INTRODUCTION
1. The NASUWT is the largest teachers’ union in Northern Ireland representing the majority of teachers and principals.
2. The NASUWT welcomes the opportunity to submit a response to the Heenan-
Anderson Commission as an opportunity to inform a potential Labour
Government on how they could best support the Northern Ireland Executive to improve the educational outcomes for those who currently have no stake in the economy and are at the margins of their communities.
GENERAL COMMENTS
3. In responding to this consultation,the NASUWT cannot ignore the impact of the cuts proposed in the Northern Ireland Budget for 2015-16, which will have a devastating impact on educational provision for all children and young people but especially those on the margins of society.
4. In the NASUWT Draft Budget Consultation response of December 2014,the
Union noted with grave concern the view of the Department of Education
Northern Ireland (DENI) that the proposed cuts to the Revenue and Capital
Budgets would adversely affect frontline services and render undeliverable the maintenance of all core services at current levels. This will be a gross injustice
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to children and young people whose futures depend on access to world-class education.
5. The NASUWT believes that Labour Government must reverse the austerity measures which have led to the reduction in the block grant to Northern Ireland and commit iself to the protection of a quality education service in Northern
Ireland. No other administration in the UK has proposed cuts to education on such a scale, in such a short period of time. These cuts would set back
Northern Ireland’s education system in ways which would weaken economic competitiveness and increase poverty and disadvantage.
6. The Education Service is already in a fragile state, with extensive teacher redundancies, rising class sizes, increased staff workload and cuts to the education budget, year on year, since 2010.
7. In the period 2010-14 the Executive budget has already been eroded by around
£1.5 billion as a result of the reduction in the British Government’s block grant to Northern Ireland. This has already been translated into deep cuts in the
Education budget.
8. A legacy of Northern Ireland’s history is the increased pressures on public services. The Irish Congress of Trades Unions (ICTU) has identified an additional funding factor for Northern Ireland known as the ‘Troubles Premium’.
In short, this recognises that additional spending pressures exist as a result of overcoming the legacy of sectarian division as well as its continued manifestation. The NASUWT holds the view that supporting education through this type of 'Troubles Premium' will support the still relatively fragile peace process.
9. Poverty is rising against the UK with 3.7 million children now living in poverty and 1 in 6 in households in Northern Ireland where one adult at least is
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working. Poverty remains a feature of life for many children, young people and families. A significant number of households have experienced intergenerational poverty. These households are concentrated in areas which bore the brunt of the Troubles or have been historically neglected in terms of investment or infrastructure.
10. According to the ICTU, poverty in Northern Ireland has increased from 18% of the population in 2002 to 22% in 2013. Other data from the children’s charity
Barnardos has reported that there are around 100,000 children in Child Poverty in Northern Ireland in 2012 (and 44,000 in severe poverty). This is expected to increase further over the coming years. A recent report by Save the Children estimates that by 2020, some 38% of children in Northern Ireland will be living in relative poverty.
11. Northern Ireland’s share of people of working age with no qualifications is almost twice the UK average and the highest of all UK regions. The challenges facing the economy and labour force are therefore considerable. The increasing demand for higher-level skills suggested by skills forecasting will place additional demands on this area of activity.
12. The NASUWT welcomes the fact that Labour ministers have recognised that inequality is especially pronounced in Northern Ireland and want to address this in the Labour manifesto.
13. Inequality and social deprivation have been at the heart of the conflict for generations. To build a stable Northern Ireland free from political extremism requires a concerted and prolonged plan to address the contributing factors.
14. The Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is rightly concerned that a significant number of people in all communities have not seen a peace dividend
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but have been left behind and have little hope for the future. A strong education system is critical in raising the aspirations and expectations.
FOCUS OF THE HEENAN-ANDERSON COMMISSION
15. At the launch of the Commission, several issues were identified including rebalancing the economy without a
‘slash and burn’ approach but recognising the need for enhanced quality and efficiency, early childhood development, educational attainment and supporting skills and business start-ups.
Rebalancing the Economy
16. The NASUWT notes that the Commission is looking at the implications of a rebalanced economy where there will be a much greater equilibrium between public and private sectors. The NASUWT is opposed to the
‘selling off’ of
Northern Ireland's public assets to the private sector and shares the concerns of the ICTU in relation to plans to reduce the level of corporation tax in Northern
Ireland. To build a strong private sector an education system is needed which empowers all young people.
17. The NASUWT believes that investing in public education is not simply a responsibility for government. Elsewhere there has been a move to radically increase levels of investment in education from private sources, including changes to university tuition fees. However, the NASUWT does not see this as a solution for the provision of early years, primary and secondary/post-primary education and, furthermore, has serious concerns about the impact of the fees regime on participation rates in higher education, particularly amongst young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Early Childhood Development
18. Investing in high-quality early education and childcare is critically important in raising outcomes for all, especially for children from low-income backgrounds.
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19. Despite the importance of early childhood education, this is often one of the first casualties when there are financial pressures on governments. For example, in
England, the closure of SureStart children’s centres and the scaling back of early years provision is impacting most severely on children from the lowestincome backgrounds whose families simply cannot afford to pay for alternative provision. Between 2010 and 2012, on average two SureStart children’s centres were closed down every week.
20. Investing in high-quality early interventions, including qualified teachers in early years education settings, could make a real difference in reducing the impact of household income on educational achievement and creating better outcomes for all children and young people (DfES, 2007; Sylva, et al., 2004).
Educational Attainment
21. Access to qualified and experienced teachers has a major impact on children’s educational outcomes. Therefore, if government is serious about securing social mobility and excellence for all children in Northern Ireland, then it must begin by ensuring that all pupils are taught by qualified and experienced teachers. This means having appropriate levers in place to recruit and retain qualified teachers and to ensure the continuous professional development of teachers to secure high-quality provision.
22. Additional targeted resources for children and young people from low-income backgrounds is also vital, providing that these increased resources are used to benefit pupils from low-income backgrounds.
23. The NASUWT notes the marked improvement at the 5+ (A*-C) GCSE
(including English and Maths) benchmark in Northern Ireland this year, with the greatest improvement happening in the non-selective sector, where 44.0% of pupils met the target in 2013/14, up from 37.7% in 2012/13 and from 33% in
2008/09. These results have occurred in the schools which participated in the
OFMDFM Delivering Social Change Signature Programmes. The NASUWT
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would be supportive of similar projects which are ring fenced to ensure that support is delivered to those who need it most.
Skills and Businesses for the Future
24. There are gaps in Northern Ireland’s skills profile and there are proportionally more people with low or no qualifications and fewer with high-level qualifications than in the rest of the UK. Ending cuts to further education (FE) colleges must be a central priority in addressing this situation, and therefore to
Northern Ireland’s long-term prospects. Regrettably, FE colleges have not had an increase in funding since 2007; if Northern Ireland is to develop a competitive economy,there must be a return to at least pre-2007 levels of funding in real terms.
25. Schools and colleges should be supported by business and employers’ organisations to ensure equality of access to vocational education, including the provision of high-quality, practical, hands-on, work-based learning opportunities.
26. The NASUWT recognises that securing high outcomes for all young people relies on access to high-quality support for children and families that is provided beyond schools. Many of these services deliver support for young people which help to overcome barriers to learning and to educational participation. The
NASUWT would welcome a commitment from Labour that they will overturn any cuts to other parts of public service provision for young people.
27. The NASUWT draws the attention of the Commission to the recommendations set out in the report of the Inclusive Prosperity Commission (IPC). The IPC was comprised of individuals from the UK and the United States with extensive experience and expertise in economic, social and educational policy and included the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer and the General Secretary of the NASUWT. The IPC was tasked with developing practical policy options
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for promoting prosperity in ways that also tackle longstanding issues of social and economic inequity.
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28. In its work, the IPC focused particularly on issues related to vocational and skills education, given the critical role of these areas of policy in securing economic growth and enhancing earning potential of young people. It’s key recommendations in this respect included providing high-status learning vocational learning pathways and using the power of state to enhance vocational learning by requiring employers seeking public sector contracts to make binding commitments to support work-based education and training.
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29. The NASUWT is clear that these and other recommendations set out by the
IPC offer a viable and progressive approach to addressing the issues within its remit. The Union would therefore welcome the opportunity to engage directly with the Commission on the work of the IPC and to explore the extent to which it could address the profound deprivation and social exclusion challenges
Northern Ireland faces currently.
OTHER ISSUES
Academic Selection
30. Northern Ireland has a long trail of academic underachievement which many believe is related to the selective system of education at age 11. It is of deep regret that one system of selection at age 11 was abolished to replace it with two different systems which entail five exams for 11 years olds.
31. In the absence of an Assembly vote to change the current system, consideration should be given to the ways in which academically selective schools can be integrated into genuinely collaborative arrangements with non-
1 Summers, L.H. and Balls, E. (co-chairs) (2015). Report of the Commission on Inclusive Prosperity.
Center for American Progress; Washington D.C.
2 ibid.
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selective schools. This collaboration, if it is to be meaningful, would need to include provision, where appropriate, for selective schools to take an active and direct role in the education of pupils enrolled formally in other schools as part of their contribution to their local learning partnership.
Shared and Integrated Education
32. The NASUWT welcomes the extra money committed by the UK Government for Shared and Integrated Education and hopes it can go some way towards addressing the ongoing perceived concern that the DENI has failed to discharge its statutory responsibility to encourage and facilitate integrated education.
33. Shared and Integrated Education projects have a role to play in overcoming the long legacy of division. While many parents may continue to choose (or indeed are not able choose due to lack of choice) a school which is not diverse in its intake needs to be a focus at government level on building an education system that can deliver shared education now, but will also be capable of evolving into a more integrated and diverse schooling infrastructure in future.
Conclusion
34. A Labour Government after the General Election would have an historic opportunity to remedy the damage caused by the austerity agenda imposed on
Northern Ireland. It is the stated aim of the Northern Ireland Executive to build a
‘peaceful, fair and prosperous society in Northern Ireland'
. Westminster governments of whatever political hue should support this by ensuring that education is at the heart of this agenda.
Chris Keates
General Secretary
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For further information on the Union’s response, contact:
Chris Keates
General Secretary
NASUWT
Ben Madigan House
Edgewater Office Park
Edgewater Road
Belfast BT3 9JQ
028 9078 4480 www.nasuwt.org.uk
rc-nireland@mail.nasuwt.org.uk
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