A union leader has penned an open letter to Northern Ireland's education authority and education minister demanding urgent talks to ensure this year’s last-minute scramble for school places for children with special education needs (SEN) is not repeated.
In the strongly worded letter, Dr Graham Gault, national secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT NI, said suggestions from the authority and minister last month that some schools had been unwilling to accommodate pupils with SEN was ‘profoundly insulting’ to dedicated education professionals.
In a communication, the Education Authority announced 1,374 additional SEN places for 2025-26 school year, but said all schools in Northern Ireland needed to be involved in offering specialist provision.
That followed a letter to school principals in May threatening to compel them to create provision if they did not agree to do so by the end of that week.
The letter pushes back against this implication, adding: ‘Every single principal and teacher works effectively with SEN children on a daily basis, consistently demonstrating unwavering commitment and professional excellence. To suggest otherwise fundamentally misrepresents the reality of Northern Ireland’s education landscape and the extraordinary dedication of our workforce.’
It says that pupils with SEN ‘must not be portrayed or perceived as burdens’, something that Dr Gault feels is the inevitable implication of the language of crisis.
The letter highlights underfunding as a barrier to schools’ capacity to support children, adding:
‘Even indirectly attributing blame for current SEN provision challenges to school leaders is not only unwarranted, it actively misdirects attention from the true source of this crisis: sustained, systemic underfunding.’
It says the Independent Review of Education estimates Northern Ireland needs an additional £291m to close the school funding gap with England and Wales – of which £136m is directly linked to supporting pupils with statements of special educational needs.
While pupil numbers have increased by less than 4% since 2017/18, there has been a huge 51% rise in the number of children with SEN statements - without any corresponding increase in resources.
The letter concludes that ‘the endless cycle of last-minute crisis management is failing our children, their parents and failing the profession that seeks to serve them’.
It says that if the Education Authority knows the numbers of children requiring specialist provision for September 2026, and can make predictions for September 2027, constructive engagement with school leaders must begin immediately, adding:
‘NAHT formally appeals to the Education Authority to establish mechanisms for constructive, collaborative and positive engagement with school leaders in areas of high need within the next two months. Our children deserve better than perpetual crisis; they deserve strategic planning, adequate resources and the dignity of advance preparation.’
Explaining the decision to issue the letter and make this demand, Dr Gault said: “The Education Authority’s last-minute scramble for places this year should have been entirely foreseeable.
“The answer is not to talk down school leaders and resort to trying to strong-arm schools which are ill-equipped to offer specialist provision units at extremely short notice and with limited support.
“Doing so is disrespectful to dedicated professionals, and not in the best interests of schools, pupils or parents.
“What we need is an earlier collaborative effort to identify the level of need, and ensure all schools have the funding, resources and spaces needed to play a part in helping to meet it.”
The full text of the letter is as follows:
Open Letter: Urgent Call for Collaborative Action on Special Educational Needs (SEN) Provision
From: Dr Graham Gault, National Secretary, NAHT Northern Ireland
To: Richard Pengelly, CEO, Education Authority; Dale Hanna, Director (School Placements); Education Authority; Mervyn Storey, Chairperson of the Board, Education Authority; Paul Givan MLA, Minister of Education; Ronnie Armour, Permanent Secretary, Department of Education
Dear Colleagues,
I write on behalf of the NAHT(NI) to address the ongoing challenges surrounding SEN provision and to demand immediate, constructive action to support our most vulnerable children.
Defending Our Profession’s Commitment
I must reiterate, in the strongest possible terms, our robust opposition to any language or tone that suggests that school leaders are not interested in, or committed to, supporting children with special educational needs. The deliberate choice of language used by the Education Authority on 28 August, 2025, reiterated by the Minister on BBC radio the following day, have created a characterisation that is not only factually incorrect but also profoundly insulting to the dedicated professionals who serve our education system.
The title line ‘All NI schools will need to be involved in providing for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN)’ suggests an overarching lack of willingness or capacity among school leaders to play their part; an implication entirely at odds with the reality of the immense effort, creativity and sacrifice they demonstrate daily in order to ensure that every child receives the support they deserve. Indeed, every single principal and teacher works effectively with SEN children on a daily basis, consistently demonstrating unwavering commitment and professional excellence. To suggest otherwise fundamentally misrepresents the reality of Northern Ireland’s education landscape and the extraordinary dedication of our workforce.
Children with SEN: Assets, Not Burdens
Our position is unwavering: children with special educational needs must not be portrayed or perceived as burdens. To do so is both harmful and demeaning. These children enrich our school communities in countless ways, bringing unique perspectives, gifts and strengths that enhance the learning environment for everyone. They challenge us to think differently, to teach creatively and to live out the values of inclusion and respect. And, above all, they are entitled to an education in which they can flourish and in which their needs are recognised, valued and met effectively. This is not merely a laudable aspiration; it is their fundamental human right, enshrined in law and protected by our shared moral responsibility as educators and leaders.
The Real Issue: Systemic Underfunding
Even indirectly attributing blame for current SEN provision challenges to school leaders is not only unwarranted, it actively misdirects attention from the true source of this crisis: sustained, systemic underfunding. The Independent Review of Education, for example, estimates Northern Ireland now needs an additional £291 million to close the funding gap with England and Wales and to meet the rising costs of SEN provision (£136 million of which is directly linked to supporting pupils with statements of special educational needs). Meanwhile, the demand for SEN support has surged: since 2017/18, the number of children with SEN statements has risen by 51%, dwarfing the just <4% increase in overall pupil numbers, yet without any corresponding increase in resource allocation.
In this context, denying these children their rightful access to well-resourced, responsive educational provision is not only unacceptable, it is a breach of trust in our system and a denial of the promise of equality and inclusion. What is urgently required now is collective action, across the Education Authority, all education stakeholders, parents, governing bodies, unions and policymakers, to demand proper resourcing for our schools. We must unite in lobbying for appropriate and sustained funding across the education sector, especially for SEN provision. Our language matters: it must not deflect from the root causes of the crisis, but instead reflect the fact that the solution lies not in blaming front-line educators, but in addressing the systemic failures that leave vulnerable children without the support and investment they are owed.
Demanding Immediate Action
The endless cycle of last-minute crisis management is failing our children, their parents and failing the profession that seeks to serve them. If the Education Authority possesses awareness of the numbers of children requiring specialist provision for September 2026 and can make predictions for September 2027, then constructive engagement with school leaders must begin immediately. NAHT formally appeals to the Education Authority to establish mechanisms for constructive, collaborative and positive engagement with school leaders in areas of high need within the next two months. Our children deserve better than perpetual crisis; they deserve strategic planning, adequate resources and the dignity of advance preparation.
Our Commitment and Our Ask
Where school leaders and their staff are properly equipped and resourced to meet children’s needs, they will, as they always have, deliver the highest standard of education that we, in Northern Ireland, are justly proud of. Our school leaders and teaching workforce are consummate professionals who want nothing more than to deliver excellence for every child. They must, however, be resourced appropriately and approached with the respect and dignity that their dedication and professionalism deserve. The children of Northern Ireland deserve no less than our collective best effort, delivered through genuine partnership, adequate resources and mutual respect.We await your urgent response and concrete action.
Dr Graham Gault
National Secretary
NAHT Northern Ireland