Part Ii: Funding of Grant-Aided Schools
Article 3 - The common funding scheme for grant-aided schools
Article 3 provides for one common funding scheme for all grant-aided schools in Northern Ireland. The Department will have an overall duty to prepare and publish the common funding scheme after consultation with the Education and Library Boards (ELBs), the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) and such other bodies as it sees fit. The Article also places a duty on all ELBs to implement the common funding scheme.
Article 4 - Contents of the common funding scheme
Article 4 sets out what the common funding scheme is to cover, including details of the common funding formula to be applied in calculating the budget allocation to each relevant school. The Article also allows for a school’s budget allocation to be revised in-year and for a common funding scheme to be applied to new schools.
Article 5 - Conditions as to financial delegation
Article 5 provides the power for ELBs to set separate delegation conditions, from the common funding scheme and for the Department to issue guidance on these conditions. It also provides for the common scheme to detail restrictions on the Board of Governors.
Article 6 - Effect of financial delegation
Article 6 provides for the common funding scheme to detail the arrangements for schools having the management of their budget allocation delegated to their Board of Governors by the ELB. It also ensures that members of a Board of Governors of a school will not incur any personal liability in respect of any action taken in good faith in the exercise or purported exercise of their delegated powers under the common funding scheme.
