NI Education: School funding in NI is 'on a precipice'

School funding in Northern Ireland is "on a precipice," according to a school head and union leader.

Graham Montgomery will tell an Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) conference the system is "approaching the point of crisis".

The principal of Royal School Armagh is also ASCL president.

On Thursday, the Department of Education was told it faced significant cuts to its "current spending trajectory".

The warning was contained in the budget for Stormont departments set out by Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris.

The Education Authority (EA), which has operational responsibility for the education system, recently warned it was facing a £300m deficit in its budget.

ASCL is a union which represents many post-primary school principals and senior leaders in Northern Ireland.

It is currently the only teachers' union in Northern Ireland not taking action short of strike.

The other five unions are taking industrial action after rejecting a pay offer as "inadequate" in February,

Since then inflation has spiralled to its highest level for around 40 years and unions have asked for a "cost-of-living increase" of inflation - currently 11% plus 2%.

'Justifiably aggrieved'

Mr Montgomery will tell ASCL members in Northern Ireland on Friday that teachers are "justifiably aggrieved at the pay settlement that they were offered".

"They deserve to be properly remunerated for their tireless work on behalf of our children and young people," he said.

"The school system here is approaching the point of crisis," says Graham Montgomery

"To continue to pay teachers inadequately not only perpetuates an injustice but it sends a strong signal to our young people that the work teachers and schools do is not valued and it acts as a disincentive to young people to enter the profession."

But he said that any pay deal would need extra funding from government as schools could not afford to pay it from their own budgets.

'Point of crisis'

He also had a wider warning about education funding.

"We are stating clearly today that school funding is on a precipice and action needs to be taken now to develop a sustainable and fair funding model for the future," he will tell members.

"The school system here is approaching the point of crisis.

"Our members are tired of trying to run their schools with inadequate funding and they are tired of the failure to defuse industrial unrest."

• Teaching unions brand pay offer inadequate

• Education Department told to make cuts to spending

Mr Montgomery also believes the wider economic outlook is "bleak" and affecting some pupils.

"Many of the families we serve are not looking forward to Christmas or the year ahead because they face harsh financial realities," he said.

Other teaching unions have criticised the budget set by Mr Heaton-Harris.

Gerry Murphy, from the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, said some schools would be "pushed into unprecedented levels of debt".

The NASUWT'S Justin McCamphill called for the secretary of state to "go back to Westminster and seek proper funding for education in Northern Ireland".

Michael Allen said schools are already struggling financially.

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle, Michael Allen, principal of Lisneal College in Londonderry said his school was already struggling to manage on its existing budget.

"If our school is asked to cut further, pupils will suffer badly.

"I genuinely do not have the answer in terms of how I can run this school cheaper than I am running it," he said.