Commenting on the news that new school buildings for 28 post-primary schools in Northern Ireland have been approved, Dr Graham Gault, director of school leaders' union NAHT(NI), said:

"Any announcement of funding for education is to be welcomed and we welcome the approval of £800m for 28 new school buildings. In Northern Ireland, however, we are all too familiar with promises left unfulfilled, and so we will judge this announcement by its delivery, over time. The reality for some of our members is that building projects approved as far back as 2012 have still not been progressed to construction.

"Beyond the long-term and much-needed investment in our physical school estate, there is an immediate shortfall of three quarters of a billion pounds in basic education funding. It would, therefore, bring a great deal of reassurance to our school leaders to hear from politicians how the immediate financial crisis will be offset for our frontline education services."