AQW 27840/22-27

Mrs Michelle Guy
Alliance Party
Lagan Valley

Tabled Date: 28/05/2025
Answered On Date: 02/06/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education to list the actions which have been taken by the task and finish group set up to address the recommendations from the Education and Training Inspectorate's thematic evaluation of physical education provision in primary schools.

Answer:

The Strategic Review of the Northern Ireland Curriculum is nearing completion, with the report expected to be published in the coming days. The Review’s report will set out the core principles for curriculum re-design as well as detail any subject or phase specific issues that need to be addressed. I have already signalled my intention to establish a Curriculum Taskforce to lead on this work. Further detail on the Taskforce and programme of reform will be provided following consideration of the Review’s report. The Education and Training Inspectorate's (ETI) thematic evaluation will inform this work.

In the meantime, as a result of a Task and Finish Group, three primary schools have been identified as examples of effective Physical Education (PE) practice: St John the Baptist, Pond Park and Fourtowns. My Department, in collaboration with the Education Authority (EA), has produced video interview clips of the PE co-ordinators from these schools that will soon be published on the EA’s Supporting Learning website. These interviews provide guidance and examples of effective practice for schools and teachers seeking to enhance their delivery of PE, covering a number of the areas of development highlighted in the ETI report.