Honor Irvine GKFH24
A CUT to a schools’ funding programme which targets the most socially disadvantaged communities will have a major impact on pupils and their families, it has been claimed.
The Extended Schools programme which helps schools across the county has been slashed by £2m as part of the ongoing public sector cuts within the Northern Ireland Executive.
Extended schools activities are designed to support learning, raise school standards and promote healthy lifestyles, and help schools work closely with members of the wider community and connect local people with local services.
Some of these include breakfast or homework clubs, sport, art, drama, ICT, programmes for parents and families and community use of school premises.
However, there has been doubt cast over the future of some of the activities after the Department of Education confirmed the £2m reduction in funding for schools.
Launched in May 2006, the funding allows those schools serving the most disadvantaged areas to offer a wide range of services or activities outside of the normal school day to help meet the learning and development needs of pupils, their families and local communities.
Maguiresbridge Primary School runs a number of activities through the funding programme including the film club, gymnastics, art and craft and ICT.
The school’s principal, Honor Irvine, said: “An Extended School provides a range of services and activities during or beyond the school day, to help meet the needs of children, their families and the wider community.
“After careful self-evaluation the school set up a very successful homework club. The club runs every afternoon and provides the children with homework support, a snack, outdoor play and a range of activities. The homework club is well supported and it has made a positive impact on all aspects of school life.
“The school also receives additional funding from a cluster group which involves working with other primary and post primary schools in the locality.
“The Cluster Funding has been used to set up additional support programmes in Literacy and Numeracy, invest in new technology (iPads) and further develop parent partnerships within the school. The parent initiatives have included setting up Maguiresbridge Running Club, zumba and jive classes. Being an extended school has had a very positive effect on children, their families and the wider community.
“Reduced funding to the extended schools budget will impact all of the programmes currently available within school. This reduction will no doubt be felt by both the pupils and their families.
“However, the school will endeavour to financially support the programmes as they are seen to be such an asset to the whole school community.”
A spokesman for the Department of Education told the Fermanagh Herald: “The Executive’s Budget has been reduced by the Westminster Government by £1.5b over the last five years.
“As a direct result of this reduction there is significantly reduced money to spend on frontline services provided by the Department of Education (DE).
“Minister O’Dowd has taken every action possible to protect Education funding and those frontline services within the Department of Education’s remit, however it is simply impossible to protect everything.
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