UUP education spokesperson says guidance for schools to tell pupils and staff to wear more clothes is no answer to rising energy costs and calls for accountability after the Permanent Secretary missed an Education Committee session.

The Ulster Unionist Party's education spokesperson, Jon Burrows MLA, has criticised the Education Authority (EA) over advice to schools suggesting pupils and staff add extra layers to cope with rising energy bills, arguing it fails to address the real funding pressures facing education.

Jon Burrows MLA said: "Schools are expected to maintain a reasonable temperature for pupils and staff, and where they cannot, the position becomes untenable very quickly. Against that backdrop, telling children to put on another jumper is not a serious answer to the mounting financial pressures facing our education system.

"This advice is all the more out of touch given that many schools have spent years enforcing uniform policies that would not even permit children to wear a coat. I had to intervene earlier this year simply to secure the right of pupils to wear a coat to school. Now, rather than addressing the root causes of escalating costs, we are told that children should make up for inadequate funding by layering up.

"For many children that suggestion is impractical. For pupils with autism and other sensory processing difficulties, additional layers can be deeply uncomfortable, distressing and at times intolerable. The Education Authority should revise this guidance to recognise the diverse needs of our pupils rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach.

"School leaders are already doing everything they reasonably can to manage their finances and reduce energy consumption. They should not be placed in the impossible position of choosing between a suitable learning environment and a balanced budget.

"These are precisely the pressures the Education Committee should be examining in detail, which makes it all the more disappointing that the Permanent Secretary did not appear before the Committee today. His appearance was withheld because of the ongoing dispute between the Minister, Sinn Féin and the Committee Chair. At a time when schools are under substantial financial pressure and looking for answers, accountability and transparency matter more than ever.

"Parents, pupils and school leaders deserve serious solutions, not advice to wear extra clothes. The Education Authority should think again, and the Department must engage openly with the Committee and set out how it intends to support schools through these growing financial challenges."