Government promises to implement 400 actions from education plan this year

The government has published its first update of the action plan for education, promising to implement 400 actions this year.

Update 5pm. Barnardos has welcomed the Government’s Action Plan for Education 2017, which was published this morning, but warned it does not go far enough to address social disadvantages.

"We also welcome the Minister’s statement that ‘no other area of Government activity has greater capacity to change our country for the better’, and the recognition that education can break down the barriers that exist for groups at risk of social exclusion, and can promote social inclusion," June Tinsley, Head of Advocacy, Barnardos, said in a statement.