Head accuses minister of 'failing our children'

In his annual prize-giving speech Kieran Mulvenna accused the Sinn Fein representative of “failing our children”.

Addressing an audience of parents, pupils, governors and teachers on Tuesday night, the headmaster spoke of the “abject chaos over which our current Minister for Education presides and which her party has created, chaos which already beleaguered schools are left to sort out, and families are left to endure”.

Reviewing his first 12 months at the helm, Mr Mulvenna continued: “Yes, it is pleasing that thanks to the wisdom and commitment of its outstanding governors this school has safely navigated through uncharted and choppy waters; yes, it is a relief that thanks to the unswerving professionalism of my colleagues in the primary sector families in Carrickfergus have received an excellent level of child-centred support; and yes, it is reassuring that through the dogged refusal of grammar schools to allow academic excellence to disappear into a vacuum an organisation such as AQE has come into being; but, ladies and gentlemen, mothers and fathers, grandparents, it is unforgivable that our P6 and P7 children should be held hostage to the stubborn ideology of a politician who cannot accomplish her own aims in law and blames and berates others for her failings.

“It was Bismarck who said, ‘Politics is the art of the possible’. Ms Ruane, you are a politician, not an educationalist. You are entitled to your ideals, but if you cannot make them politically possible then I suggest that it is you who is failing, not schools: but worst of all, you are failing our children.”

Among the guests were Dr Michael Ryan CBE, Vice President and General Manager of Bombardier Aerospace and Shane McCurdy, the new Chief Executive of the North Eastern Education and Library Board. They heard about an uprecedented year of educational attainment at the North Road establishment

“Our A-level results this year ranked amongst the best in the history of the school, with 23 of our 24 subjects achieving a 100% pass-rate,” said Mr Mulvenna.

The Principal went on to pay tribute to the school’s partners in the Carrickfergus Learning Community for the opportunities it provides.

“Carrickfergus Learning Community continues to offer a broad menu of A level courses which simply could not be provided by one school alone. 16% of our pupils availed of this option, and the fact that all of them achieved A-C grades just goes to show that CLC does what it says on the tin. As its Chairperson for the second year running I shall continue to work with the Principals of Carrickfergus College, Downshire Community School and Ulidia Integrated College to ensure that the young people of our Borough, and of this school in particular, have full access to the range of vocational and academic qualifications that they deserve. “