Education: Funding cuts put NI young people's schemes at risk

Department of Education funding for the schemes in west Belfast and Monkstown has not yet been renewed

Two long-running education schemes that benefit children and young people in west Belfast and County Antrim are at risk due to a lack of funding.

The Sharing the Learning programme in west Belfast involves 51 schools and thousands of pupils.

Meanwhile, the In Your Corner scheme run by Monkstown Boxing Club supports about 250 young people in that area.

But Department of Education (DE) funding for both schemes ends on 31 March and has not yet been renewed.

The department told BBC News NI that while it has not had a confirmed budget allocation, it is likely it will need to make significant savings.

The Sharing the Learning Programme is run by the West Belfast Partnership Board (WBPB).

As well as working across 51 schools in the area, it has also successfully run an Easter school over a number of years to give hundreds of pupils extra help with GCSE revision.

'Grave concern'

But in a letter to the Department of Education, seen by BBC News NI, the school heads who chair the nursery, primary and post-primary groups in west Belfast express "grave concern" that no funding for the programme is in place after 31 March.

"There is no other organisation in west Belfast which carries out similar work and we believe Sharing the Learning provides excellent value for money, when impact and outcomes are considered," the principals wrote.

They said that, for instance, 3,140 primary school pupils in west Belfast had received extra support in literacy and numeracy in 2021/22.

Data provided to the department showed that about 90% of those pupils had improved in reading and maths as a result of the support.

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"There is grave concern from WBPB, schools and the local community regarding the potential negative impact of Sharing the Learning funding being discontinued," the principals' letter said.

"If discontinued there would be a hugely negative impact, most importantly, on children.

"Whilst finances are providing a huge challenge at present, we feel, as a west Belfast education community, that it is vital that funding for this programme of work be continued."

They also said that there would be widespread cuts to support services for children, young people and families across west Belfast, including for many children entitled to Free School Meals.

BBC News NI understands that the scheme received about £200,000 a year from the department.

A Department of Education spokesperson said: "Like other departments, the Department of Education has yet to receive its confirmed budget allocation. However, current indications are that DE will be given an extremely challenging budget outcome for 2023-24 and it is likely that the department will need to make significant savings from 1 April 2023.

"The department is currently considering the potential consequences of a range of scenarios. However, funding decisions cannot be finalised until the budget is confirmed."

Budget decisions will be communicated as soon as possible, the spokesperson added.

The Monkstown Boxing Club supports young people at risk of dropping out of school

Meanwhile, Monkstown Boxing Club's In Your Corner programme received £143,000 from the Department of Education in February 2022, but that funding also ends on 31 March.

The club has run programmes for a number of years to support young people at risk of dropping out of school.

Announcing the funding in 2022, the then Education Minister Michelle McIlveen said it would enable the club to deliver "an education scheme to support young people who are facing a range of challenges and at risk of disengaging with education".

The money also helped pay for breakfast and after-schools clubs.

'Wound up'

While the club received long-term National Lottery funding in 2019, the Department of Education funding was for work to support teenagers and their families in the Monkstown and Rathcoole areas.

But the club has warned that the In Your Corner scheme will be "wound up" in just over a week.

In a letter to the department's permanent secretary Mark Browne, the club said more than 250 young people were "accessing services and support each week".

"You will be aware of the impact projects like the In Your Corner programme have in loyalist communities where educational underachievement is a major factor in young males being groomed into paramilitaries," the letter said.

Other Department of Education schemes thought to be at risk of funding cuts include a counselling programme for primary school pupils called Happy, Healthy Minds.

It provided funding for therapeutic and counselling services in primary schools.

There have been a number of warnings that education could be facing significant pressures on its budget in 2023/24.