Paul Givan

Paul Givan had faced criticism over his visit to the school in an Israeli settlement called Ramot Alon on the northern edge of Jerusalem

DUP minister Paul Givan ‘did not breach ministerial code’ over Israel trip

The Education (Holiday Meal Payments) Bill requires that the 90,000 children in Northern Ireland in receipt of free schools meals receive financial help during the holidays, including summer, Christmas, Halloween and half-term breaks.

MLAs back holiday hunger Bill for 90,000 NI children which could cost £20m

Education Minister Paul Givan said he is “concerned” about the impact of the measures on families.

School meals ‘not a luxury’, watchdog warns, as prices set to increase

Undoubtedly, this has been a difficult few years for unionism, writes Paul Givan

Paul Givan: ‘Time all shades of unionism acted with their head’

Jeffrey Donaldson and Paul Givan at an earlier count centre in Newtownabbey

Givan: ‘Utterly betrayed’ by Donaldson after sharing office

Screen grab from the NI Assembly of the Head of the NI Civil Service, Jayne Brady, giving evidence to the Education Committee at Stormont. Picture date: Wednesday November 4, 2026. PA Photo.

Brady unable to ‘override’ minister blocking officials giving committee evidence

Education Minister Paul Givan at Roddensvale School with principal, John Madden MBE, BEM,; co-principal Heather Stewart and chair of the board of governors, Maeve Maxwell. Photo provided by Department of Education.

'Exciting milestone for Roddensvale' as new building confirmed for school

Education Minister Paul Givan MLA speaking to the media about the proposed Education Inspections Bill in the Great Hall at Parliament Buildings, Stormont. Picture date: Monday June 1, 2026.

Budget negotiations entering ‘no-deal territory’, Paul Givan warns

Teachers in Northern Ireland are to start industrial action over excessive workloads. Photo: PA Wire

Hammer out teacher deal before dispute hits children's educations: UUP

Stormont is funded fairly but has chosen to spend money for things which we can’t sustain

Letter: Unionist politicians must end begging bowl mentality

Teachers in Northern Ireland are to start industrial action over excessive workload

Northern Ireland teachers to start industrial action over excessive workload

With high stakes at the next election, the DUP 'needs to win' - Robinson

Schools must alter uniform policies to give girls the choice of wearing skirts or trousers.

Uniform change for girls 'attack on the independence of Christian schools'

New guidelines give girls the right to wear trousers in school – Givan

Paul Caskey, Chief Executive of the Integrated Education Fund (IEF), said it was 'extremely disappointed" for the four schools who were refused integrated status.

Schools ‘disappointed' Givan turned down integrated education bids

Stormont's Education Minister Paul Givan says changes to rules on nursery places will be fairer to working families. Photo: Claudia Savage/PA Wire

DUP education minister removes nursery priority for benefits claimants
Stormont’s education minister has effectively ended preferential access to nurseries for parents claiming benefits – arguing that the way the system has been operating was discriminating against working families.
David Thompson

Education Minister Paul Givan joins Principal Dr Michelle Rainey, Head Girl Maisie and Head Boy Adam at Ballyclare High School to announce that three post-primary school projects are moving forward to the design and planning stage

Three post-primary school projects to advance to design and planning stage

Teachers in Northern Ireland have voted to take industrial action over workloads

Teachers in Northern Ireland back industrial action over workloads

Education Minister Paul Givan

Integrated education campaigners have lost their way, Paul Givan says

A consultation has been launched on plans which could ban mobile phones from schools in Northern Ireland.

Consultation launched on plans to ban mobile phones in schools

Education Minister Paul Givan has noted that Northern Ireland continues to outperform the rest of the UK in GCSE results. Picture date: Thursday August 13, 2026.

Minister: ‘Northern Ireland's GCSE results are still best in UK’

Stormont Education Minister Paul Givan speaks with students collecting their GCSE results at Dromore High School in Dromore.

Stormont education minister raises concern over ‘persistent’ GCSE gender gap

Stormont Education Minister Paul Givan speaks to the media after meeting with students collecting their GCSE results at Dromore High School in Dromore, Co Down

Nationalists salivating over unionist difficulties, says Paul Givan

Councillor Cathal King.

Heart felt family account leads to SEN pilot

There had been complaints about the lack of places for SEN children in the Province (photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Reduction in number of SEN children still waiting for school place in September

DUP Education Minister Paul Givan speaks to the media at Friends’ School in Lisburn yesterday

Wheels coming off Sinn Fein messaging says Paul Givan

CCEA Chief Executive Gerry Campbell ( blue shirt) pictured with Ballymena Academy principal Stephen Black ( white shirt), along with pupils Kathryn Duddy, Simon Kennedy, Matthew McClearn and Katie Allen during a school visit to Ballymena Academy to celebrate with this year's students receiving AS and A level results

Rise in number of top grades awarded in A-levels in Northern Ireland
The provisional figures show that 30.7% of students received a grade A or above, compared with 30.3% in 2025.
By Jonathan McCambridge, Press Association

In November 2025, the UK Supreme Court ruled that the exclusively Christian religious education (RE) and collective worship in Northern Ireland's state-controlled schools were discriminatory and breached human rights

Philip Barnes: Proposed new primary RE syllabus raises many questions

Education Minister Paul Givan says parental choice will take priority under new plans. Pic Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Givan says school funding reforms will boost parental choice

Education Minister Paul Givan, Down High School Principal Maud Perry and pupils outside the new school campus in Downpatrick

Education Minister celebrates official opening of new Down High School

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson arriving at Newry Crown Court on Monday June 22, 2026. Later that day, he was was convicted of 18 sex offences, including one count of rape – against two women when they were children

‘No inkling’ of Donaldson’s abusive behaviour prior to arrest, says DUP minister

Education Minister Paul Givan has spoken about his department, which funds the EA, facing a “severe funding crisis”.

Deterioration and £800m maintenance backlog ‘could lead to school closures’

Paul Givan speaking in the Assembly this afternoon as the debate resumed on raising the age of criminal responsibility

'Nationalist/Alliance coalition wants to over-ride unionists by simple majority'

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Burrows denies ‘grubby deal’ to block increase to age of criminal responsibility

Northern Ireland Education Minister Paul Givan addresses the media in the Great Hall at Stormont regarding Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's newly announced measures to protect children online. Under-16s will be banned from a range of social media and the Government will take "world leading" action on gaming and live streaming platforms so strangers will not be able to contact children. Picture: Liam McBurney, PA Wire

O’Neill questions timing of social media ban for under-16s

Chris Quinn, NI Children’s commissioner

Children’s tsar condemns violent scenes as ‘profoundly damaging’ to young people

Teachers' unions are to poll their members over summer, asking them to vote on industrial action. Photo: Ben Birchall/PA Wire

Teachers to vote on industrial action: 'Every avenue exhausted', say unions

Morning View

Editorial: SF helping to block school inspections in NI

NI education minister Paul Givan said Sinn Fein had previously assented to the bill

DUP accuses Sinn Fein of 'spectacle' in their criticism of education bill

DUP leader Gavin Robsin said he met Prime Minister Sir Keir Stamer and made it clear that Northern Ireland must be funded fairly. Pictured is the pair during a recent meeting at the Culloden Hotel, Co. Down, in March.

DUP presses Chancellor for ‘better financial settlement’ for NI

The report found that demand for integrated education is present but uneven and that pressures are concentrated in a relatively small number of schools.

Demand for officially integrated schools ‘varies’ across NI – report

In November 2025, the UK Supreme Court ruled that the exclusively Christian religious education (RE) and collective worship in Northern Ireland's state-controlled schools were discriminatory and breached human rights

David Armstrong: RE ruling to hit Protestant teaching more than Catholic

Education Minister Paul Givan pictured with principal Neil McAllister and pupils Jude and Rose at Fairview Primary School, where he announced new building work for 13 schools

Education minister announces school building projects: full list

AI is to be deployed to cut teacher workloads (photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Department for Education investing £10m in AI to cut teachers' workloads

Paul Givan has approved the drawing up of the three sets of plans

Green light to draw up three sets of special school blueprints in Belfast

DUP minister Paul Givan said education proposals have taken an “exorbitant amount of time” to overcome “minor issues” in coming to the assembly chamber. Picture: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Sinn Fein ‘not serious’ about Stormont reform, says Paul Givan

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Northern Ireland Communities Minister Gordon Lyons during the Friends of Ireland luncheon at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, as part of a visit to the US for St Patrick's Day. Picture date: Tuesday March 17, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire

£40,000 St Patrick’s Day trip to US ‘worthwhile’, says Lyons

DUP leader Gavin Robinson. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

DUP slams 'gesture politics' for headlines and social media clips

Stormont's Education Minister Paul Givan

Statutory assessments planned for pupils from primary to Key Stage 3

Children at Taylorstown Cross-Community Pre-School at Toomebridge – its treasurer says its future has been placed in doubt

Pre-school one of many fearing closure after new EA funding policy

There's not enough information about Northern Ireland school pupils below GCSE age to guarantee they're getting quality education, officials have concluded. Photo: arrowsmith2 - stock.adobe.com

No guarantee under-14s get quality schooling, and SEN checks undermined - report

MLAs told a recalled Assembly that the U-turn on the withdrawal of summer schemes was emblematic of 'Executive chaos'

Givan and Nesbitt apologise to families over summer scheme U-turn ‘distress’

Education Minister Paul Givan said some politicians were looking to “exploit” the issue and accused Sinn Fein of “using children to pursue their vendetta” against Israel and Donald Trump.

MLAs hit out at ‘Executive chaos’ after U-turn on special school summer schemes

Special school summer schemes will go ahead this year after public and political backlash to the announcement made earlier this week.

Special school summer schemes will go ahead following backlash

Education Minister Paul Givan has confirmed he has asked for a decision to cancel summer schemes at special schools in Northern Ireland to be revisited.

Givan asks for cancellation of special school summer schemes to be ‘revisited’

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