§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether primary schools in Northern Ireland are funded by a similar formula to those in England; if not, what is the difference; and why such difference exists. [HL3636]
§ Baroness AmosThe system for funding primary schools in Northern Ireland is very similar to that of England, in that delegated budgets are determined by means of a formula developed and operated by the Education and Library Board (in England the Local Education Authority has this responsibility, under the Fair Funding scheme). In Northern Ireland, primary schools in the grant-maintained integrated sector are funded directly by the Department of Education.
It is not possible to draw comparisons on differences in the funding formulae due to the differences in the levels of delegated responsibility, the different categories of schools, and other factors such as, for 106WA example, the relative size of schools and differing levels of social deprivation between the two countries.