The Future of Movilla High School

Part of Adjournment – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 7:15 pm on 25 October 2016.

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Photo of Chris Lyttle Chris Lyttle Alliance 7:15, 25 October 2016

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the topic this evening. I offer apologies on behalf of my colleague Kellie Armstrong, the Alliance Strangford MLA, who regrets that she is unable to be here this evening. As Alliance spokesperson for education, I am glad to contribute to the debate.

Alliance has a vision for a first-class integrated education system that supports equality of opportunity for everyone to reach their potential. That includes the children and young people of Movilla High School in Newtownards. The Education Minister recently set out his priorities for area planning in 'Providing Pathways: Draft Strategic Area Plan for School Provision 2017-2020'. That should create opportunity for innovative and sustainable provision not only in Ards and the north Down area but across the whole school estate. It is, however, vital that local communities are involved in and listened to about what happens with education provision in their area. This evening has been a good opportunity for governors, elected representatives and all stakeholders involved in Movilla High School to put their views forward on the school and Newtownards.

We need proposals that are imaginative and put the needs of pupils at the centre of consideration, if the future of the school system in Northern Ireland is to be underpinned by an evidence-based plan and inclusive community consultation. The Minister himself has said:

"the status quo is not an option." — [Official Report (Hansard), 17 October 2016, p43, col 2].

We need to see innovative solutions in 'Providing Pathways'. The Education Authority will develop proposals to address school provision where sustainability is an issue. Alliance believes that funding should be directed to the pupil, that pupil needs must come first and that it must give children the best educational opportunities, provision and infrastructure possible. There are, I believe, six controlled post-primary schools in Ards and north Down, and Movilla High School is the only post-primary non-selective school in Newtownards. The Education Authority, therefore, has the ability to look at its existing school estate to consider an innovative way to ensure that appropriate education provision can continue in the best possible form available for children and young people in the area and in the right place, which may be across more than one campus.

Movilla High School has, as mentioned, faced challenges, but it has unique circumstances to overcome. It has a higher than average number of children in receipt of free school meals, a significant number of pupils with special educational needs and accommodation that is in need of investment and improvement. However, I join colleagues in welcoming the improvements and the progress that have been made, and I, of course, join them in congratulating everyone at Movilla High School on the best GCSE results it has had in its history. I welcome the leadership being shown by Jack Hawthorne, Mr Bell and the vice-principal, Simon Lemon, who says that the results are evidence that the changes that have been introduced are indeed bearing fruit.

It is, therefore, imperative that the Education Authority works to consider an innovative alternative solution to generate a sustainable, effective and non-selective post-primary solution that meets the needs of pupils and enables the local provision of suitable education to continue in the Newtownards area. I encourage the Minister to work with the Education Authority and all stakeholders to ensure that a proper plan for provision for children and young people in the area is put in place.

In closing, it is impossible not to note with concern a pattern of potential closures of controlled non-selective post-primary schools, and the Assembly is required and entitled to ask why that is occurring and to look for solutions. I welcome the fact that the Education Committee is undertaking an inquiry into educational underachievement, with a look at post-primary transfer as well. Hopefully, we will be able to make a mature contribution to some of these issues.