18 schools tookon more pupils

The border school - along with Greenhaw Primary and Chapel Road Primary - were allowed to take in extra pupils in 2011/12.

And this year Broadbridge Primary in Eglinton was the only school to exceed its admissions limit.

It supports Headmistress Carol Campbell’s claim reported in this paper in April that Ballougry is in a strong enough position for a local schools shake-up proposed by the Department of Education (DE) and WELB, not to affect it.

The Sentinel had reported in March how 27 per cent of Londonderry primary schools - including Ashlea, the Fountain, Ballougry and Culmore - didn’t have enough pupils under John O’Dowd’s sustainable schools policy and how they now must think outside the box in terms of providng for the future education of children in the city.

WELB said issues were identified and needed to be addressed at the schools because they fell below the minimum enrolment threshhold of 105 pupils for rural schools or 140 for urban schools. Ballougry Primary had 81 pupils although the report said the “pattern of enrolment” at the school had been increasing.

In a letter to parents after the figures were published Ms Campbell pointed out that Ballougry’s enrolment was actually rising, a fact acknowledged in WELB’s draft Strategic Area Plan. In a letter to parents, Ms Campbell wrote: “In September 2013 we will have 91 pupils on roll. Although this falls short of the 105, which is deemed to be the figure for a sustainable school our enrolment has increased steadily over the past years so we are in a strong enough position for the area plan not to impact on us.”