how out of touch the Education Authority has become
UUP Education Spokesperson Jon Burrows MLA criticises Education Authority advice telling pupils and staff to "wear more clothes" over rising energy costs, calling for the guidance to be revised for pupils with sensory needs and for the Department to engage with the Education Committee.
Education Public finance and taxation Issue: Education Authority "wear more clothes" energy cost advice to schools Original release: Wear more clothes advice shows how out of touch the Education Authority has become (opens in a new tab)Archived copy, Internet Archive capture of 8 October 2026 (opens in a new tab)
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Clear answers must be provided on proposed Richill AFC funding allocation – Sheehan
Sinn Féin Education spokesperson Pat Sheehan MLA calls for clear answers from Education Minister Paul Givan on a proposed £30,000 allocation for a football pitch at Richhill AFC, questioning changed departmental advice after the minister's visit and asking the Education Committee to investigate.
Education Public finance and taxation Issue: Proposed £30,000 funding allocation for Richhill AFC football pitch Original release: Clear answers must be provided on proposed Richill AFC funding allocation – Sheehan (opens in a new tab)Archived copy (captured later), Internet Archive capture of 10 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)
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SF prefer chaos on school inspections
DUP East Belfast MLA David Brooks accuses Sinn Fein of playing politics with the Education Inspections Bill and preferring chaos in schools after initially backing it in the Executive. He says the Bill would stop inspections being disrupted by industrial action.
Education Issue: Education Inspections Bill second stage debate Original release: SF prefer chaos on school inspections (opens in a new tab)
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Serious safeguarding questions as school allows return of pupil who made rape threats
TUV leader Jim Allister says he is shocked that City of Armagh High School will readmit a newcomer pupil after a prolonged suspension for rape threats against two 11-year-old girls, and calls on the Education Authority to change its committee investigation guidance so victims' voices are heard. He…
Education Justice and policing Issue: City of Armagh High School readmission of pupil who made rape threats Original release: Serious safeguarding questions as school allows return of pupil who made rape threats (opens in a new tab)
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Education Minister’s written statement a bizarre distraction – Mason
Sinn Féin MLA Cathy Mason calls the DUP Education Minister Paul Givan's written statement criticising her and Michelle Guy "a bizarre distraction" and says she will keep raising concerns about his reform plans. She says schools are not ready for the pace and scale of the changes and urges him to…
Education Issue: Paul Givan written statement on Education Committee members' comments about reforms Original release: Education Minister’s written statement a bizarre distraction – Mason (opens in a new tab)
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Education Minister should accept he got it wrong and scrap reform agenda – Sheehan
Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan says the Education Minister's revised statement repackages AS-level proposals already rejected by the public, and objects to moving most GCSEs to end-of-course exams. He urges Paul Givan to scrap the reform agenda and focus on SEN provision, underachievement and childcare…
Education Issue: Education Minister's AS-level and GCSE assessment reform statement Original release: Education Minister should accept he got it wrong and scrap reform agenda – Sheehan (opens in a new tab)
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Mathison raises concerns on Education Minister’s plans for qualification reform
Alliance Party Education Spokesperson and Education Committee Chair Nick Mathison MLA raises concerns about the Education Minister's qualifications reforms, particularly the decision to remove AS Level qualifications, which he says goes against the wishes of teachers and young people.
Education Issue: Education Minister's AS-level and GCSE assessment reform statement Original release: Mathison raises concerns on Education Minister’s plans for qualification reform (opens in a new tab)
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Storm Chandra Exposes Once Again Flaws in NI School Closure System
UUP Education Spokesperson Jon Burrows MLA calls for urgent reform of school closure decisions after more than 346 schools closed during Storm Chandra. He says the Department of Education's fragmented approach left principals to coordinate informally and urges it to take central responsibility for…
Education Issue: Storm Chandra school closures and Department of Education response Original release: Storm Chandra Exposes Once Again Flaws in NI School Closure System (opens in a new tab)
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Failure to transform education system and address service duplication represents historic budget mismanagement, says Mathison
Alliance’s Education spokesperson and Education Committee Chair, MLA Nick Mathison, says the Department of Education has overspent by hundreds of millions, added bureaucracy through the Controlled Schools Unit and TransformEd, and failed to transform schools or address estate duplication, urging a
Education Public finance and taxation Issue: Department of Education budget overspend and school estate duplication Original release: Failure to transform education system and address service duplication represents historic budget mismanagement, says Mathison (opens in a new tab)
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BBC reporting on RE further evidence of their “serious and systemic” bias
TUV Party Secretary and Equality Spokeswoman Ann McClure says BBC coverage of the Education Minister's schools letter on Supreme Court RE ramifications is misleading, insisting the Education and Libraries Order, not the Department, requires RE to be based on Holy Scriptures. She says TUV will…
Education Issue: Supreme Court judgement implications for RE letter to schools Original release: BBC reporting on RE further evidence of their “serious and systemic” bias (opens in a new tab)
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School uniform guidelines are another attempt to pull the wool over parents’ eyes – Sheehan
Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan calls the DUP Education Minister's new school uniform guidance a 'sham' that will leave families paying too much. He says Sinn Féin's proposals to cap branded items, allow generic alternatives and allow girls to wear trousers were squandered.
Education Economy and employment Issue: Education Minister Paul Givan's new school uniform guidance Original release: School uniform guidelines are another attempt to pull the wool over parents’ eyes – Sheehan (opens in a new tab)
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Burrows Warns School Meal Price Rise Will Hit Struggling Families
UUP MLA Jon Burrows, Education Spokesperson, says the Education Authority's roughly 20 per cent school meal price rise will hit struggling families hard, adding £92.50 per child over a 185-day year. He will write to the Education Minister seeking an explanation and urging reversal.
Education Economy and employment Issue: Education Authority school dinner price increase announcement Original release: Burrows Warns School Meal Price Rise Will Hit Struggling Families (opens in a new tab)
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Education cuts the result of years of financial mismanagement – Sheehan
Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan blames years of weak financial management by successive DUP Education Ministers for current education budget pressures, pointing to planned school meal price rises and possible higher music service charges, and says Audit Office warnings about the Education Authority have…
Education Public finance and taxation Issue: School meals price rise and proposed music service charges Original release: Education cuts the result of years of financial mismanagement – Sheehan (opens in a new tab)
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Too many schools are being failed by successive DUP Ministers – Sheehan
Sinn Féin's Sheehan says a Public Accounts Committee report on the schools estate is alarming, blaming successive DUP education ministers for an £800 million maintenance backlog. He calls on the Department and Education Authority to deliver the promised estate strategy in early 2026 and urges…
Education Public finance and taxation Issue: Public Accounts Committee report on schools estate maintenance backlog Original release: Too many schools are being failed by successive DUP Ministers – Sheehan (opens in a new tab)
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Hunter: £800m school repairs scandal exposes total failure of leadership
SDLP Opposition Education Spokesperson Cara Hunter MLA says a Public Accounts Committee report on the schools estate, chaired by SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan, shows serious shortcomings at the Department of Education and Education Authority. She calls on the Education Minister to act now on the…
Education Issue: Public Accounts Committee report on schools estate maintenance backlog Original release: Hunter: £800m school repairs scandal exposes total failure of leadership (opens in a new tab)
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School dilapidation result of years of systemic failure to strategically invest in education, says Mathison
Alliance Education spokesperson Nick Mathison MLA says school dilapidation stems from years of neglect of the school estate by the education department and past ministers, who he claims avoided difficult decisions on reform. Event label applies to the dilapidation issue as a whole.
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Education Minister not prioritising children’s rights protections, says Guy
Alliance's Michelle Guy MLA calls on the Education Minister to clarify whether the Department is backing away from commitments on restraint and seclusion in schools, after NICCY and the Children's Law Centre withdrew from its Restraint and Seclusion Task and Finish Group. She also calls for repeal…
Education Issue: NICCY and Children's Law Centre withdrawal from restraint and seclusion task and finish group Original release: Education Minister not prioritising children’s rights protections, says Guy (opens in a new tab)
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Hunter: Education Minister’s exams reform risks leaving young people worse off
SDLP Opposition Education Spokesperson Cara Hunter MLA warns that the Education Minister’s plan to overhaul GCSE and A‑Level exams could leave pupils worse off, criticising the shift to end‑of‑year A‑Level exams, reduced subject flexibility and uncertain university recognition, and calls for a clear
Education Issue: Education Minister's exam reform proposal Original release: Hunter: Education Minister’s exams reform risks leaving young people worse off (opens in a new tab)