Do you care about your children’s education?

If you have a child at a local primary or post-primary school in the Ballymoney area, you might like to come along to Ballymoney Community Resource Centre on 10 October to have your say about future plans for education in this area.This is a critical time in education in Northern Ireland.
By The Newsroom
Published 3rd Oct 2012, 11:13 BST

There are around 85,000 empty school desks with a large number of schools ‘under stress’ in terms of their finances, enrolment levels and education performance. In addition, the overall level of public spending on education is being significantly reduced over the next number of years. In response to these challenges, the Minister of Education, John O’Dowd has required the Education and Library Boards (ELBs) working with the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) to develop area plans for post primary and primary education.

 The North Eastern Education and Library Board (NEELB), with the other ELBs, has launched a consultation on the plans for post primary education in the NEELB area including Ballymoney. The closing date for the consultation is October 26th. BCRC will be holding a consultation event on October 10th from 7.00 – 9.00 pm to inform parents and those with an interest in the future of post primary education in the area on what the plan is suggesting for Ballymoney, to ask questions of those who will be involved in making the decisions, and to have an opportunity to talk through the ideas with other parents.

The NEELB is suggesting two options for Ballymoney:

Option 1 – Status Quo

Option 2

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The NEELB and CCMS will work together to explore the establishment of a shared management 11-19 co-educational school incorporating Ballymoney High School and Our Lady of Lourdes High School from September 2014 operating on a split site. The shared management arrangement would be that which is permissible within existing educational governance arrangements and legislation.  1050 pupils.

Dalriada Grammar School would continue as an 11-19 co-educational school. 850 pupils

Lyn Moffett, Coordinator of the Community Resource Centre says, “If you care about the future of post-primary education in this area, come along on 10th October and have your say. There will be speakers representing NEELB and CCMS here on the night, and BCRC and IEF will draft a response to the consultation based on what people who attend are thinking.”

For more information or to confirm attendance on the night, contact Lyn Moffett, Ballymoney Community Resource Centre, Units 22+23 Acorn Business Centre, 2 Riada Avenue, Ballymoney BT53 7LH. Tel: 0282766 5068. Email: [email protected]

Related topics:John O'DowdNorthern Ireland