NI education: Education Authority 'reluctantly' submits £14m cuts

The Education Authority (EA) has "regrettably and reluctantly agreed" £14m worth of cuts which it has submitted to the Department of Education for it to consider.

The EA's board held a meeting on Tuesday to try to find over £200m of savings.

The £14m of savings were mainly to the EA's own operations and £5.5m of cuts, which were not approved, will be to subject to further impact assessment.

Many of the proposals were not backed.

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.

BBC News NI understands the £5.5m of savings not approved were to do with some transport costs for pre-school transport, taxis and other private hire services.

Speaking after the meeting, chairman Barry Mulholland said board members had expressed "grave concerns" that any decisions to reduce spending by more than £200m would "impact every child in Northern Ireland and will also have a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable and those from socially deprived areas".

He said there had been a "chronic under funding" over the last 10 years and he called for more investment in education.

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.

Michael Allen, the principal of Lisneal College in Londonderry, said education was not being prioritised because it wasn't a vote winner.

"It is essentially a political choice in terms of how much money is invested here in education from the money coming from Westminster," he told BBC's North West Today.

Mr Allen believes that since the Covid-19 pandemic there has been "a growing distance" between those making the strategic decisions and staff on the ground.

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

Its northern secretary 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.

Mr 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.

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.

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.