It is difficult to overstate the importance of education. Educational underachievement has far reaching consequences, not only for individual children but for society as a whole. Children who cannot or do not reach their educational potential, for whatever reason, are at increased risk of significant disadvantage. Barnardo’s recognises that in today’s knowledge-based economy, good levels of literacy and numeracy, accompanied by qualifications, are essential, not only to compete for employment, but to enjoy and engage in broader society.
Despite improvements in recent years almost one in six children in Northern Ireland leaves primary school without achieving the expected level in English and Maths. By Key Stage 3 this ratio is one in five; by GCSE, two in five children fail to achieve the standards deemed necessary to progress to sixth form studies. In 2010-11, around 9000 pupils had failed to achieve the required standard in literacy and numeracy by the time they left full-time education.
‘Ready to Learn’, an innovative Barnardo's programme, aims to achieve a long-term outcome of raising educational achievement for children in Northern Ireland. The programme has two key components:
- for children – a literacy-rich After School programme for one hour after school, three days per week;
- for parents / carers – a range of activities and support to help them engage in and support their child’s learning.
This research seeks to understand the impact of the ‘Ready to Learn’ Programme and to recommend any key findings to improve policy and practice.