Marshalled list of amendments

25 October 2024

Item 5: Order Paper 61/22-27 – Tuesday 5 November 2024

Motion: Failure of RAISE Programme in Tackling Educational Underachievement

That 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.

Mr Pat Sheehan

Mrs Cathy Mason

Mr Danny Baker

Mr Pádraig Delargy

Amendment

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.’

[Mr Nick Mathison]

[Mrs Michelle Guy]

[Ms Connie Egan]

[Ms Sian Mulholland]