Across Northern Ireland, schools are facing a crisis that is both deeply personal for families and alarmingly systemic for the entire education sector. Recent reports and high-profile legal cases have thrown a harsh spotlight on the mounting challenges—both infrastructural and bureaucratic—confronting students, parents, and educators alike.
For James and Leigh Bryson, the struggle began at home. Their teenage son Archie, who is autistic and also has dyspraxia, started showing signs of distress about attending school in 2022. What initially seemed like typical teenage reluctance soon escalated: Archie would vomit at the sight of his school uniform and pace the house at night, unable to sleep. The anxiety reached such a pitch that, as Mr. Bryson recounted on The State of Us podcast, "On one occasion he tried to get out of a moving car when school was brought up in conversation. Luckily one of his brothers managed to hold on to him while I slammed on the brakes and pulled over."
The Brysons’ ordeal only deepened as confusion mounted over Archie's placement on the school's Special Educational Needs (SEN) register and the implementation of his Individual Education Plan (IEP). The family claims that aids essential for Archie’s classroom functioning were removed for a time, compounding his distress. Ballyclare Secondary School, where Archie was enrolled, denies this allegation. In a statement released through the Education Authority (EA), the school insisted it had "worked extensively with the parents to support the pupil's individual needs" and was "committed to ensuring every pupil receives the support they need to thrive."
Despite these assurances, Archie found himself frequently in detention. "He'd put his head down on the desk because he was exhausted, his IEP allowed that, but it was treated as defiance," Ms. Bryson explained. The family’s efforts to secure a safety and support plan—on the advice of an educational psychologist—were thwarted when, according to Ms. Bryson, "We were told to wait. We contacted the psychologist, political representatives, even the Northern Ireland children's commissioner. We tried everything. But it was overruled by someone at the Education Authority—and we still don't know why."
From September 2022 to June 2023, Archie remained out of school. His attendance, once above average, had plummeted. The Brysons were stunned when, instead of support, they received a court summons. Their legal battle dragged on for a year and cost them £30,000, culminating in a conviction but with an absolute discharge—meaning no punishment—at the end of September 2025. Judge Mr. Justice Conners, in summing up, acknowledged the complexity of the case and noted he was "unhappy" with some of the evidence from both sides. He remarked, "things happened that shouldn't have."
The EA, for its part, maintained that it had "engaged extensively with the family, offering a wide range of support." However, it concluded, "the parents were not cooperative with the EA and ultimately a court determined that the parents had failed to ensure the child's regular attendance at school." The Authority added, "Parents have a legal duty to ensure their child has access to education. Our preferred approach is to provide support and guidance so that children return to the school where they are registered."
The Brysons insist their actions were motivated solely by a desire to protect their son. "If we'd home-schooled him, the case would've gone away—but that would've been a lie. His needs are greater than what we could provide. I don't know what they wanted us to do, carry him into school? Wrestle him through the door? We were protecting our son," Mr. Bryson said.
This case is far from isolated. The EA has prosecuted 410 other parents over the past five years for school non-attendance, though it has not disclosed how many involved children with SEN. The situation points to a broader crisis in the Northern Ireland education system—one that extends beyond individual families to the crumbling infrastructure of the schools themselves.
Stormont’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recently issued a damning report: many schools are in a "state of disrepair," with a maintenance backlog estimated between £600 million and £800 million. The PAC warned that this neglect "may pose a risk to the health and safety of pupils and staff." The Northern Ireland Audit Office had previously flagged that significant repairs were desperately needed across more than 1,100 schools.
Principals around the region are sounding the alarm. Emma Quinn, principal of Rathcoole Primary School in County Antrim, said much of her day is spent "chasing works, reporting leaks, faulty toilets, broken windows." She lamented to BBC News NI, "whilst essential, this should not be my primary focus." Funding for maintenance, she added, is "simply not there." The principal of Whiteabbey Primary School, Keith Wysner, described his pupils as being "in sub-standard accommodation" and pointed out that only in 2025 did the school receive its first permanent classrooms since 1939. Gavin Fox, principal of Presentation Primary School in Portadown, said his school's heating system "has actually been condemned" and is "very, very temperamental."
Mercy College’s principal, Martin Moreland, called the situation "unacceptable." He explained that while the school is in line for a new building, "getting there is probably going to be a 10-year journey," and in the meantime, "it's a very expensive job maintaining an old school." He cited "ongoing and frequent problems with heating, lighting, very dimly lit rooms because of the old lights, leaks in roofs constantly." Several times last year, the heating system broke down on especially cold days.
SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan, chair of the PAC, told BBC's Good Morning Ulster that the "state of disrepair" is due to a lack of a "management strategy" and an overreliance on "outdated systems." He called for "action with urgency," echoing the committee’s 11 recommendations for change, including regular condition surveys and a comprehensive maintenance strategy.
The Department of Education has acknowledged the scope of the crisis. Education Minister Paul Givan said, "I acknowledge the committee's concerns and share its commitment to ensuring that every child in Northern Ireland is educated in a safe, modern, and inclusive environment." He highlighted the "chronic underinvestment in our schools' estate over many years" and pointed to a particularly acute funding crisis in SEN provision, where the cost of emergency placements has soared from £9 million in 2019 to a projected £85 million this year—an 850% increase in just six years.
The Education Authority, in its response, said, "Recurring shortfalls in budgets mean that no funding is available for routine maintenance of the school estate, and only urgent repairs are undertaken. This limited but unavoidable focus inevitably leads to deterioration in the condition of the estate." The EA is currently focusing on a £29 million statutory remedial backlog but admits that without significant new investment, the problems will persist. New school buildings, where approved, could take up to a decade to materialize.
The convergence of personal hardship and systemic failure paints a troubling picture for Northern Ireland’s schools. As families like the Brysons navigate legal and emotional minefields and educators struggle to keep the lights on—sometimes literally—the call for urgent, strategic action grows louder. The future of thousands of children hangs in the balance, waiting for a system that works as hard for them as they do to simply get through the school day.
