It has been revealed to the Ulster Unionist Education Spokesperson, Rosemary Barton MLA, that there are now 451 schools across Northern Ireland in a deficit position.

Rosemary Barton, a former teacher for over 30 years, said:

“This is an incredibly perilous situation and I fear that with the combined deficits now totalling a shocking £62.6m, the Education Authority has lost control of the situation.

“There has been a real terms cut of 13% - £245m - in the Department of Education’s resource budget from 2010.  Growing pupil numbers, increasing demand for special educational needs provision and overall growing costs each year have combined to create a perfect storm for local schools. 

“From regularly talking to school principals across the country I know that they have cut costs in almost every area – class sizes have grown, extra-curricular activities have been cancelled and valued staff have unfortunately been let go. Yet, despite all those actions, a record number of schools are now being left with no choice but to spend money that they simply do not have.

“The revelation that more than half of all our local schools are now in debt debunks the myth that the Confidence and Supply arrangement between the DUP and Conservative Party had removed the pressures on school budgets. At the end of March 2017 there were 308 schools in deficit, but by the end of March 2019 there were 451. Many of the school leaders that I talk to tell me they haven’t seen a penny of the extra funding.

“The financial crisis in our schools is now so serious, and the debts for some individual schools so large, that I’m genuinely fearful that the situation for some may be unrecoverable.

“Northern Ireland is set to receive an adjusted budget as a result of Boris Johnson’s recent announcement of a major funding boost for education in England. That extra funding must be used to help relieve the pressure on schools locally.”