Education cuts will have catastrophic consequences for Northern Ireland children, says report

Researchers from Ulster University, Newcastle University, Queen’s University Belfast and Stranmillis University College have detailed the severe impact education cuts could have on children and young people.

The Education Authority is facing a funding gap of £200 million in the budget set by Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris in the absence of a Stormont executive.

The assembly and executive have not been functional for more than a year due to the DUP’s ongoing protest against post-Brexit trading arrangements.

The new report argues that cuts to education are being made with minimal input from the UK government and little say from Northern Ireland’s own elected representatives, undermining the principle of political accountability and public sector equality duties, with the authors making the case for immediately ending the reliance on civil servants to make policy decisions.

Dr Ciara Fitzpatrick, of Ulster University, who convened the group of researchers, said the cuts would hit families especially hard as they try to navigate the cost-of-living crisis.

“The cuts to education will undoubtedly increase poverty and hardship for many households in Northern Ireland, but particularly those with the lowest incomes – such as those children entitled to free school meals,” she said.

“These cuts are coming at a time when high inflation doggedly persists, with food prices rising at a startling rate.

“The loss of holiday hunger payments will cause significant harm to children and their families, and there will undoubtedly be children who will not receive the nutrition they need to thrive.”

The cuts are also predicted to disproportionately impact the most educationally disadvantaged children and young people.

The report suggests that the situation for children with special educational needs (SEN) is particularly severe.

The Education Authority’s budget for the transformation of the SEN system is due to be cut by 50%, despite the fact that there has been a 24% increase in the number of children with statements over the past five years, with hundreds of children awaiting specialist placements for September.

The report’s overarching finding is that cuts will have an unfair cumulative impact on groups which are already disadvantaged, in terms of their experience of education provision.

The authors have stated the short-term savings will be dwarfed by the costs of poverty, deprivation and mental health issues in the longer run.

Professor Noel Purdy, of Stranmillis University College, said the budget currently facing education was the most punishing the department has ever experienced.

“This is a catastrophic situation for the provision of education in Northern Ireland,” he said.

“The cuts will further exacerbate educational underachievement for those children already identified as having persistent low attainment rates, including children entitled to free school meals, ethnic minority children and children in care.

“Furthermore, the special educational needs system is on its knees and is failing to ensure appropriate access to education for the most vulnerable children in our society.

“Unless we see urgent transformation, policy progression and real investment, the system faces collapse.”

A spokeswoman for the Northern Ireland Office said that this year’s budget allocation from the UK government gave Northern Ireland’s Department of Education a total allocation of £2.6 billion.

“The decisions required to live within this budget continue to rest with the Northern Ireland departments.

“We are clear that we hope NI parties will restore locally elected, accountable and effective devolved government as soon as possible, which is the best way to govern Northern Ireland.”

The report titled ‘The Consequences of the Cuts to Education for Children and Young People in Northern Ireland’ was launched at Currie Primary School on Tuesday.