Drastic budget cuts are hitting schools, warn Derry primary principals

Parents of children at 40 local Primary level schools have been warned of ‘unprecedented financial pressures’ that have been placed on local primary schools over the past five years.

In a stark letter that’s been issued to parents, the Derry Primary Principals’ Association, which includes headteachers from the Controlled, Maintained, Integrated and Irish Medium sector in the city, said the current situation was simply unsustainable.

“The amount of funding that we are receiving for each child has been reduced drastically over the past number of years by over £70 per child per year, whilst staff costs and inflation have constantly risen.

“Within 31 of the 40 local Primary Schools we represent, the combined budgets will be running at a deficit of £1,007,372 at the end of this financial year (i.e. March 31, 2020) and this will increase substantially to a deficit of £4,204,136 by the end of March 2022 (i.e. two years’ time).

“This is a grave situation and one which cannot make for sustaining schools, never mind trying to sustain school improvement,” the letter states.

The principals’ lobby warns that reduced budgets have resulted in limited educational opportunities for children.

Schools are also struggling to sustain and improve standards and provide proper support for pupils with additional and special educational needs (SEN), the headteachers say.

Class sizes have become bigger and are now unsustainable in many cases, the PPS state.

And cuts are affecting staff morale and placing unacceptable demands on parents and staff who are paying for costs incurred by schools out of their own pockets, the headteachers argue.

“Consequently, if funding is not increased, it will impact on our ability to deliver the high quality educational standards that we have become accustomed to and which our children have experienced in the past and have a right to expect.

“As educators, we have always been proud of the high standards that we have been able to deliver in all of our schools in Derry/Londonderry throughout the years. However, all of this is being compromised and threatened by the lack of financial and political support that we are being given to run our schools.”

Parents were reminded in the letter that their children deserved nothing but the best and that this was acknowledged by the Education Minister Peter Weir.

“As a matter or urgency, we, the principals of the Derry/Lononderry schools, have requested a meeting with our Education Minister and political representatives,” the principals state.

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said: “The Department is acutely aware of the financial pressures facing schools. It is recognised that education is facing extensive unavoidable cost pressures and rising service demands associated with delivering statutory and policy obligations.

“The Education Minister will continue to work with Executive colleagues to make the case for additional funding in 2020-21.”