Pupils missing out on key socialising due to 'unsafe' building

For many schools, the assembly hall is the heart of the building and the site of many core memories for children - it's where they meet at break, perform plays, and where PE classes are often held.

But for pupils at Rosetta Primary School in Belfast, none of this is true as their assembly hall roof is being held up by steel props and is unsafe for use.

"My kids don't know what it's like to have that communal environment within school and that feels like a real loss because, based on the current timeline, they might never know," said parent Charlene Hegarty.

The Education Authority (EA) said the roof repair project is being "prioritised and we are working to deliver it as quickly as possible".

The Department of Education (DE) has also been contacted by BBC News NI.

The assembly hall has been out of use for the entire duration of Hegarty's two children's time at the school.

"Anyone who thinks about their school life would remember the school hall," she added.

"It's where you have your plays, it's where you have your assemblies, it's where you mix with your year groups and it's where you most importantly do your physical education."

The governors of Rosetta Primary School have said they have "serious concerns" about the state of the school building.

In a letter to Education Minister Paul Givan and the EA, they said the problem was first highlighted nine years ago.

The Belfast school has more than 300 pupils but many have never set foot in the assembly hall, and, according to Principal Donal McGarrigle, many never will.

He echoed parents' concerns that they were missing out on key social interactions.

"Because we haven't had a school hall we're not able to meet those legal statutory requirements for PE," he said.

"On top of that we're not able to have school gatherings together, collective gatherings to celebrate success and achievements through assemblies."

He said it was frustrating that it has been nine years since safety concerns were first highlighted.

"We were promised in January of this year that a report on the next steps for our school hall would be provided to us. We're still waiting on that," he said.

"As a school leadership team, we've persistently sought answers and escalated concerns appropriately.

"We've co-operated fully with every request that's been made, but we feel there is a failure of strategic leadership and a lack of transparency in how decisions are being made, ultimately impacting our school and others as well."

Elaine Campbell, who chairs the school's board of governors, said the education minister and political representatives had visited the premises and acknowledged that the current state of the hall was "untenable".

"This has moved from a temporary problem to what looks like a permanent failure," she added.

"A school is a community. It's more than bricks and mortar, but we have to have the bricks and mortar to provide a safe community for our students.

"We know that we are not really meeting the full statutory requirements for physical education and assembly.

"The staff are constantly trying to work around, the board of governors are constantly trying to make sure that we are looking out for safety, and we feel like we are hitting a proverbial brick wall at every stage."

The letter from the school's governors said despite "extensive engagement" with the EA, site visits and "repeated assurances", Rosetta still does not have a "clear or comprehensive plan outlining how and when these issues will be resolved".

"Deadlines for responses have been repeatedly missed, communications have been inconsistent, and essential reports have been subject to delay after delay," it added.

"The school leadership has persistently sought answers, escalated concerns appropriately, and cooperated fully with every request made.

"However, the lack of decisive action, coupled with prolonged uncertainty, has placed unacceptable strain on the school's ability to operate safely and effectively."

The governors' letter called the situation "unsustainable," and called for a time-bound plan for remedial works to the roof to be carried out.

A spokesperson for the EA said they understood the frustrations of Rosetta Primary School and "of all schools requiring repair works".

They also highlighted the "funding pressures on education and the extensive school maintenance backlog".

The spokesperson added that due to the age of the school building and "anticipated complexity of work", the EA has appointed an external architect-led design team to complete a detailed condition survey.

This will then lead to a costed works report to fully inform the extent of the repair work before a "planning application will be submitted and pre-procurement activity will commence".

Pupils at a primary school in Londonderry recently had to move to another school due to the state of their school roof.

The principal of Nazareth House Primary School Róisín Blackery said the school had raised concerns about the roof for a number of years.

In 2025, a report by an assembly committee said that many schools in Northern Ireland were "in a state of disrepair," and it would take up to £800m to fix them.