Dr Graham Gault, director of NAHT NI, Northern Ireland’s school leader’s union, said: "Hundreds of teachers have been employed and many thousands of children have been positively impacted by the Engage programme, which has been in place in Northern Ireland since September 2020. We are now, however, less than a fortnight from the end of the financial year and there remains no confirmation about whether this funding stream is going to continue or not.

"The same is true for the millions of pounds of funding that has been in place to support SEND work in schools and, indeed, the £5M fund for the primary counselling pilot, which, whilst problematic, has supported the mental health of many hundreds of young children.

"Government must surely, by now, be aware that school leaders cannot plan or deliver learning, teaching and safeguarding in such a hap-hazard, last-minute way. There are employment issues attached to these funds, there are significant logistical arrangements that need to be put in place and, most importantly, there are children and young people whose support mechanisms are dependent on these monies.

"We, in NAHT, call on government officials, in no uncertain terms, move quickly!"