All grant-aided schools have been informed of their budgets for the 2016-17 financial year.
The amount of money directly delegated to schools is £1,167.5m. The overall Executive Resource Budget for 2016-17 has been reduced in real terms.
The schools budget is not fully protected and as a result there will be 0.8% reduction in the next financial year.
Education Minister John O’Dowd has called the budget position ‘very challenging [but] better than previously anticipated’.
In order to mitigate against reductions in school budgets, the DENI has funded the 2015-16 Strategic Cost Reduction programme in schools, which will result in up to £12.5m of full year salary savings in 2016-17 for schools.
The 2016-17 Common Funding Scheme is on the same basis as 2015-16.
There are no changes to the formula factors or methodologies used to distribute funding, though the outcomes at individual school level will reflect demographic changes both at individual school level and in aggregate.
Transition funding will be available in 2016-17 on the same basis as the previous two years.
The NASUWT believes that there will be devastating consequences for jobs and the educational provision for children and young people. The proposed cuts of 3.8% which equate to around £72 million will hit the already depleted schools’ budget.
The NASUWT has stated that it will continue to vigorously oppose any proposed cuts to the Education Budget. Schools increasingly will struggle to deliver the level of high-quality education with fewer teachers and education support staff who are the casualties of the cuts.
Given the importance of education to the long-term economic future, it is short-sighted to limit the educational opportunities of children and young people.
The dedication and commitment of teachers is being stretched to the limit.
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