Schools in Northern Ireland are set to receive a £500m boost, according to the DUP .
Arlene Foster , party leader, said Education Secretary Gavin Williamson confirmed that there will be a Barnett consequential for Northern Ireland of £500m.
It comes after it was announced that schools in England are being promised billions more in spending over the next three years.
School finances have been under intense pressure in recent years and in the absence of a Stormont government , spending decisions have been made by civil servants and Northern Ireland budgets have been passed at Westminster.
Mrs Foster said: "This is a much needed boost for education resource funding over the three years starting from 2020/21.
"This will be on top of the additional funding which has already been delivered for education through our Confidence and Supply Agreement.
"I also welcome the priority that is being placed on special educational needs. I have asked to meet the permanent secretary in the Department of Education to press for special needs to be prioritised in Northern Ireland too.
"Money alone will not fix education in Northern Ireland. It is deeply frustrating that there is no Northern Ireland Assembly with a local Minister to set the priorities and change approaches. Sinn Fein continues to place their preconditions above getting on with the job. It’s time for them to lift the boycott.
"Whilst some focus on refighting process arguments, this is delivery on matters of importance. We will continue to work with the Government to deliver more funding for schools and hospitals as well as ensure our police is properly resourced to tackle crime."
But according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Northern Ireland has faced the highest school spending cuts per pupil in the UK over the past decade.
The BBC reported the new IFS analysis suggests Northern Ireland has seen an 11% cut in real-terms school spending per pupil since 2009. That compares to cuts of 8% in England, cuts of 6% in Wales and cuts of 2% in Scotland.
The IFS also said that pupils in Northern Ireland received the lowest education spending per head in the UK in 2018-19.
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