Parents fight to save school

Parents fight to save school

Maggie Taggart
BBC NI education correspondent

There are 22 pupils at the school

Parents at a small school in County Antrim are pitting their wits against the education authorities and challenging an order for it to close.

Ballypriormore Primary school in Islandmagee is under threat because of the falling population in the area.

The North Eastern Education Board wants to close it down but parents say they have been misled and that the school has been given no chance of survival.

Beverley Howe said her child's schoolwork thrived since she went to the school, adding that the decision to close was taken too swiftly and too ruthlessly.

"I don't think the children were ever taken into consideration and as you can see, there are 22 reasons why we want to keep this school open and each one of them is important."

She said the board gave the impression of consulting them but had already made up its mind.

Fifteen years ago the school had 100 pupils while six years ago it had 54. Now the number is 22 and falling.

The board said the small numbers were affecting the quality of education the children were receiving so it had reluctantly recommended its closure.

Unionist and nationalist politicians in Islandmagee have joined forces to keep the school open.

I don't think the children were ever taken into consideration

Beverly Howe
Parents' spokeswoman

The board said it was committed to rural schools but wanted to amalgamate three local schools onto one new site. The trouble is there is no site and no money yet.

Parents say the education at Ballypriormore is excellent and its closure should have at least been delayed until a new school is built .

The board insists the numbers have dwindled so much that it would be foolish to try to keep it open until 2004.

Parents have met the board and can now lobby the Department of Education, which has the final say.

But talk of closure has already deterred parents and the numbers for next year, if it is still open, will be even lower.