Learning to manage spending: Experiences of schools in Northern Ireland

This paper focuses on schools in Northern Ireland, with a particular emphasis on school development planning and spending decisions to enhance the quality of teaching and learning. Variations in practice have been found, but there is evidence to suggest that over time, as schools have become more experienced in these areas, they have begun to think more in terms of teaching and learning, and increasingly planning and spending decisions have been driven by these concerns. However, for some schools the tasks confronting them are extremely difficult especially within the secondary sector. Open enrolment and a number of other factors beyond their control have led to declining rolls. Increasingly planning and decision-making in these schools have focused on strategies to deal with retrenchment, and finances were often being considered over educational criteria.