The Aspire programme is completely free for schools and young people. As it is provided for free, there is a significant cost to Aspire. It costs around £680 per young person to put them through the Aspire programme per year. Currently, we work with over 350 young people each week.
Individuals, company's and organisations donating monthly or as a one-off is a significant source of revenue for Aspire each year. Would you consider supporting a young person on the Aspire Programme this year?
Donate using the donation box provided here or use the button below to access a larger view version.
95p from every £1 donated goes directly to the work of the Aspire programme
In Northern Ireland around a fifth of children live in relative poverty. An unimaginable number, that frankly seems quite unbelievable in 2024. Unfortunately, it’s a very real number and young people and families across Northern Ireland know this reality all to well.
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The long term effects of poverty can be extremely difficult to deal with, we can only speak with authority on how this impacts young people academically as that’s where our expertise lies.
The evidence shows that the gap in attainment between children growing up in poverty and their peers starts early and lasts throughout school. But the time they reach primary school, children from low-income families are already up to a year behind middle-income children in terms of cognitive skills.
For those who are Free School Meals, their achievement rate of five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C is 49.5%. Their peers, who are non Free School Meals eligible, their achievement rate is 24% higher. This a significant gap, and it’s why Aspire exists today, we believe all children should have an equal chance at education, regardless of their economic background.
As of the latest set of GCSE results in August 2024, for those young on the Aspire programme (who are all Free School Meal eligible) their achievement rate was 87%, bringing their achievement rate back in-line with their peers from more well-off backgrounds.
