Dr Alasdair McDonnell

Dr. ALASDAIR McDONNELL MP. 

Alasdair at a glance:

As well as being a prominent politician Dr Alasdair McDonnell continues to work, when time permits, as a part-time family doctor in the Ormeau Road.

Alasdair grew up as the eldest child, in a large farming family, in Glenariffe near Cushendall in the Glens of Antrim, went to school in Garron Tower and then medical school in University College Dublin.

Alasdair’s main political interest’s include; The National Health Service; Developing a better Education System and rebuilding the Economy. As a Belfast Councillor in the 1990’s Alasdair was a key driver for Urban reconstruction and Economic Development. He has served as a director of Laganside Development Corporation and as a member of the Assembly Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee and he continues to spearhead a number of economic regeneration projects across Belfast.

He currently serves on the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee in The House of Commons.

Alasdair McDonnell (Social Democratic and Labour Party) Link to this

I welcome the opportunity to debate this issue, and I thank the Minister for attending today. We could all achieve positive outcomes as a result of debates such as this.

In recent months, I have been engaged in a specific outreach programme with all primary schools across South Belfast; I visited most of the schools and had lengthy and frank discussions with principals, teachers and support staff. I witnessed at first hand the deep passion that principals, teachers and support staff have for the job in hand and also their unswerving dedication and commitment to their profession and to the pupils whom they teach.

I brought the issue to the House today, because many teachers are being put under increasingly tremendous pressure; however, I do not blame anyone in particular for that. Some of that pressure is historic, and I am not for one moment accusing the Minister, lest it appear that way, as she has been in position for only a year or 15 months. I am merely bringing those issues to her attention. Much of the pressure is historic and has been around for years as a result of inadequate support from us, as public representatives, from education and library boards and from the Department. Nevertheless, staff in many primary schools are being forced to work under very difficult and trying circumstances.

I thank the principals of Botanic Primary School, St Bernard’s Primary School and Rosetta Primary School for taking the time to be with us to listen to the debate. I apologise if I have missed anyone out.

Every school has specific issues, which I do not intend to go into in any great detail today; however, there are common issues of concern that unite many primary schools across south Belfast. I will follow up on the details of those issues with the Minister in due course, but I do not wish to enter into undue discussion on them today.

It is no secret that each principal, teacher and parent to whom I have spoken is deeply anxious about the lack of certainty around the transfer procedure, but I do not want to get into that debate at any length. However, I wish to raise the biggest issue — underfunding. Time and again, people have raised with me the issue of the age-weighted pupil unit. Pupils in primary schools in Britain have a much better funding ratio compared with secondary schools, which places many principals under considerable pressure. We discussed the matter in the Assembly before the summer recess, and we will come back to it, but I urge the Minister to relieve some of that tight financial pressure if possible. The demands placed on principals and teachers are ever growing, yet the funding, resources and support levels seem to be shrinking. The reality — and I have seen it for myself — is that an increasing number of primary schools have been forced to rely on private fundraising efforts by parents to ensure their survival and to ensure that they can maintain the standards that they have built up over many years.

Rocketing energy costs are a big issue, and schools are being placed in a frightful position. Electricity bills have more than doubled in the past year, and oil and gas prices have risen dramatically. Some primary schools are paying up to £1,000 on heating bills alone. I know that the Minister has made a bid to the Department of Finance and Personnel, but we must find a mechanism to get money released to pay those fuel bills. School principals have had to divert money away from staff and other much-needed resources just to meet their fuel bills, and they need that financial support now.

There is a lack of resources to help the growing number of children with special needs. That increase in numbers is happening in every school in South Belfast. Early intervention is best practice worldwide, yet the heightened criteria for reading units means that some children have to wait years for admission.

The statementing process is another cause for concern. According to the Department’s figures, statementing costs £3,000 a child. I urge the Minister to simplify the overly bureaucratic and costly statementing process. It is not beyond the wit of man to come up with a simpler — yet every bit as effective — process that could achieve the same ends.

The increasing number of immigrant children is a big issue for many schools in South Belfast, and presents massive challenges to school principals. In Botanic Primary School, for example, 29 different mother tongues are spoken. In other words, there are children from 29 different countries across the world in that school. Children from 25 or 26 different countries attend Fane Street Primary School. Without extra support for teaching English, that is a difficult situation for teachers to operate in and meet their vocational commitment to teaching and supporting those children.

Child protection is also an important issue. We must have a cohesive cross-departmental strategy between the areas of education and health in order to assist schools such as Botanic Primary School and Fane Street Primary School. In many respects, they hit a brick wall when it comes to obtaining help and support. The principal of Botanic Primary School told me that children were arriving at the school — some of whom were 11 years of age — who had never been to school before. That causes massive disruption. The teachers are compelled to try to meet the needs of those children. How can they meet the needs of an 11-year-old Romanian child who has never been to school and balance that with the needs of the other 11-year-olds?

There are other challenges that concern me. Many children across South Belfast are sitting in schools that are not fit for purpose. Building and redeveloping schools, providing new schools and amalgamating others are serious issues. Taughmonagh Primary School, St Anne’s Primary School, St Bride’s Primary School and St Bernard’s Primary School are all eagerly awaiting promised newbuilds, but they still have no idea when the building will start because of an excruciatingly slow decision-making process.

I am aware that there are staff and skills shortages in the Department’s development and infrastructure division, but we must find ways, through private finance or other means, to provide those newbuild projects. It is not acceptable for children to sit in substandard schools that are long past their sell-by date. We must do whatever is necessary to procure decent accommodation that is fit for purpose — that children can be taught in. We must put the required procurement arrangements in place.

Not only are the newbuild projects that have been committed for several schools not going ahead, basic levels of repair and maintenance are not being sustained. I could give Belvoir Park Primary School as an example. The annual maintenance budgets that are allocated to the Belfast Education and Library Board and the South Eastern Education and Library Board — both of which bite into South Belfast — lag so far behind the level of need and demand that the schools that are covered by those boards are never reached. Given that the amount of money that is available never matches need, schools can wait for years before basic maintenance and repairs are carried out. In many cases, those schools are unhealthy, unsafe and unfit for human habitation.

In light of the current economic climate, now would be a good time to perhaps make some cost-effective investments in the schools estate and to release funding in order to break open and initiate some of the projects that have been planned. We have a dramatic opportunity to consider amalgamations. Without wishing to be prescriptive, I know that there is a need for some kind of amalgamation in the catchment areas of Rosetta, Newtownbreda and Knockbreda Primary Schools. I know that the primary schools in Sandy Row, Donegall Road and Fane Street are crying out for a single new school that would cover all three existing schools. As well as giving a much-needed boost to the education system, such a move would help the construction industry and open up opportunities for that industry at this very difficult time.

Education, I admit, is difficult and challenging at the best of times. The current debate and crisis on selection adds to the problems, but that issue will have to be dealt with in due course. I therefore urge the Minister to do what she can as soon as possible to get that sorted out. However, many of the other problems that I have discussed could be eased with some repairs, amalgamations and new building as well as support for immigrant children and for those with special needs. Action is also necessary. As I said earlier, although I do not blame the Minister for the dysfunctional Department that she has inherited, there is a need to ensure that that Department has a mechanism to approve the building of a school. I have been involved in the redevelopment of Taughmonagh Primary School, resources for which were promised some two or three years ago and on which no progress has been made.

On this occasion, if the Minister can get things moving to ensure that the schools are built, we should be rallying around her and supporting her. I am sure that the issues that I have mentioned in relation to South Belfast apply to constituencies and schools right across the country. It breaks my heart to see schools that are not fit for purpose, with toilets that are dysfunctional and that are a health and safety risk. The issue must be tackled, and it must be tackled soon.

I am delighted that the Health Minister is also present, as certain issues are cross-cutting and within the remit of both Departments. I plead with both Ministers to ensure that the education system is made a priority both in the Chamber and by the Executive. It must be made a priority because my heart bleeds when I see the circumstances in which some children have to survive.