Motion: Failure of RAISE Programme in Tackling Educational Underachievement

That this Council recognises that socio-economic background is one of a number of factors that impact educational underachievement as the Independent Review of Education Panel in their December 2023 report concludes, that some schools with very high levels of disadvantage achieve excellent outcomes.

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.