Delivering Social Change

Part of Oral Answers to Questions – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 1:15 pm on 19 May 2014.

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Photo of Jonathan Bell Jonathan Bell DUP 1:15, 19 May 2014

If a child has the best educational start in life, not only can they lift themselves out of poverty but, often, they can have a significant impact on their family.  The key part of that is literacy and numeracy.  We specifically targeted young people who were experiencing difficulty and falling just below the mark in literacy and numeracy.  As a result of a programme in literacy and numeracy, over 223 teachers are now in post, providing additional teaching support to children and young people who are most at risk of underachieving in English and maths at critical stages of their education. 

The signature programme also provides recently graduated teachers with valuable experience.  Benefiting from that programme are 125 primary schools and 142 post-primary schools, including 61 controlled primary schools and 52 controlled post-primary schools.  It is encouraging that schools are already beginning to see a positive impact from that initiative.  They are seeing increased pupil confidence and pupils progressing and improving.  That is already evident within that specific target group.  The most encouraging thing that I have seen is an increase in scores in sample questions.  Attainment of a grade C in maths in the January 2014 examination showed progress and improvement.  The additional teaching and input is working, and we hope that that flows through to the exams that those young people take later in life.