SCHOOL principals in West Belfast have raised alarm bells over fears that a successful education programme – which operates across all 51 schools – is to lose funding from this Friday.
Sharing The Learning Programme which is provided to schools by the West Belfast Partnership Board is funded by the Department of Education. The programme runs projects which have for several years been improving the literacy, numeracy and grades of pupils in West Belfast from all age groups from nursery to post-primary.
The current issues are stemming from the lack of a functioning Executive due to the continued boycott of Stormont by the DUP over the Protocol. With no Executive, the Department of Education have yet to receive a budget so cannot allocate funds to educational programmes and groups.
West Belfast Partnership work with 51 schools, over 30 community groups as well as organising 13 community-based after-schools clubs which cover a variety of things from helping pupils with the transition from primary to post-primary education to improving numeracy and literacy as well as building close relationships through learning with parents and guardians.
Speaking to the Andersonstown News principals in West Belfast confirmed the Sharing The Learning programme has worked wonders to close what once were big educational gaps between West Belfast and other areas of the North.
The programme publishes a yearly report from which the results can be seen. Reports from 2021/22 show increases all within the 90 per cent range for improvements to Key Stage 2 and 3 literacy and numeracy as well as a 99.5 per cent of nursery parents stating the programme has made them more involved with their child’s education and they have a greater understanding of their child’s educational needs.
From 2012 to 2022 there was an 18.9 per cent increase in all pupils attaining five GCSE’s including Maths and English for all pupils – as well as a 28.5 per cent increase from pupils who received free school meals. The programme also saw a narrowing of the gap in educational attainment between non-free school meal children and free school meal children decrease from 19.2 per cent in 2013 to 5.4 per cent in 2019.
Principals have argued these results show the merits of the programme and that the cessation of these educational support programmes will mean the achievements made so far will not be kept up with. The West Belfast Partnership noted the cohesive model and approach to working with the 51 schools throughout West Belfast – which has since been adopted city-wide – will cease.
Sean McNamee, Principal of St Paul’s Primary School in Beechmount said: “The most immediate programme which will be hit will be the Easter School for GCSE pupils. It has been planned but there isn’t any funding for it. That will cease immediately.
"The two staff members who work on these will lose their jobs. The staff who work on these are brilliant and I know they will get snapped up elsewhere but if they go elsewhere and the project does receive funding then we will have lost those staff who have invested years in running this programme.
“Our education manager who oversees this programme is invested in West Belfast, she is from West Belfast and works for the needs of children and young people. Her work engages with community groups, Sure Starts and after-school providers to improve literacy and numeracy. At nursery level we have nearly 1,200 parents and grandparents involved and she works with each one to involve them in the learning of their children.”
Sean said the cutting of the programme would affect all 51 schools in West Belfast and cause a significant setback to education in the area.
“All 51 schools will be impacted. What we can offer and what we can deliver will be reduced. The Partnership are heavily involved in easing the transition for children from nursery to primary and from primary to post-primary and they help pupils prepare for moving on to other schools. A lot of children are frightened of moving from primary school to bigger schools. Days will be organised where all the children going to be First Years can attend and meet others before the term starts and it helps massively ease that transition and that is going to be cut.”
Sean stated that because the programme produced a yearly report you can see the results of how it not only closed the gap on educational achievement but it also improved the number of qualifications young people in West Belfast are attaining at GCSE.
“There was a big improvement of the number of children attaining five GCSEs from A*-C, rising from around 50 per cent in years past to now around 80 per cent. That’s a huge increase. The programme identifies children who are on target to get a C but may be falling behind and we’ve seen those children leaving with A and B grades because the programmes helped them get back on track. It’s hugely beneficial.
“I believe this programme will be funded again but I am worried about when that will be. The Education Department haven’t received their budget yet due to the lack of an Executive at Stormont and if these programmes aren’t funded those staff will go. When they go and if it does receive funding again then time and resources will be lost in training up new people and the effect of that will be felt by the children.”
A spokeperson for the Department of Education said funding had not been allocated because the Department had not yet been allocated a budget but also confirmed that when the budget comes through the Department will need to make ‘significant savings’.
“Like other departments, the Department of Education (DE) 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.
“The Department will communicate budget outcomes as soon as possible.”
Principals from West Belfast also met with political representatives on Friday. Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan said cuts to education must be opposed.
"Cuts to our education system and vital services and programmes which support and benefit our young people must be opposed.
The British government must deliver proper investment in our public services so that our schools can plan and support our young people.
"We need an Executive up and running now and parties working together to support our children and young people against savage Tory cuts."
