SCHOOL EDITION 29 MAY 2024 - Flipbook - Page 6
6
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 22 2020
www.irishnews.com
NEWS
newsdesk@irishnews.com
Education review meaningless
Underperformance
by working-class
Protestant boys
under spotlight
SIMON DOYLE
EDUCATION CORRESPONDENT
s.doyle@irishnews.com
A
FRESH review into why
Protestant boys do worse
at school will be “meaningless” unless followed up by
action, it has been warned.
The New Decade, New Approach
deal promised that the executive
would establish a group to examine and propose an action plan to
address links between persistent
educational underachievement and
socio-economic background.
This will look specifically at the
long-standing issues facing workingclass Protestant boys.
Experts have asked “why?” given there have been several reports
over the past decade on the theme.
Academics, politicians as well
bodies including the Equality Commission and Community Relations
Council (CRC) have all examined the
issue.
Little progress has been made,
however.
A study in 2014 noted that Protestant boys in receipt of free school
meals were close to the very bottom
in terms of exam achievement. Only
Roma and Traveller children got
poorer results.
The situation has not improved
since. Research last year found
working-class Protestant boys still
struggled the most with education.
A CRC report noted that the patterns of underachievement were not
new, unchanged or getting worse.
Their persistence, it added, showed
“the failure of the Northern Ireland
government to tackle fundamental
problems regarding the structure of
education”.
Prof Tony Gallagher from Queen’s
University Belfast said the shocking
levels of inequality in education outcomes, mediated by gender, religion
and, most significantly, by social
background, remained “a scandal”.
“For this reason, it is important
that this issue has been identified
as a priority for the new assembly,”
Prof Gallagher said.
“But we should not forget we have
been here before, with many investigations, working groups and research studies providing copious
amounts of analysis and evidence.
In the past, few of the recommendations arising from this work have
been implemented.
“Another review, without a commitment to tangible and meaningful
action, cannot be enough – rhetoric
and promises are meaningless unless they are followed up by action
and a new approach.”
A previous review by the PUP’s
John Kyle made 20 proposals on how
to improve education in Protestant,
unionist and loyalist areas, including scrapping academic selection.
He failed to win support of the other
main unionist parties, however.
“This is a long established problem. Educational underachievement,
while worst among working class
Protestant boys, is not limited to
them but is common to all disadvantaged communities,” Dr Kyle said.
“There have been a number of
previous reports, including Dawn
Purvis’ A Call to Action, and my own
Firm Foundations, which have analysed the problem.
“The causes are well known and
measures which need to be taken
have been clearly articulated. The
persistence of the problem indicates
several things, namely: there are no
RECOMMENDATIONS: Principals
of north Down schools in 2016 with
education minister Peter Weir and
previous report author Peter Martin
Years of reports and recommendations
REPORT (2019)
The CRC noted
under-achievement
among working class
pupils generally,
adding “working
class Protestant boys
continue to have lower
educational attainment
than Catholic boys”. It
criticised the “failure
of the NI government
to tackle fundamental
problems regarding the
structure of education
in NI”.
No Child Left Behind
(2016)
Led by DUP councillor
Peter Martin, it reported
that many of those
most affected by
underachievement came
from the Protestant
community. Mr
Martin made several
recommendations
including addressing
low parental
expectations and
aspirations. It also said
early intervention in
pupil non-attendance
by schools should be a
priority.
Investigating Links
in Achievement and
Deprivation (2015)
Commissioned by the
Office of the First and
Deputy First Minister,
ILiAD recommended the
end of the
current system of
academic selection
claiming it reinforced
“privilege and
disadvantage”. It
found Catholic areas
had higher levels of
attainment in GCSEs
than Protestant areas.
Education Inequalities in
Northern Ireland (2015)
The Equality
Commission/Queen’s
University found
Protestant males
entitled to free school
quick solutions, a 10-15 year action
plan is needed, which is adequately
resourced and driven by strong, unwavering political support.
“Action plans to date have been
meals had the lowest
GCSE and A-level
attainment rates and
lowest proportions of
school leavers moving
on to higher education.
It said the particular
barriers to educational
equality for Protestant
males “must be
considered closely”.
Firm Foundations (2014)
It offered 20 proposals
to improve education
in Protestant, unionist
and loyalist areas,
including scrapping
academic selection.
Originally instigated by
the Unionist Forum after
flag protests, its final
report was never
agreed by main unionist
parties. The PUP’s John
Kyle continued the
research.
Peace Monitoring
Report (2014)
The CRC compared
piecemeal and short-term. A more
comprehensive and sustained plan
is necessary but this takes continued political commitment.
“The most contentious and diffi-
ethnic groups using
five good GCSE grades
as the measure of
success. It found half of
Protestant boys failed to
achieve this and warned
they were being left
behind. Dr Paul Nolan,
the academic who led
the research, said the
attainment gap was
“colossal”.
A Call To Action (2011)
Made up of
educationalists,
academics, community
and voluntary
representatives and
early years providers, it
recommended capping
grammar places adding
academic selection
accentuated social
division. Community
and cultural factors,
it said, affected how
Protestant families
perceived education
and participation in
schools.
cult issue is academic selection at
age 11. Most educationalists think
this contributes to the problem and
disadvantages pupils from poorer
backgrounds.”