NI education: Schools are 'really nervous' ahead of board meeting

The board of the Education Authority (EA) is to hold an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday to try to find over £200m of savings.

BBC News NI understands members are unlikely to back many of the proposals.

That is because some - such as cuts to school transport or special-educational needs provision - would need changes to law or Department of Education policy.

A headteacher said she was "really nervous" about what the future holds for schools.

Aine Leslie, acting principal of Hazelwood Integrated College said no one knows where to make these cuts.

"I don't envy the education board, they don't want to make these cuts, they don't know probably how to make these cuts," she told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.

She said that schools need guidance because the "clock is ticking" for teachers to plan for next year.

The Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) said education cuts would "target the most vulnerable".

The Northern Secretary of the INTO Mark McTaggart said it would lead to a "reduction in the number of teachers, an increase in class size, and an erosion in the quality of the education".

The annual funding for education was cut by £70m (2.5%) in the recent 2023-24 budget set by Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris.

However, the real-terms reduction, taking account of inflation, is likely to be higher.

The Northern Ireland Fiscal Council has said the relatively large cut for education may reflect that it overspent its budget in 2022-23.

The Department of Education (DE) has already axed a number of schemes to save money, including the school holiday food grant for children entitled to free school meals.

It is, however, the EA which spends the bulk of the £2.5bn education budget on things such as funding schools, special educational needs (SEN), school transport, maintenance and school meals.

Earlier this year, the EA introduced a number of measures to save money including a freeze on the recruitment of school crossing patrol staff.

But board members have been told that the organisation faces a "potential funding gap" of £225m in 2023-24.

Details of the budget pressures were given at a previous EA committee meeting on 6 April.

While that meeting took place before the secretary of state confirmed the 2023-24 budget, BBC News NI understands the financial pressures the EA faces are largely unchanged.

The meeting was told, for instance, that the budget for youth services faces a cut of more than £7m - 25% less than the funding in 2022-23.

Mark McTaggart said schools were already "heavily under-funded" and cuts would "potentially lead to a reduction in the number of teachers, an increase in class size...unmaintained school buildings and ultimately an erosion in the quality of the education."

Propsed cuts to youth services could lead to a increase in anti-social behaviour, he warned.

"If they do not have the facilities or feel valued, there is a potential that they could be turned to take part and engage in activities that they should never be."

The EA has around £438m to spend on SEN in 2023-24, which includes special schools, transport and support for children in mainstream schools.

However, the committee was told that was around 15% less than would be needed.

While the overall funding directly to schools is similar to 2022-23, they are unlikely to receive additional money for any "inescapable pressures" such as rising energy and inflationary costs.

The EA board has to tell the Department of Education how it will achieve a balanced budget by Friday 12 May but BBC News NI understands that EA board members have only been able to identify around £20m of potential savings.

As a result, they are likely to seek a decision from the department on how to reduce spending.

But as the bulk of education funding goes on paying staff and providing services to schools, finding large savings is difficult.

For instance, providing transport to school for around 84,000 pupils costs over £80m a year.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the EA said it "remains very concerned about the growing, unprecedented pressures facing education in 2023-24".

"Following the 2023-24 budget announcement....the Education Authority will work through the allocations and implications across a range of critical services," the statement continued.