Millions more funding goes to two traditionally Protestant schools in NI city compared to eight majority Catholic, figures show

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/education/millions-more-funding-goes-to-two-traditionally-protestant-schools-in-ni-city-compared-to-eight-majority-catholic-figures-show/a669935279.html

Millions more funding goes to two traditionally Protestant schools in NI city compared to eight majority Catholic, figures show

Eight years worth of data is all the Department of Education holds

The Department of Education has given two majority Protestant secondary schools in Londonderry almost twice as much capital funding as the city’s eight mainly Catholic schools combined, figures show.

The figures relate to funding for major and minor works over an eight year period — which is all of the data the department holds, as this newspaper was told when seeking a much wider range of funding awards.

It comes after the Belfast Telegraph reported how DUP Education Minister Paul Givan spoke to Lisneal College about a proposal to build a covered sports dome and pavilion. While the dome didn't happen, Mr Givan refused to even visit St Eugene’s, where a failure to approve funding for a roofing scheme led to the closure of a building.

Having been transferred to a hut and classrooms in the senior school across the road, a cramped environment is said to be impacting on the “health and wellbeing” of staff and pupils — including those with special needs.

Minister met NI school to discuss ‘sports dome’ that DUP colleague had previously rejected
Major funding typically refers to new-build schools, an extension or refurbishment of existing buildings, while minor funding is supposed to be restricted to “unavoidable” works due to financial constraints facing Stormont.

DUP ministers have run the Department of Education (DE) since 2016 — at those times Stormont has been in operation.

The DE said it only retains such financial documents dating back to 2017/18.

Figures for major and minor funding show that in the eight years up to 2024/25, Foyle College received £7.9m and Lisneal College £3.2m — a total of £11.1m.

Collectively, St Brigid’s College, St Cecilia’s College, St Columb’s College, St Joseph’s Boys’ School, St Mary’s College, Thornhill College, Lumen Christi College and Oakgrove Integrated College got £5.8m.

In four out of the last eight years the only integrated college, Oakgrove, has received nothing.
So too has St Columb’s College, whose past pupils include Nobel laureates John Hume and Seamus Heaney, as well as celebrated playwright Brian Friel and decorated footballer Martin O’Neill.

The lowest sum Lisneal College received in any given year was £74k and the highest was £1,169,965 in 2024/25 when Mr Givan was minister.

Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan said: “It has been clear for some time that there is an urgent need for the Education Minister and the Education Authority to explain the rationale behind their funding decisions.

“Vital resources cannot be allocated on an arbitrary basis at the whim of a minister or his officials.

“We have seen several high-profile funding decisions that raise serious questions, while schools like St Eugene’s, which are badly in need of investment, have been refused.

“Leaving schools with crumbling roofs or serious structural defects to get on with it is incredibly short-sighted.”

He added: “Problems only worsen over time, cost more to fix, and cause further disruption for pupils and staff.

“These issues have far-reaching consequences, from impacting enrolment numbers to putting the very future of schools at risk. This is not about pitting schools against each other for funding — it is about ensuring fairness and transparency.

“People are rightly asking questions about how funding decisions are made, and so far those questions have gone unanswered.”

St Columb’s, St Brigid’s and Lumen Christi have all applied for major funding in recent times.
St Columb’s was rejected while under Mr Givan proposals from St Brigid’s and Lumen Christi were paused.

Local primary schools have also rejected for major funds.

That meant no school in Derry which applied for major funding in at least the past decade has progressed.

Another glaring example of a school in the area missing out on funding is Bunscoil Cholmcille.
The Irish medium school moved into ‘temporary’ huts in 1993, when they were assured that within five years they’d have a permanent site and building.

More than 30 years later the school remains in the same decaying huts with a maintenance backlog of £1.4m, according to an inspection report. Yet it has only received £67k for repairs since 2018/19.

When it comes to funding for maintenance and repairs at Derry city secondary schools, Lisneal College sits at the top of the pack out of 50 mainstream schools.

From 2018/19-2024/25, Lisneal alone received £652k, while the four Catholic maintained secondary schools listed collectively received £623k.

Nick Mathison MLA, Chair of the Education Committee, said: “There must be clarity around any minor and major funding allocations.

“I have previously called on the Education Authority and the Minister to review the minor works process to ensure that the most urgent health and safety risks in schools are addressed as a top priority in a transparent and clear format.

“Reform of our minor and major works process is clearly necessary, ensuring the most significant and urgent projects are addressed first.

“I continue to ask questions on the issues around minor works schemes and also look forward to reading the recommendations from the Public Accounts Committee report when they complete their inquiry into school maintenance.”

The Department of Education, EA and the DUP were contacted but did not respond.