The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee is holding an inquiry examining whether the level of money allocated to education is sufficient to meet the challenges facing the sector.
A report from the North’s auditor general says the education system is coming close to a tipping point. While funding increased between 2012/13 and 2016/17, there has been a 9.3 per cent reduction in real terms. In that time, more schools are finding themselves in the red – 197 to 315 – while those with a surplus decreased from 856 to 711.
Deficits at individual schools are highest in the secondary sector. Seven post-primary schools had debts in excess of £1 million in March 2017.
Register now, read forever
Thank you for visiting SecEd and reading some of our content for professionals in secondary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.
What's included:
-
Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcast
-
New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday and Thursday
Already have an account? Sign in here