Understanding and addressing educational underachievement: new evidence from linked administrative data in Northern Ireland

This policy brief explores educational underachievement according to GCSE attainment outcomes in Northern Ireland. Evidence is drawn upon from existing research and our study, which used the first linked dataset foreducation that combined the Northern Ireland Census (2011), School Leavers Survey and School Census1. Thestudy examined GCSE attainment outcomes according to the socio-demographic profile of pupils and schoolfactors. The key factors explored in our study were a pupil’s socio-economic status, religious affiliation andgender, along with school type (grammar/non-grammar). This policy brief provides a brief outline of the current context, the key messages from research, and the implications for policy and practice aiming to improve attainment outcomes for pupils, particularly those disadvantaged within the current system.