Commenting following the announcement of a political deal in Northern Ireland, NAHT NI president Jackie Bartley said: 

“School leaders will welcome the decision by the DUP to return to the Northern Ireland Executive. We fully expect that the funding that should already be meeting the needs of Northern Ireland’s decimated public services will now be released by the secretary of state with urgency.

“Discussions between the Department, employing authorities and the Northern Ireland Teachers’ Council (NITC) must be expedited in pursuit of a resolution to the ongoing dispute, following which NAHT will be ready, able and willing to work constructively with all parties to undo the damage that has been inflicted upon our schools in recent years.”