Vow to support underachievers

Shocked by last week’s announcment that young Protestant males in deprived areas were around twice as likely as other social groups to exit the education system with poor results, Mr Middleton said he had already met with the chairman of the education committee, Mervyn Storey, to discuss education matters and the proposed cuts to the education budget, and was pleased with the encounter.

“That meeting was informative and worthwhile, but I am deeply concerned about the projected cuts that have been lined up over the next three financial years,” he said.

“In 2011/12 the proposed budget cut is £26.5 million, with £85 million and then £114 million for the two successive years. There is no doubt there will be job losses. This is a very worrying development as I am convinced the Education Minister is taking money out of the classroom at a time when we should be paying particular attention to redressing the shocking underachievement of young people in deprived areas. As a member of the DUP I will do all I can to helping reverse the poor academic record and underachivement of Protestant boys and to develop a policy that is supportive of working class Protestant boys so that they can contribute positively to the economic success of the north west.”