AQW 25032/17-22

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 02/11/2021
Answered On Date: 10/11/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education (i) why schools are not allowing their school halls in rural areas to be open for access to sports clubs and community organisations in the evenings; and (ii) when those halls will return to the full community use that they were developed to provide.

Answer:

The use of school premises may proceed on the same basis as the NI Executive’s guidance for non-domestic outdoor and indoor gatherings in other sectors. However, each individual school has responsibility for deciding whether external community groups can use their facilities. This is appropriate given the wide variety of environments and user groups that are involved.

It is the aim of the Department of Education to maximise the use of the schools estate for the benefit of local communities, encouraging and supporting schools to provide wider access to school facilities including school halls, where possible, primarily outside of normal school hours. However, the Department cannot require schools to open premises to third parties. Decisions relating to the use of school premises ultimately rest with an individual school’s Board of Governors.