Budget cuts could lead to shorter school days, warns principals

Education in Northern Ireland is at a "crossroads", according to the heads of some of the biggest schools in the region.

In an unusual joint statement, school leaders have warned that the education budget could lead to shorter school days and fewer subjects being taught.

They have echoed warnings from the Department of Education (DE) that "painful cuts" are imminent.

BBC News NI has also seen a presentation delivered by the department's top official to school heads on Friday, in which he warned that "extreme measures" would be needed to save money.

In the online meeting on the proposed Stormont multi-year budget, Ronnie Armour told about 300 school leaders that the savings required were "unprecedented."

The Education Minister Paul Givan had recently criticised the multi-year budget put forward by Finance Minister John O'Dowd, and said it would lead to "devastating cuts".

The budget has not yet been agreed by other executive parties.

Education did get a small increase in its budget, but Givan said that cuts to school transport, staff, and funding for SureStart and youth services were likely.

Education is also set to overspend its budget by around £250m, which would lead to a reduced budget next year.

O'Dowd said that he would listen to other ministers and parties if they had alternatives, but that it was "simply not possible to provide any department with the funding it has requested".

The First Minister Michelle O'Neill also said executive ministers should do all they can to agree a multi-year budget.

She said the funding on offer from London was "inadequate" and that all ministers had hard choices to make.

Representatives from the Catholic Heads Association (CHA), the Association of School and College Leaders Northern Ireland (ASCL NI) and organisations representing voluntary and controlled grammar schools have issued an unusual joint statement on the proposed budget.

The organisations speak for governors, school leaders and finance managers of many post-primary schools in Northern Ireland.

"The finances distributed to schools have already been stretched to breaking point by successive cuts, and all reasonable, cost-reducing steps have been exhausted," they said.

They said that schools were facing a "crisis" outside their control, and called the proposed multi-year budget "completely unrealistic".

"Northern Ireland Education is at a crossroads," they added.

They also urged parents, staff and the public to respond to the consultation on the draft budget.

The principal of Regent House School in Newtownards, Michael Carville, told BBC News NI that as it was one of the largest schools in Northern Ireland with 1500 pupils, "our scale protects us more than other schools".

"Despite this, the projected cuts would have a devastating impact on our provision," he said.

"If school teaching levels fall it will cause a loss of subject offer, schools will only offer limited GCSE and A Level subjects, with pupils having less opportunity to delve deeper into their interests and narrow their career options."

"Inevitably the number of hours pupils are in school will have to decrease," Carville continued.

"Either school days will be shortened, or pupils will attend for less days in the week.

"Not only will this impact the quality of learning it will have a very negative impact on more vulnerable students who need pastoral support to overcome the challenges they face."

He also said that pupils would be exposed to less sport, music, drama and personal development opportunities.

"These are the things that make a younger person's life exciting and fulfilled," he added.

Michael McAuley from ASCL NI said that what was proposed in the draft budget would be "absolutely devastating for our children and young people."

"Even with widespread redundancies, cuts to maintenance and repairs across the school estate and shelving executive priorities such as the Early Learning and Childcare scheme, it is almost impossible to see how the necessary savings can be made," he said.