Funding for primary school nurture classes being cut

Funding to primary schools for nurture classes to help young pupils with emotional or social needs has been cut by the Department of Education.

One principal told BBC News NI the cut was "targeting the most vulnerable children in our society".

Nurture units are special classes in which small groups of pupils receive specialist teaching and support.

The department funds nurture units in 62 primaries in NI but the schools will get less money to run them in 2023-24.

That is because the department has cut the overall funding for nurture provision by £1.1m and also cut the allocation to each individual school.

In their letter to principals explaining the move, the department said it was facing "an extremely challenging budget and therefore extremely difficult decisions had to be taken".

"The department recognises the far-reaching value and impact of nurture provision. However the current budgetary pressures have made reductions in the existing level of provision unavoidable," it said.

Numerous schemes have been cut to save money after funding for education was reduced in the 2023-24 Stormont budget.

A spokesperson for the department said: "With over £300m pressure on the education budget this year, available resources have had to be focused on core functions and services, making reductions to the existing level of provision unavoidable."

The department spent about £5.6m on nurture provision in 2022/23 but in its letter said that would be reduced by £1.1m this year.

That will mean each of the 62 schools will get £62,000 for their nurture unit rather than the £70,000 they received in 2022/23.

Schools use the funding to pay for teaching and support staff, and resources and facilities for the pupils in the unit.

The Department of Education letter said that if schools no longer wished to continue with their nurture classes as a result of the funding cut, they should inform the Education Authority (EA) immediately.

Funding to an advice service on nurture provision run by the EA is also being reduced.

St Oliver Plunkett Primary in Belfast is one of the 62 schools with a nurture unit.

Its principal Paddy McCabe said the was "not merely beneficial to the children it has been targeted at, it is essential for their development".

"Some children entering primary schools have gaps in their emotional development which hinders their ability to socialise, to integrate fully in the day-to-day classroom and which subsequently hampers their capacity to learn," he said.

"Due to this unit and the commitment of our staff we have successfully reintegrated our children back into their base classes.

"Without this structured intervention programme, that would simply not have been the case.

"These cuts are targeting the most vulnerable children in our society.

"The nature of these cuts needs to be challenged much more vociferously than they are presently."

A study by experts from Queen's University Belfast previously found that pupils in nurture units, who are normally from P1-P3, made notable improvements socially, emotionally and behaviourally.

It said the classes were "highly successful in its primary aim of achieving improvements in the social, emotional and behavioural skills of children from deprived areas exhibiting significant difficulties".

Julie Thomas, the principal of Clandeboye Primary in Bangor, said that had been the impact of her school's nurture class.

"We have seen that it is making a great difference to children's lives," she said.

"We will now have to find the £8,000 shortfall in funding through our main school budget.

"But we are optimistic that this cut will still be overturned."

The Northern Ireland Nurture Group Network represents a number of primary principals who run nurture units.

In a statement to BBC News NI, they said that they "were disappointed to receive a cut in funding for this highly valued provision but recognise the tough position for DE.

"Considering the range of cuts, the fact that DE have given funding directly to schools for nurture provision shows a recognition of the ongoing need to sustain this essential provision," they said.

"However, in reality, the funding cut will have a further impact on school budgets as schools will have to find at least £8,000 elsewhere from their budget.

"In some instances there could be a shortfall of up to £13,000.

"Nurture provision is a vital means of helping children and is exceptionally cost effective.

"However, we have concerns moving forwards as the need for sustainability and a long term ring-fenced approach to the funding of nurture units is very much necessary."

In response, a spokesperson said: "The department recognises the long-term, far-reaching value and impact of Nurture Provision and has endeavoured to manage the reductions to ensure that the positive outcomes for children can be maintained as far as possible."