East Antrim MLA John Stewart 'profoundly disappointed' over Ballycarry Primary School closure
East Antrim MLA John Stewart has expressed his ‘profound disappointment’ at the decision by Education Minister, Paul Givan, to proceed with the closure of Ballycarry Primary School at the end of the current academic year.
It comes as the Minister approved an earlier proposal by the Education Authority that the school would discontinue from August 31, 2027 – effectively closing at the end of the school year in June 2027.
Mr Stewart said the decision represented another devastating blow to rural education in East Antrim. "Ballycarry is a long-established school at the heart of its community, and its closure will be deeply felt not only by the pupils, parents and staff directly affected, but by the wider village and surrounding rural area,” he added.
"What makes this decision particularly disappointing is that, in my submission to the consultation process, I did not simply ask for sustainability considerations to be ignored. I recognised that the Department must take account of pupil numbers and the requirements of the Sustainable Schools Policy.
"However, I specifically requested that Ballycarry Primary School should be afforded a one-year grace period to allow the potential for an improvement and recovery in enrolment numbers to materialise. The fact is that the numbers in the village and hinterland do exist to support and sustain a primary school in Ballycarry, but for whatever reason children have been sent to other schools outside the local area.
"I also called for a proper assessment of the cumulative impact that the closure of rural schools is having across East Antrim. This is now the third state-controlled rural primary school in East Antrim to be closed in the space of only a few years. At what point does the Department stop looking at each individual closure in isolation and begin to consider the wider and cumulative consequences for our rural communities?”
Mr Stewart concluded: “The closure of Ballycarry Primary School will be a deeply disappointing day for the local community. I want to pay tribute to the pupils, parents, staff, governors and everyone who has worked so hard to support the school.
"Their efforts deserved to be have been met with greater flexibility and a willingness from the Department and ultimately the Minister to consider whether a short period of additional time could have provided a different outcome.”