The Church of Ireland Board of Education (Northern Ireland) welcomes the return to school of all pupils and staff in person. The Board wishes to express its concern at the cost-of-living crisis and the impact it is having on both families who struggle to afford the costs of equipping young people for school and also the impact on school running costs. This is particularly the case where the true picture of long-term funding has been disguised during the period of subsidy during the worst of the Covid pandemic.