Graham Montgomery, ASCL Northern Ireland president, has written to Chris Heaton-Harris, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, to express his dismay at the financial settlement for schools in 2022/23.
Additional funding for energy costs and incremental pay awards will be offset by a reduction to the aggregated schools budget, representing a significant real-terms cut. Northern Ireland schools are already underfunded compared to the rest of the UK and this is likely to necessitate staffing reductions that will in turn lead to larger class sizes, reduced curriculum options and less support for students who need extra help.
