AQW 4439/22-27 Written question to the Minister of Education
To ask the Minister of Education for an update on the Engage Programme.
Asked by Connie Egan MLA on 11 October 2022
- Answered
- Written
- After due date
- Tabled
- 11 October 2022
- Answer due by
- 26 October 2022
- Answered
- 13 February 2024490 days after tabling
- Department
- Department of Education
- Priority question
- No
Answer
In an effort to offset the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Engage Programme was launched in September 2020 using Covid-19 funding provided by DoF and continued in 2021-22 and 2022-23. Over £57m in funding was allocated to settings across the three years of the programme.
The Engage programme aimed to limit any long-term adverse impact of COVID-19 by supporting pupils’ learning and engagement on their return to school/setting through provision of high quality one to one, small group or team teaching support in every school/setting in Northern Ireland. The Programme provided the flexibility and autonomy settings needed to meet the diverse needs of their pupils and allow them to address the effects of Covid-19. One of the key strengths of the programme is that was shaped by those delivering it on the ground, which allowed for the delivery of a range of interventions and approaches which resulted in increased confidence and motivation of thousands of pupils.
The 2023/24 budget allocation was extremely challenging for education and as a result the Department had to make significant savings from 1 April 2023. In this context the Engage programme was assessed as not realistically affordable and came to an end on 31 March 2023