Community fights for small school

Mersey Street Primary School is threatened with closure

An east Belfast community is fighting hard for its small primary school, in the shadow of the shipyard cranes.

Falling numbers mean that this could be the last school year for Mersey Street Primary School.

In its heyday, the school would have had 900 pupils. Most would have left aged 14 to go and work in the shipyards over the road.

Now just 80 children remain. If Belfast Education and Library Board has its way, it'll shut forever in August 2006.

Residents know that the school cannot stay open if numbers continue to fall.

But, at a public meeting on Monday, it was evident this closely knit community would not allow their school to go without a fight.

Stephen Kiery's mother was one of the first to pass through the school doors 75 years ago.

Community spirit was so strong that it survived Hitler, it can certainly survive this Stephen Kiery

"This area withstood the Blitz. The house that I live in and that my parents owned was actually levelled in the Blitz and it was rebuilt again," he said.

"Community spirit was so strong that it survived Hitler, it can certainly survive this."

But this is not a battle waged for the sake of nostalgia.

At Monday's meeting, young mothers argued that the main issue was their children's education and well being.

One talked about the problems of getting to another school - walking on winter mornings and children getting soaking wet.

Another said: "It is a family school, there are small classes, the children are being taught very well.

"When I got the letter, I was gutted. As was my mum because she went there too."

The residents understand economics. In the last few years the numbers have fallen from 200 to just 80. They know the school is not viable.

But all they are asking is a few years to reap the rewards of urban renewal.

Houses in the area are being demolished

John Cochrane of Mersey Street Residents Association said the area was at its lowest as 650 houses had just been pulled down.

"The numbers will increase, it can't go any lower," he said.

"They have flattened the area. Over the next 6 months there will be 78 (new) houses. We have been arguing for the last three years to change to three bedroomed houses to try and attract young families into the area.

"And now they say what is the point in bringing young families, the major resource for those young families is about to be demolished."

More new houses will go up for tender in the new year and further regeneration is in the pipeline.

Speaking on BBC NI's Good Morning Ulster, Jim Rodgers, UUP, a member of the board of governors at the school and chairman of the BELB said he understood fully how parents and residents felt.

"Unfortunately many schools are in difficulty," he said.

"Today's schools are paid on occupancy figures. We have been discussing for some years in Mersey Street how we could attract more pupils. Unfortunately numbers have not been as high as we envisaged.

"It is not just the school, the churches, recreation centre, whole area is hit dreadfully," he said.

Mr Rodgers said talks were ongoing about the amalgamation of three local schools.

Mersey Street School is a listed building, an art deco layout with four gardens, each representing a season.

With winter approaching, the community is hoping spring will bring children's rhymes to be heard in the playground for many years to come.