AQW 31232/22-27

Ms Kate Nicholl
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 16/09/2025
Answered On Date: 26/09/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education for an update on the progress of research to evaluate how Artificial Intelligence tools can support literacy among disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs.

Answer:

The Reading with AI research project which is being taken forward as a Cross-Cutting Initiative within the RAISE Programme, will provide participating schools with an opportunity to see how AI tools can support literacy. The study is led by Oxford Brookes University, using Amira Learning, a reading support tool powered by AI, and is aligned with research-informed approaches to early literacy.

More than 150 schools and over 15,000 pupils (including the control group) are taking part in the research project. In order to support participating schools, in-person training was provided to Reading Champions on 12 September 2025 and two further online training webinars took place on 23 and 24 September for teachers.

An initial benchmark assessment will take place for all children participating in the project in early October. It is expected that the project will be completed by the end of the 2025-26 Academic Year.