Public urged to have their voices heard

The meeting has been organised by the Dickson Plan Concerned Parents Group and will be sponsored by both the DUP and Ulster Unionists.

Chair of the recently formed DPCPG, David Baird, told the ‘MAIL’: “A number of concerned parents groups have formed in opposition to Option A and in support of the Dickson Plan.”

The group now includes parents from King’s Park, Waringstown and Carrick primary schools.

David told of their action plan: “We have an agenda to discuss at the meeting after which we would agree a plan of action, which would include communicating with the boards of governors of all the schools in the area to determine their views, and hope to persuade them that we would prefer that the Dickson Plan be retained in the best possible format by fixing whatever is assessed that needs fixing and not to change everything.

“From this meeting we would hope to gather more support for the various groups and whether more groupings could be formed representing schools that do not currently have a parents group or whether they just want to join one of the current groups already set up.”

A further period of consultation on the proposals for the future of post-primary education in the area will run from October 7 to November 29.

It will involve boards of governors, staff, both teaching and non-teaching and parents at post-primary schools.

DUP MLA Stephen Moutray on behalf of his party has urged the public to use this opportunity to reject Option A.