Carol Nolan challenges lack of school staff funding in estimates
Carol Nolan questioned the minister about why the revised estimates omit provision for school staff numbers and urged a temporary moratorium on teacher losses during the COVID emergency. She criticised the absence of staffing allocations despite a net allocation of over £10.1 billion and a gross allocation sought of £10.6 billion.
Estimates and staffing numbers
Carol Nolan highlighted that the revised estimates do not include provision for school staff numbers. She noted the discrepancy between the unchanged net allocation of over £10.1 billion and the gross allocation sought of £10.6 billion, and cited the department Secretary-General’s acknowledgement that additional staff will be needed.
Leadership time and substitution arrangements
She drew attention to recent acceptance that leadership time must be freed up and that substitution for teachers and SNAs should be examined to minimise the number of different substitutes going to schools. Nolan suggested this could allow the creation of more full‑time posts and better cover for supervision and spacing requirements.
Local school impact and pupil-teacher ratios
Carol Nolan gave a constituency example, saying some schools are losing teachers because they fall short of pupil-teacher ratio targets. She named Forbann National School as facing removal of a teacher for being five children short of the target, calling that outcome unfair and unacceptable during the pandemic.
Call for a moratorium during the pandemic
She asked whether there is room for a full moratorium on teacher losses while the COVID emergency remains, noting she had previously raised the issue with the minister’s predecessor. Nolan warned of potential chaos in schools in September if staffing losses are not addressed, emphasising increased responsibilities for school leaders to ensure spacing and supervision.
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Minister, I'll be very brief in the short time I have. I want to focus on why the revised estimates do not include provision for school staff numbers. This is despite the fact that we are here to make provision for an unchanged net allocation of over £10.1 billion. The gross allocation sought is actually £10.6 billion. As the Secretary-General of your department has acknowledged, there will be a need for the employment of additional staff. And it has recently been accepted that we will have to free up leadership time and that there will be a need to cover that and examine different ways of doing substitution for teachers and SNAs because we want to minimise the number of schools different substitutes are going to. So we may be able to create more full-time posts. Minister, there are schools in my constituency who are losing valuable and much-needed teachers because of the existing pupil-teacher ratios. I'm aware that in my constituency there are schools on split sites and I've written to you about one such school, Forbann National School, who that school is facing the removal of a teacher because they are just five children short of the target that's needed to retain the teacher. This is unfair and indeed wholly unacceptable, given that we're in the middle of a pandemic. Is there any room for a full moratorium on teacher losses while this COVID emergency remains with us to be agreed? And I know I did bring it up with your predecessor, but I'd really appreciate if some attention could be given to this because there is certainly going to be absolute chaos in our schools come September. And leadership are faced with a lot of responsibilities, you know, they have to ensure that the children will be spaced out adequately and that, you know, there will be supervision in halls and different areas of the school. So I think it is something that should be followed through on a short moratorium while the pandemic lasts. Thank you. Thank you.
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