Education shake-up

‘Local area solutions’ is the terminology being used by education chiefs.

There are fears that several schools may close or else retain their building but operate under a new joint name with a nearby primary school.

The plans being brought by Education Minister John O’Dowd for the whole of Northern Ireland have been devised as pupil numbers fall.

There has been mixed views regarding the process but the public are asked to make their opinions known.

Some people like North Antrim MLA Mervyn Storey, the DUP’s education spokesman who is also the Chairman of Stormont’s Education Committee, has already slammed the proposals.

The North Eastern Education and Library Board, after publishing its draft area plans for the future of primary school provision up to the year 2025, is now seeking responses from schools and local communities.

The plan, prepared in conjunction with the Catholic Council for Maintained Schools and other education stakeholders, reflects the Terms of Reference set by the Department of Education and previous engagement with schools.

A Planning statement for each of the Board’s schools is also contained within the plans.

A Board spokesman said: “The Board recognises the challenge of configuring school provision to meet the future needs of pupils and has indicated in this draft plan possible reviews of current school provision that will ensure that all children have access to education in viable and sustainable schools.

“It is important that all children have the best opportunity to achieve their potential in the primary stage of their education and it is our intention to work with the schools and the community to act in the best interests of these children.”

Copies of the plan and consultation materials can be accessed at on the NEELB web site.

The consultation will remain open until 28 June 2013.

Mervyn Storey said the school plans are “fundamentally flawed”.

In a statement to the Times he said:

“When the post primary plans were scrutinised by the Education Committee it became clear that in many cases whilst numbers may be low now by 2025 in many areas there will be a deficit in school places.

“Furthermore it became clear that the process that the Boards were forced to follow was seriously flawed and this resulted in a huge number of responses from the public most of which were critical of the plans. Despite this the Minister has decided to use the same flawed process again in an attempt to bolster his argument of too many schools.