Army children suffer lowerlevels of academic success

Children of army personnel are achieving less at GCSE than everyone else.

“In 2010/11 36 Armed Services pupils left mainstream grant aided post primary schools and of these 19 (53 per cent) achieved at least 5 GCSEs A*-C (inc. equivalents) including GCSE English and maths,” the Minister stated. He said the average achieving this standard in Northern Ireland was 60 per cent.

The 2012/13 annual school census recorded 187 children of armed services personnel enrolled in post-primary schools. Mr O’Dowd revealed the information was collected through the School Leavers’ Survey.

Whilst he was able to reveal that the 2012/13 annual school census recorded 462 children of armed services personnel enrolled in primary schools and preparatory departments of grammar schools, their progress was unknown.

He said the information would be available for 2012/13, however, stating that “pupil level academic achievement will be available for primary school pupils that should allow such analysis to be produced.”

By comparison 51.8 per cent of Protestant boys; 64.1 per cent of Protestant girls; 57.3 per cent of Catholic boys; and 65.3 per cent of Catholic girls achieved 5 GCSE’s with English and Maths.