One government target which didn't last very long was the First Minister's pledge to ensure that 30% of school children receiving free school meals would obtain 5 or more GSCE passes at grades A* to C by 2011. My colleague Maggie Taggart phoned the Education Deaprtment to double check and they told her the target was actually 2 GCSEs. So no A* for someone then.
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I'm Mark Devenport, BBC NI's political editor, and I'll be blogging here on all things politics. For the latest updates across BBC blogs,
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I wonder if this actually refers to two A Level passes? According to the official statistics for 2005/06 (see https://www.deni.gov.uk/sls0506pdf.pdf%29, 21.9% of Northern Ireland pupils with free school meals, achieved at least two A Level passes as their highest qualification.
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It has to be the A-levels. There's no way you could be proud of that at G.C.S.E.
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These targets are different to those of undermining others over the years so that new challenges need new skills to build and not to destroy.
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