BOARD DELAYS SCHOOLS DECISION

It now appears Dunmurry High and Knockmore Primary will learn what the Board proposes when the commissioners meet on Monday November 28

Formal consultation on the future of several schools, including Dunmurry and Knockmore, closed this Wednesday, November 16, after strongly fought campaigns to keep them open.

A spokesperson for the Education Board said: “At their meeting on 15th/16th November the Commissioners received deputations from a range of groups as well as a considerable volume of further written representations and petitions.

“The Commissioners have always made it clear that decisions would only be made after the formal consultation had closed and after due and proper consideration had been given to such information.

“Without wishing unnecessarily to delay making decisions or prolong the period of uncertainty, and cognisant of the volume of new representations submitted in the course of the last two days, the Commissioners have felt it right to take more time to consider further all the material that has been submitted.”

A further meeting of the Commissioners has been scheduled for November 28.

If the Board did recommend closure, it would be up to the Education Minister, John O’Dowd, to make the final decision.

See more page 6.