£18,000 per child underinvestment in their education in Northern Ireland

The letter (which can be read below) was sent to all 546 controlled school principals in Northern Ireland which includes Nurseries, Primary Schools, Secondary Schools, Grammar Schools, Integrated Schools, Special Schools and Irish Medium Schools.  

CSSC ask controlled schools to contact local MLA’s, MPs, and councillors to highlight the issues they face, share their lived experiences, invite them to their schools and help build further understanding that the Education system and schools need their support and commitment to sustainable and equitable funding for children and young people in Northern Ireland.

CSSC has also forwarded a copy to all MLA’s, MPs and the members of the NI Affairs Committee.

Dear Principal,

£18,000 per child underinvestment in their education in Northern Ireland

Yesterday afternoon I and the other education Chief Executives met the Education leads of the Northern Ireland Assembly political parties. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the critical financial pressures facing the Northern Ireland Education system, pressures of which you are all too aware and which will increase in the coming weeks. These pressures are starker in Northern Ireland than they are anywhere else in the United Kingdom. Over their school education our young people are being undervalued in comparison to their compatriots in Scotland to the amount of £18,000.

I am asking you to assist us by communicating with your local political representatives, your local media and your community. Please feel free to share the attached briefing document given to the MLAs yesterday.

CSSC considers this situation as unacceptable and continues to raise it with political representatives and the Secretary of State. I am sure you share our concerns as a school leader who feels the impact of this underfunding every day. It is important to note that this underinvestment is about the amount of money invested per pupil in their education, not about how funding is used once allocated.

Why is the education of a young person in Northern Ireland valued less than those in England, Scotland, and Wales?

What are we saying?

• Education requires an ambitious and innovative strategy to secure continued high quality education for our young people.
• Any transformation must be supported by funding and investment. Transformation must be based on doing things differently, not saving money.
• Schools in Northern Ireland must be provided with sufficient funding that values our children and young people equitably across these islands.
• Schools need stable budgets with a clear commitment to keeping in line with pay and price pressures.
• Schools need to know that services provided by the education bodies are effectively funded to ensure the provision of a consistent, efficient service.
• Education funding must not depend on in year monitoring rounds or ear marked funds. Core funding must be sufficient for schools and those that deliver key services to them.
• The significant backlog in infrastructure funding (£500m), maintenance and minor capital works must be addressed urgently across all our schools.
• The key education bodies are committed to collaborating and working together in the interests of our children and young people and are in full agreement on these points.

What can you do?

I ask you to lend your voice to ours. Contact your local MLAs, MP and Councillors. Highlight the issues you face, share your lived experiences, invite them to your school, help them understand that our system and our schools need their support and commitment to sustainable and equitable funding for all our children and young people across Northern Ireland. Share the document with your parents, guardians and wider community. Remind them that the impact of this underfunding is £18,000 per child over their education experience.

CSSC will continue to advocate for you and will not relent in highlighting the critical underfunding of our education system. If there is anything further I can do to assist you please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours faithfully,

Mark Baker

Chief Executive