Belfast children from low income families to be given free tuition

Some children from low-income families in Belfast are to get free transfer test tuition from a new centre aiming to “level the playing field”.

The new Foodstock Education and Empowerment Centre, aims to improve outcomes for children from disadvantaged backgrounds across the city.

It will provide free, high quality tuition and wellbeing support for primary pupils in years six and seven.

One of those backing the centre is former world champion boxer Carl Frampton who spoke at the centre’s launch.

“My own child is going through the test and I know how stressful it can be,” Frampton told BBC News NI.

“There are kids that have ability but just need a bit of help. It’s stressful for me and I am lucky to be comfortable financially but there are others struggling so much – this is just about giving kids who are able opportunities.”

Frampton also praised the cross-community aspect of the centre and the importance of the facility being situated in the city centre.

“You know what this place is like – it can be very tribal, and people maybe don’t want to go here or there or whatever,” he said.

“But to have a central location willing to help anybody that needs their help, I just think it’s an amazing thing.”

The new centre will provide weekly small group tuition in English, Maths and reasoning to prepare children for the Schools’ Entrance Assessment Group (SEAG) tests.

More than 60 post-primary schools across Northern Ireland use the test to decide which pupils to admit into year eight.

A paper by Queen’s University in 2022 claimed that academic selection perpetuated division in wider society in Northern Ireland and “disadvantages the already most disadvantaged”.

Foodstock founder Paul Doherty said it will “tackle the longer impacts of poverty through education” and will “empower people to better their lives”.

“A lot of people say because of financial difficulties they cannot afford additional tuition and they are pulling their child out of the transfer test,” he said.

“We talk about removing barriers when it comes to hunger through breakfast programmes – this is removing other barriers when it comes to education.”

One-to-one support will also be provided for children facing particular challenges.

Eligibility will be for pupils that need it most, such as those from areas of high deprivation or low income families.

Foodstock said private tuition doubled the likelihood of attending a grammar school, but disadvantaged children were less able to finance it.

Its tuition programme will help “level the playing field for children across Belfast”, it said.

Foodstock’s director of strategy Ciaran Toman said he believed the centre will “reach people right across the city regardless of community” with the overall aim to “benefit as many children as possible”.

He added that it could help give “equal opportunity to those who are less fortunate and that the centre can plug that gap for disadvantaged children”.