Motion

Failure of RAISE Programme in Tackling Educational Underachievement

Motion TitleFailure of RAISE Programme in Tackling Educational Underachievement

Motion TextThat this Assembly recognises that socio-economic background is the biggest predictor of educational underachievement; acknowledges that a range of targeted interventions across government are required to tackle the issue and give children and young people the opportunity to reach their potential; welcomes the allocation of over £20 million from the Shared Island fund to help tackle educational underachievement; regrets that the resulting RAISE programme’s eligibility formula excludes many schools in some of the most deprived working class communities; further regrets that, by design, this programme will not deliver based on objective need; and calls on the Minister of Education to replace the RAISE programme with a new programme which will target support to the schools and children that, based on objective evidence, need it most.

Motion CategoryPrivate Members' Motion

Date Tabled to Business Office15/10/2024

Date Selected By Committee15/10/2024

Date of Plenary Debate05/11/2024

View Official Report

Tabled By

Member Name	Tabled As
Mr Pat Sheehan	MLA - West Belfast
Mrs Cathy Mason	MLA - South Down
Mr Danny Baker	MLA - West Belfast
Mr Pádraig Delargy	MLA - Foyle

Bills

Outcome/Voting

68 Members voted

46 Members voted AYE

22 Members voted NO

The Motion, As Amended, Was Carried, Simple Majority Lobby Division

MLA Name	Designation	Voted
Mr Andy Allen MBE	Unionist	AYE
Dr Caoimhe Archibald	Nationalist	AYE
Ms Diana Armstrong	Unionist	AYE
Ms Kellie Armstrong	Other	AYE
Mr Danny Baker	Nationalist	AYE
Mr Cathal Boylan	Nationalist	AYE
Mr Maurice Bradley	Unionist	NO
Ms Paula Bradshaw	Other	AYE
Mr Phillip Brett	Unionist	NO
Miss Nicola Brogan	Nationalist	AYE
Ms Cheryl Brownlee	Unionist	NO
Mr Keith Buchanan	Unionist	NO
Mr Tom Buchanan	Unionist	NO
Ms Joanne Bunting	Unionist	NO
Mr Robbie Butler	Unionist	AYE
Mrs Pam Cameron	Unionist	NO
Mr Gerry Carroll	Other	AYE
Mr Alan Chambers	Unionist	AYE
Mr Trevor Clarke	Unionist	NO
Mr Colin Crawford	Unionist	AYE
Mr Pádraig Delargy	Nationalist	AYE
Mr Stewart Dickson	Other	AYE
Mrs Linda Dillon	Nationalist	AYE
Miss Jemma Dolan	Nationalist	AYE
Mr Danny Donnelly	Other	AYE
Mr Stephen Dunne	Unionist	NO
Ms Connie Egan	Other	AYE
Mrs Sinéad Ennis	Nationalist	AYE
Mrs Deborah Erskine	Unionist	NO
Mrs Ciara Ferguson	Nationalist	AYE
Miss Órlaithí Flynn	Nationalist	AYE
Ms Diane Forsythe	Unionist	NO
Mr Paul Frew	Unionist	NO
Mr Timothy Gaston	Unionist	NO
Mr Colm Gildernew	Nationalist	AYE
Mr Paul Givan	Unionist	NO
Miss Deirdre Hargey	Nationalist	AYE
Mr Harry Harvey	Unionist	NO
Mr David Honeyford	Other	AYE
Ms Cara Hunter	Nationalist	AYE
Mr William Irwin	Unionist	NO
Mr Declan Kearney	Nationalist	AYE
Mr Gerry Kelly	Nationalist	AYE
Ms Liz Kimmins	Nationalist	AYE
Mr Brian Kingston	Unionist	NO
Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly	Unionist	NO
Mr Gordon Lyons	Unionist	NO
Mr Declan McAleer	Nationalist	AYE
Miss Nuala McAllister	Other	AYE
Mr Daniel McCrossan	Nationalist	AYE
Mr Patsy McGlone	Nationalist	AYE
Mr Colin McGrath	Nationalist	AYE
Mr Maolíosa McHugh	Nationalist	AYE
Miss Michelle McIlveen	Unionist	NO
Ms Sinéad McLaughlin	Nationalist	AYE
Mr Andrew McMurray	Other	AYE
Mr Justin McNulty	Nationalist	AYE
Mr Peter Martin	Unionist	NO
Mrs Cathy Mason	Nationalist	AYE
Mr Nick Mathison	Other	AYE
Ms Sian Mulholland	Other	AYE
Ms Carál Ní Chuilín	Nationalist	AYE
Mr John O'Dowd	Nationalist	AYE
Ms Michelle O'Neill	Nationalist	AYE
Mr Matthew O'Toole	Nationalist	AYE
Ms Aisling Reilly	Nationalist	AYE
Mr Alan Robinson	Unionist	NO
Mr Pat Sheehan	Nationalist	AYE

Amendments

Selected Amendments

Number	Tabled Date	Amendment Text
1	24/10/2024	Leave out all after ‘further regrets that’ and insert: ‘this programme may not deliver based on objective need; calls on the Minister of Education to urgently review the criteria for the targeting of the RAISE programme to ensure that funding is directed to the children and young people most impacted by the effects of socio-economic deprivation and experiencing the highest levels of educational underachievement, based on objective need; and further calls on the Minister to update the Committee for Education and the Assembly on the actions the Department is taking to alleviate concerns and ensure the integrity of the programme.’

Other Amendments Tabled

Tabled Date	Amendment Text
23/10/2024	Leave out all after ‘background’ and insert: ‘is often a significant predictor of educational underachievement; notes the high levels of additional per pupil funding provided to schools through the Common Funding Scheme to specifically target socio-economic disadvantage; acknowledges that a range of targeted interventions across government are required to give children and young people the opportunity to reach their potential; welcomes the allocation of over £20 million from the Shared Island fund to help tackle educational underachievement; further notes the conclusion of the Independent Review of Education Panel in their December 2023 report, that some schools with very high levels of disadvantage achieve excellent outcomes; highlights that the RAISE programme is designed to complement existing interventions and therefore focuses primarily on educational underachievement; further welcomes the fact that communities from right across Northern Ireland will benefit from the programme; regrets the absence of any system wide data at Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 to better inform where the greatest educational disadvantage exists; and calls on the Minister of Education to implement the RAISE programme in a way which targets support to the children that, based on objective evidence, need it most.’

Tabled Date

Amendment Text

23/10/2024

Leave out all after ‘background’ and insert: ‘is often a significant predictor of educational underachievement; notes the high levels of additional per pupil funding provided to schools through the Common Funding Scheme to specifically target socio-economic disadvantage; acknowledges that a range of targeted interventions across government are required to give children and young people the opportunity to reach their potential; welcomes the allocation of over £20 million from the Shared Island fund to help tackle educational underachievement; further notes the conclusion of the Independent Review of Education Panel in their December 2023 report, that some schools with very high levels of disadvantage achieve excellent outcomes; highlights that the RAISE programme is designed to complement existing interventions and therefore focuses primarily on educational underachievement; further welcomes the fact that communities from right across Northern Ireland will benefit from the programme; regrets the absence of any system wide data at Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 to better inform where the greatest educational disadvantage exists; and calls on the Minister of Education to implement the RAISE programme in a way which targets support to the children that, based on objective evidence, need it most.’

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Failure of RAISE Programme in Tackling Educational Underachievement

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