evidence: In their 2016 Assembly Election Manifesto, Sinn Fein highlighted the success of the Education Minister, John O’Dowd, by claiming that the rate of children that obtain 5 GCSEs A*-C has risen from 31.5% to 58.5% among Free School Meals (FSM) recipients. This would be particularly significant as a marker of improvement in performance among disadvantaged students, who have consistently scored at a lower level than those not eligible for FSM. [...] Improving GCSE results among Free School Meal Eligible (FSME) students FSM eligibility has been used as a standard for distinguishing between the performance among students who are disadvantaged and consequently often struggle to achieve marks on par with other students. The statistic being cited by Sinn Fein in their manifesto refers to a Statistical Press Release from the Department of Education on the qualifications achieved by school leavers in 2012/13. This report demonstrates that among FSME students, 58.5% achieved 5 GCSE’s A*-C, while the rate among non-FSME students stood at 83.1%. Corresponding figures are only available dating back to 2003/04, though DENI has informed us that the rate of 31.5% (per Sinn Fein manifesto claim) was last recorded in the 2001/02 academic year.