Protestant pupils 'left with no option'

The UUP says demographic trends and economic cutbacks are affecting the capacity of controlled schooling in the city to meet the requirements of key Department of Education (DE) policy.

And it warns that the choice of those pupils in Controlled schools, who have to travel to Catholic schools to further their education, is diminished.

Under the DE Entitlement Framework schools are required to offer 24 courses at Key Stage 4 and 27 courses at 16-19, whilst Area-based planning in Londonderry aims at a more economic delivery of education.

In order to keep in line with these policies school managers within controlled schooling are having to place their pupils in other schools, as their only option, within the Foyle Learning Community to satisfy subject choices as defined within the statutory legislation, says the UUP.

Over the past 10 years the Controlled sector in Londonderry has shrunk considerably with the closure of Templemore in 2003 and the amalgamation of Clondermot and Faughan Valley High School as Lisneal from 2004.

Chairman of the Foyle Unionist Association Terry Wright warned in an article published inside today's Sentinel: "In order to meet the requirements of the Entitlement Framework school managers within controlled schooling are having to place their pupils in other schools, as their only option, within the Learning Community to satisfy subject choices as defined within the statutory legislation.

"Whilst relations are for the most part productive, pupils from controlled schools are left with the only option of going to a school to further their education which has a different ethos to that which they chose in the first instance and is likely to be located in an area of the city with which they would have at best only a fleeting familiarity.

"In a normal society this might not be an issue but in a city like Londonderry which remains a community in transition wherein community relations are at times problematic, there is evidence that the situation is influencing and narrowing the choice of some pupils and in so doing becomes an equality issue which must be addressed.

"It also serves to support the view that shared education cannot happen in isolation and needs to be supported by social and political initiatives."

The Sentinel asked the Department of Education (DE) for a response to the criticism but at the time of going to press yesterday afternoon none was available.