School meals to rise as Education Authority unveils £20m cuts but warns of £100m funding gap
Tuesday 10 November 2026
Families across Northern Ireland will face higher school meal prices from January, while changes to school transport, music tuition and funding for schools form part of a further £20 million savings package agreed by the Education Authority (EA).
The measures will bring the Authority’s planned savings and efficiencies to approximately £50 million this financial year, yet it is still forecasting a funding shortfall of more than £100 million to maintain existing services.
The scale of the financial pressures means schools and families are now facing changes to services and additional costs, with the EA warning that there is very limited scope to reduce spending further without affecting pupils.
School meals to increase from January 2027
From the beginning of January 2027, parents and carers who pay for school meals will face increased charges, with primary, nursery, pre-school and special school meals rising by 30p.
Post-primary schools operating cafeteria-style meal services will increase prices by 15% across individual food items.
The new charges will be:
• Primary schools: £3.40 per meal
• Nursery schools and pre-school settings: £3.30 per meal
• Special schools: £3.40 per meal
• Post-primary schools: 15% increase across cafeteria food items
Children entitled to free school meals will not be affected by the price increases. The EA has confirmed that the free school meal allowance will rise to reflect the new charges, ensuring eligible pupils can continue accessing their meals.
The Authority says the revised prices will remain below the average £5.28 cost of producing a school meal.
However, the changes will also affect what children are served. Traditional baked desserts in primary schools, pre-school settings and special schools will be replaced with dairy and fruit-based alternatives, which the EA describes as more nutrient-rich.
The Authority says this will help limit price increases while maintaining healthy and varied menus.
Changes to school taxi arrangements
Another significant measure concerns home-to-school transport, particularly the provision of taxis for pupils who require them.
Under the revised approach, the EA will prioritise payments to parents instead of commissioning new taxi services, using an option already available under Department of Education policy.
Currently, parental payments are generally offered when the Authority cannot arrange a taxi. Under the new approach, they will become the preferred option for new provision.
Importantly, the EA has confirmed that existing taxi arrangements will remain in place and will not be affected by the change.
The decision follows a substantial increase in transport expenditure, with the Authority's annual taxi bill more than doubling over five years.
Spending rose from £19,428,826 in 2020–21 to £39,753,169 in 2024–25, an increase of more than £20 million.
The EA attributes this growth to increasing numbers of children with statements of Special Educational Needs (SEN), alongside inflationary pressures.
Although existing taxi services are protected, the revised policy raises practical questions for families requiring new transport arrangements, including how parental payments will operate and whether they will adequately cover the costs involved.
Music Service charges and transport support
Families whose children participate in the EA Music Service will also face changes.
The Authority intends to introduce a revised, more consistent charging model based on pupil participation.
Free transport currently provided to students attending group ensemble activities in some areas will also be discontinued.
The EA has not specified the new charges or identified which areas will lose free transport in the information released.
Further details will be important for families assessing the affordability of music tuition and participation in ensemble activities, particularly where travelling to rehearsals or performances is necessary.
Schools face tighter spending controls
The savings programme will also place additional restrictions on how schools manage their budgets and purchase essential supplies and services.
The amount schools can spend on goods and services without obtaining prior EA approval will be significantly reduced.
Under the revised arrangements, only expenditure considered essential will be approved.
The Authority says spending at school level represents a significant element of its wider financial challenge.
Schools will also lose access to some additional funding previously available to address particular pressures, including operating across split sites or accommodating increases in pupil enrolment during the academic year.
The EA says this contingency funding can no longer be sustained within its current financial position.
School programmes to be brought to an end
Some school programmes providing activities beyond core statutory education requirements will also be discontinued.
The Authority says changes to funding arrangements mean money previously earmarked for these programmes will no longer be available.
Participating schools will now be required to bring the affected programmes to a close.
The announcement does not identify the individual programmes or schools involved, leaving uncertainty about which activities pupils will lose and when they will end.
Uncertainty over school milk scheme
The future funding of the School Milk Subsidy Scheme is another concern identified in the savings plans.
The EA currently contributes towards the operation of the scheme in approximately 500 schools across Northern Ireland.
It is seeking additional financial support from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to help cover its contribution and maintain the scheme.
No confirmation of additional funding has been provided in the announcement, meaning the longer-term financial arrangements remain unresolved.
£50 million savings still leave enormous shortfall
The latest measures follow approximately £30 million in savings and efficiencies already secured by the EA during the current financial year.
Earlier action included restrictions on recruitment, staff training and travel within centrally provided services supporting schools.
The additional measures agreed by the EA Board are expected to deliver approximately £20 million when fully implemented, bringing the total to around £50 million.
However, even after these reductions, the Authority expects to face a funding shortfall exceeding £100 million.
The final figure will depend on its confirmed budget allocation for 2026–27.
In the continuing absence of an agreed Northern Ireland budget, the EA has been operating against an indicative funding allocation based on its closing budget for 2025–26.
According to the Authority, this does not adequately account for inflation, increasing school energy bills, the full-year costs of previous pay decisions or growing demand for services, including special educational needs provision.
Approximately 83% of the EA's budget is spent on staffing, predominantly employees working in schools. Much of the remaining expenditure covers fixed costs, including rates and utilities, or essential and statutory services.
This leaves increasingly limited opportunities to make savings without directly affecting education provision.
Further decisions and scrutiny ahead
The EA Board says its decisions reflect the need to balance its responsibilities towards children and young people against the requirement to operate within available funding.
The Authority has also warned that overspending this year could have implications for the following financial year.
It says longer-term reform, developed with the Department of Education and other partners, will be necessary to address recurring financial pressures.
This work is expected to reflect the Department's five-year budget strategy published in February 2026.
However, the estimated value of the latest savings remains subject to implementation assessments, equality and rural-needs screening, consultation where required, legal review and confirmation that the measures can be delivered.
The EA has written to schools outlining the plans, particularly the changes affecting delegated budgets, and says further communications will follow in the coming days, including details of school meal increases.
For families and schools, the immediate consequences are becoming clearer: higher meal costs, changes to new taxi arrangements, reduced support for music activities and tighter restrictions on school spending.
Yet the greater concern is what follows. Despite identifying around £50 million in savings, the Education Authority still faces a funding gap of more than £100 million, raising serious questions about how Northern Ireland's schools and essential education services can be maintained without further reductions or additional funding.
