Success in school and life can be influenced at a young age

Education Minister, John O'Dowd, today opened the NI British Psychological Society's (NIBPS) annual public lecture.
~ Wednesday, 17 October 2012

Speaking at the event in Stranmillis, Minister O’Dowd said: “I welcome the opportunity to speak directly to practitioners, students and lecturers, to set out my vision for education and stress my commitment to securing improved outcomes for all children.

“My top priority is to create an education service that ensures that all our young people receive a high quality education. Whilst we have much to be proud of in our education system, with many high achieving young people there are also young people who do not reach their full potential and who leave school with little or no qualifications or skills.

“I want to raise standards in all aspects of education and, in doing so, reduce educational underachievement particularly for those young people who face barriers to learning.”

The Minister continued by saying if his vision for education is to succeed, consideration must be given to what happens outside of school, particularly in the home learning environment. He said: “Parental involvement and encouragement can have a direct and long-lasting effect on a child’s cognitive, social and emotional development. As we understand more about the importance of positive and supportive environments and their impact on brain development we understand more clearly how the first years can shape the rest of a child’s life and educational outcomes.”

The Minister recently launched the “Education Works” Campaign which encourages parents to get involved with their child’s education. The advertising campaign encourages families to play, talk, read and count with their child and is supported by a website that provides simple tips for parents to engage with their child.

Continuing, the Minister said: “I have continued to increase the investment in early years which, including Sure Start, pre-school and foundation stage, amounts to over £200million per year. Families have unprecedented access to funded pre-school provision and there is a commitment in the Programme for Government to ensure that at least one year of pre-school education is available to every family that wants it.”

Speaking about the establishment of the Education and Skills Authority (ESA), the Minister said: “If we want to make meaningful and sustainable changes to our education system, if we are to improve outcomes for all our children, and if we are to succeed in ensuring that children fulfil their potential - then we must give sufficient focus to how we train and support teachers and the education workforce.

“The establishment of ESA will help streamline education administration to ensure that much needed resources can be directed to supporting front-line services, improving outcomes for all young people in education and to ensuring equality of access to quality education provision.”

In conclusion, the Minister said: “While there are still areas for improvement, we should be proud of the general standard of pre-school education in the north and I want to acknowledge the competence, commitment and enthusiasm of all those who work in the early years and wider education sector."