Additional support for disadvantaged pupils in Northern Ireland is set to be withdrawn in “a devastating blow” to young people.
The extended schools programme will no longer be available after the current academic year, officials said.
This could mean the end of after-school sports and social clubs, breakfast clubs and schools may no longer be able to make their buildings available for community use.
Commenting after meeting with representatives of the Department of Education, DUP Education Spokesperson Diane Dodds said the Extended Schools programme is “one of many impacted by the huge shortfall” in the education budget.
“This programme is also unlikely to be the last casualty coming forward,” she said.
“There is a huge deficiency in the baseline budget for education that must be tackled and this must mean placing it alongside the Department of Health as a budget priority.
“The Secretary of State must also take immediate budget decisions, which would then allow the in-year monitoring process to take place which could alleviate some pressures.”
The Extended Schools programme was funded through the Confidence and Supply agreement negotiated by the DUP, Mrs Dodds said.
She added: “The problems in our budget existed when the Executive and Assembly was fully-functioning and their restoration will not be a panacea to the challenges we face.
“There are fundamental issues with how public services are financed in Northern Ireland compared to the rest of the UK, and it is patently obvious the current funding model has failed.
The Department of Education informed schools by letter of the news on Thursday morning.
It said funding for the programme, which aims to improve levels of educational achievement for disadvantaged children and young people by providing the additional support that they might need to help them reach their full potential, will not be available after June.
The decision follows the ending of Happy Healthy Minds, the Holiday Hunger allowance for free school meals and the Engage scheme.
The letter to principals said: “As you are aware, in the absence of an Executive, it is expected that the 2023-24 Budget outcome for all government departments will be decided by the Secretary of State in due course.
“As with all other departments, the Department of Education is yet to receive its confirmed budget allocation.
“However, the indicative budget allocation recently advised by the Northern Ireland Office is extremely challenging for education, and as a result, the department has had to make significant savings from April 1, 2023.
“It is in this context that I write to you for the purpose of providing an update on the interim financial planning assumptions for 2023-24.
“The interim allocation reflects the indicative allocation from the Secretary of State which represents significant cuts to the education budget.
“It also recognises that the extended schools programme has been supported in recent years with £5.8m of funding from the Confidence and Supply agreement. This funding is no longer available, and, due to the extent of budget pressures, it is not possible for this to be covered from the Department of Education’s budget.
“The interim allocation for the extended schools programme has therefore been set at £2.285m. This represents a reduction in budget of £6.868m from that available in the 2022/23 financial year and an overall reduction of 75%.
“Consequently, unless additional funding is allocated by the Secretary of State, funding can only be provided for the extended schools programme to the end of the academic year, June 2023.
“Only those schools that continue to fully meet the extended schools criteria will receive funding and they will shortly be advised of the indicative funding available for the period April to June 2023 to allow provision to continue until the end of the current academic year. Schools should plan on the basis that no further funding will be available after June 30, 2023.”
West Tyrone MLA Daniel McCrossan said NI’s education system was barely functioning before this latest crisis hit and it’s a “disgrace” that civil servants are being tasked with taking these decisions due to the DUP’s continued boycott of the Stormont institutions.
“I have heard a number of suggestions that the party are considering returning to Stormont in the weeks or months ahead, decisions like this are taking place every day that the Assembly and Executive doesn’t function and we need MLAs back at work and Ministers in place now to stand up for our children and to resist these harmful cuts to our education system,” the SDLP representative added.
Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan said the cuts were “deeply unacceptable” and said an Executive must be formed now to help protect public services.
He said: “School principals have been informed today that funding for Extended Schools is being slashed by 75% and the programme axed at the end of June.
“This is totally unacceptable and is the latest in a number of savage Tory attacks on our children and young people’s education.”
He added: “Children must be supported in school to have the best start in life, but instead they are paying the price for the failure of one party to work together in the best interests of all our people.”
Justin McCamphill, NASUWT national official for Northern Ireland, said the decision is another blow to the most vulnerable children and young people.
“If these cuts go ahead, we will see the end of breakfast and homework clubs, after-school sports, art clubs, drama clubs, ICT clubs and programmes for parents and families as well as community use of school premises,” he said. “There can be no expectation that teachers will fill the gap on an unpaid basis.
“This decision is being made in the context of wider cuts to education and against a backdrop of accelerating real-terms pay cuts.
“The Department of Education should be in no doubt that cutting services will only strengthen the resolve of NASUWT members as they take strike action next week.”
Alan Law, Nipsa assistant secretary, said the loss of the programme, which has been running since 2006, will be “a devastating blow”.
“It is yet another example of the failure of politicians to govern,” he said.
“The programme is being wrecked and the valuable and important work destroyed. It is shameful that these decisions are being taken without anyone being accountable.”
The department added that it recognises “how disappointing this is for everyone involved in the delivery of this longstanding programme, and for the young people and families who have benefited from its support over many years”.
It added: “This decision has been necessary given the severely constrained financial context and we greatly appreciate your understanding and ongoing commitment in these difficult times.”
