(2) if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Real Action Butterfly Children's programme in (a) raising educational attainment and (b) diverting young people away from anti-social behaviour and crime;
(3) if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Real Action Butterfly Children's programme on promoting integration and community cohesion; and if he will provide funding to the programme.
Ensuring equal opportunities for all to succeed at the highest level possible and removing barriers to access and participation in learning is an important contribution to promoting community cohesion. Through the National Strategies we are providing a wide range of training and resources to support teachers in providing the high quality teaching and learning which is vital to improving standards of attainment in literacy for all children.
Stopping young people engaging in crime and antisocial behaviour also plays an important role in building strong and cohesive communities. Through the Youth Taskforce Action plan, and more recently through the Youth Crime Action plan we have set out a ‘triple track’ response to these problems. Where problems occur we must respond with strong enforcement. However, that alone is not enough and we must also offer support to address the causes of bad behaviour and intervene earlier to prevent problems occurring in the first place.
In addition to promoting academic and other achievement, engaging young people in positive activities offers them stimulating things to do and safe places to go, helping to build resilience to future negative outcomes such as crime or antisocial behaviour. Over the next three years, Government have pledged £840 million to enhance facilities and services for young people.
We acknowledge the work that charities such as Real Action Butterfly Children's programme do to promote reading for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, however, we are not familiar with this specific programme and therefore we cannot comment on its efficacy on promoting integration or community cohesion.
The Children, Young People and Families Grant is a national grant programme, managed by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, which aims to fund work of national significance to improve outcomes for children, young people, and families. It is possible that the work of Real Action Butterfly Children's programme may meet the criteria for this grant and more information can be found at:
http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/strategy/voluntaryandcommunity/cypfgrant/