AQW 43305/22-27


Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry


Tabled Date: 26/03/2026
Answered On Date: 22/04/2026
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Education to detail any actions his Department is taking to address underperformance and low educational attainment at Key Stages 1 to 3.


Answer:
Addressing low educational attainment is central to the Department’s TransformED Strategy, which provides a coherent, systemwide approach to improvement based on the evidence that highquality teaching has the greatest impact, particularly for pupils experiencing educational disadvantage.
TransformED focuses on early intervention, equity, and excellence in teaching. It prioritises literacy, numeracy and inclusion, supported by clearer curriculum expectations, improved assessment practice and strengthened professional learning in order to raise standards and reduce the attainment gap.
Fundamental reviews of the curriculum, statutory assessment and external qualifications have been completed and are now moving into implementation. I have very recently published my formal response to the Independent Review of Assessment alongside a new policy framework for statutory assessment in primary schools and at Key Stage 3 which will provide lowstakes, formative assessment to help teachers identify learning gaps earlier and tailor support more effectively.
The TransformED delivery plan also provides targeted support for schools where outcomes can be improved, including enhanced leadership capacity, evidenceinformed interventions and better use of systemlevel data. It includes action to strengthen legislation to ensure the independent inspection process operates as intended, safeguarding this key accountability mechanism that evaluates the quality of teaching and learning, supports effective selfevaluation, identifies schools that would benefit from additional support, and shares effective practice across the system.
Taken together, TransformED aims to raise consistency and quality across the system, support schools serving disadvantaged communities, and ensure underachievement is identified and addressed early, enabling more children to make strong progress through the foundational stages of education.