Seven per cent of vacant school places in city

Education Minister John O’Dowd has revealed that there are more vacant school places in Londonderry than any constituency apart from North Belfast and West Belfast.

West Tyrone also has a high number of vacant places with 6,096 whilst East Londonderry has 4,925.

East Londonderry MLA Gregory Campbell asked the Minister for a breakdown, by constituency of the 84,605 vacant school places across Northern Ireland.

He explained: “The number of vacant places in schools is derived from the difference between a school’s approved enrolment number and the number of pupils enrolled at the school.”

He advised: “The figures exclude the enrolments of 9,563 pupils in receipt of a statement of special educational needs, and 138 pupils admitted on appeal by the Education and Library Board appeal tribunals or by direction of the independent Exceptional Circumstances Body, as these are admitted over and above a school’s approved enrolment number.”