Scroll down to find out more about this issue - including a summary for children and young people, background information including the relevant Children's Rights, how we are monitoring Government and our work in addressing the issue.
Northern Ireland has a number of different types of school at both primary and post primary level that cater for education choices made by children and their parents and also individual learning needs of pupils.
The UNCRC makes it clear that all children should receive a good quality education that meets their needs and supports them to develop their skills, talents and abilities and reach their full potential. This includes pupils with a Special Educational Need (such as a learning or physical disability), those with English as a second language and those who are educated outside mainstream school. It is important that government tackles these barriers to make sure all children and young people can reach their potential in education.
Barriers that can hinder children’s learning and full participation in our education system include exam pressure; the cost of education; academic selection; insufficient mental health and well-being support in school; and not having a voice in school. Some groups of children, such as those with special educational needs or newcomer pupils, may face additional specific educational barriers.
Educational inequalities have been persistent in Northern Ireland and can only be fully addressed through the right government policies and long-term funding, aimed at ensuring every child experiences their right to an effective education, and through wider transformational reform of the education system.
As set out in our legislation, all our work is underpinned by children’s rights, notably the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, specifically here:
In 2020, an expert panel was commissioned by the Department of Education (DE) to examine the links between persistent educational underachievement and socio-economic background. The panel’s Final Report and Action Plan, ‘A Fair Start’, was published on 1 June 2021 and is currently in the early stages of implementation.
NICCY recognises that the long-term strategic nature of the action plan will mean that positive impacts, particularly in areas such as GCSE attainment and wellbeing outcomes, will take considerable time. We will continue to scrutinize progress made in the implementation of A Fair Start’s actions and the impact on children’s educational and wellbeing outcomes.
An Independent Review of Education, a key commitment in the New Decade New Approach (NDNA), commenced in October 2021. The two-year Review is focused on the quality, equity and sustainability of the education system and covers a range of themes across three core areas:
A Review of Free School Meals (FSMs) and Uniform Grant eligibility criteria is underway in Northern Ireland. The Review will consider different options for FSMs and uniform grants, including options for universal FSM provision for certain year groups or pupils. Additionally, an uplift of 20% in the school uniform grant, was announced by the Education Minister in June 2022. Although welcome, the Commissioner considers that the grant is wholly inadequate to cover school uniform costs.
Other measures to tackle educational disadvantage include an increase of £2.3m in the 2021/22 Sure Start budget to provide additional support to children and their families in disadvantaged areas. Robust evaluation is needed to clarify the Programme’s long-term benefits, including any contribution made towards narrowing the attainment gap.
DE’s Review of Newcomer Policy was resumed in January 2022 and work is ongoing to progress 10 proposals for change to the existing policy, associated actions and proposed high level outcomes.
You can find our advice papers on our publication page. We also regularly meet with relevant educational authorities, including the Department of Education and the Education Authority, to raise concerns and receive progress updates on education related issues impacting on children and young people.
NICCY’s work on educational inequalities has focused on a range of areas including:
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