Responding to a damning report from Stormont's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today that many schools in Northern Ireland "are in a state of disrepair," school leaders' union NAHT NI has warned that schools in certain settings are operating under conditions that severely compromise the health, safety and wellbeing of both staff and pupils.

The union says recent media reporting has highlighted issues that mirror the experiences reported by members on the ground, with inadequate ventilation, overcrowded classrooms and poorly maintained facilities significantly increasing health risks for teachers, support staff and children.

Staff have reported that their ability to adhere to safety protocols is undermined by understaffing, lack of protective equipment and insufficient cleaning routines. Children's wellbeing is also endangered when schools cannot maintain safe environments; for example, through poor air quality or delayed repairs to hazards.

Dr Graham Gault, NAHT NI national secretary, said: "Our members are being asked to provide education for children in rooms where windows can't open properly, with broken heating systems and without the resources to clean and sanitise to a high standard. This is not just inconvenient, it is putting children and adults at risk."

NAHT NI is calling on the Department of Education, Education Authority and relevant health and safety regulators to:

1. Conduct immediate audits of physical conditions - ventilation, structural maintenance, cleaning standards - in every school, prioritising those in higher-risk areas.
2. Allocate emergency funding to repair infrastructure, upgrade HVAC and ventilation systems, and ensure adequate supplies for sanitisation and PPE.
3. Strengthen oversight and enforcement of health and safety regulations in educational settings, ensuring that non-compliance leads to timely remedial action.
4. Engage with unions, staff and parents in co-designing safer school environments, listening to those on the front line.

Dr Gault added: "It is time for politicians at Stormont to demonstrate that education is genuinely a priority rather than simply a talking point. The Minister of Education cannot deliver the improvements our schools desperately need without the Stormont Executive properly resourcing him to do so. For too long, education has been chronically underfunded while political decision-makers have failed to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of children and staff. This is not acceptable. Our schools deserve investment, not neglect, and our children deserve political leaders who will put their futures first."