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The Education Minister has been accused of a “disappointing response” after he rejected Newry, Mourne and Down District Council's call to scrap a “flawed” £20m programme for schools.
The Council's Active and Healthy Communities committee voted in December to lobby DUP MLA Paul Givan to reconsider the use of the ‘Raise’ formula for education amid fears deprived children will not benefit from the cash injection.
The local authority sent a letter to the Department of Education in March addressing concerns of more affluent schools benefiting over the less well off.
A response from Minister Givan was provided to the committee chamber last week (28 April 2025) and has been seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).
The Minister writes: “I decided that the programme should be a regional programme, which will invest in disadvantage across all local government districts in Northern Ireland, including Newry, Mourne and Down.
“This will embed collaborative working in a high number of localities that can be a long lasting legacy after funding ends. I appreciate we have not been able to include all areas of educational disadvantage within NI and that there will always be areas that would wish to be included.”
The Raise scheme, partially funded by the Irish government’s Shared Island Fund, was launched in October 2024 with its stated aims being “to raise achievement to reduce educational disadvantage”.
However, major concerns were highlighted after a DE website identified almost 40 grammar schools as well as a prep school charging up to £5k a year as potentially eligible for Raise funding.
Minister Givan added: “I would have liked to stretch the programme further, but the funding available is finite and therefore an approach to prioritisation has been necessary. I have prioritised investment in those areas with the lowest levels of educational attainment so that all children and young people can reach their potential. Ultimately the success of the programme will be determined on how well it improves educational outcomes, so it is right that I am investing in areas with the lowest levels of attainment.
“I am delighted that the programme will have a significant presence in NMDDC. This is a very important programme with significant potential to do things differently, to facilitate greater collaboration across government, local government and in partnerships with the voluntary and community sector and many others including schools. I welcome the ongoing engagement with the Raise programme team towards the development of a strategic plan for Newry.”
In chambers this week, Crotlieve Councillor Kate Murphy said: “This is a very disappointing response. It fails to address the many concerns that educationalists and wider society have about the Raise programme, the methodology selected and how it has been applied.
“The first principle of education is that it should be child centred. Many schools are already chronically underfunded and running on deficit budgets.
“The Raise programme recognises neither of these facts and uses a flawed formula to select who will be funded and who, yet again, will not.”
