27% of schools not hitting‘sustainable’ pupil targets

According to ‘Putting Pupils First,’ the Western Education and Library Board (WELB) Draft Strategic Area Plan for Primary Schools, which was published yesterday (Tuesday, March 19), action is needed in the case of each of these schools within the Controlled sector - which is favoured by the majority of the city’s Protestant population.

WELB say issues have been identified and need to be addressed at Ashlea due to its current enrolment of 54 pupils which is below the minimum enrolment threshhold of 105 pupils for a rural school or 140 for an urban school.

There are 176 unfilled places at Ashlea and WELB proposes that “a local area solution be explored” for the future.

This doesn’t mean schools will have to close but options will need to be explored to secure the future of Primary provision in local communities. This includes looking at innovate solutions such as shared education.

WELB has already met with the Board of Governors at the Tullyally Primary regarding a downturn in enrolment numbers and budgetary projections.

Following a recent Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) report which highlighted the proximity of Ashlea to other schools WELB says “it is important that the employing authority, school governors and staff plan for, and manage, issues related to the sustainability of the school provision and school budget, in order to address the current and future need of the children and staff.”

The ‘Putting Pupils First’ document on which parents and teachers have until the end of June to have their say, also identifies issues at Fountain Primary which has just 66 pupils and 75 unfilled places.

The same applies to Ballougry Primary (81 pupils) and Culmore Primary (82 pupils) although the report says the “pattern of enrolment” at these schools has been increasing. Nonetheless, they too will be the subject of a search for a “local area solution.”

No changes are proposed for the rest of the Controlled Primaries in Londonderry with Cumber Claudy, Drumahoe, Greenhaw, Lisnagelvin, Londonderry Model, Newbuildings, Ebrington and Eglinton all deemed sustainable within the local area context in relation to enrolment and financial viability.

In Ebrington’s case a new 14 classroom school and nursery unit planned for 2017 will reduce the unfilled places in the local area and in Eglinton’s case a new eight classroom school is planned for 2015.

Over in the Integrated Sector, Oakgrove Primary has also been deemed sustainable but a “local area solution” will have to be explored for Groarty Controlled Integrated Primary due to its enrolment of just 40 pupils; its complement of just three teachers; and the fact that more than two composite classes are accommodated in a single classroom.

Equally, a number of Catholic schools in Londonderry will also be under the subject of discussions over the coming months.

Action has already been approved in regard to the Listress, Craigbrack and Mullabuoy Primary schools, which all have unsustainable pupil numbers as far as the Department of Education is concerned.

The Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) will consult on a proposal to build a new school to service the needs of Craigbrack, Mullabuoy and Listress on the outskirts of Londonderry.

But the management of other Catholic schools will also be asked to explore “local area/parish solutions.”

For example, although Rosemount Primary and St Eugene’s Primary - within a few minutes of one another geographically - are “currently considered to be sustainable” the possibility of a “local area/parish solution” is suggested in each case.

A “local area solution” is also to be explored for St Therese’s Primary, Lenamore, despite it being deemed sustainable. Nearby, St Paul’s Primary, Slievemore, on the other hand is not sustainable, however, with 119 pupils and 408 unfilled places in the school.

Issues were also identified at St Columba’s, Newbuildings. It had more than two composite classes in a single classroom; just 3 teachers in 2012-2013; its enrolment is just 53 pupils; it has 122 unfilled places; and its “pattern of enrolment is declining.

Finally, three primary level Irish medium schools were all found to have unsustainable pupil numbers.

In the case of Bunscoil Cholmcille there were 97 pupils and 99 unfilled places in the school. A “local area solution” needs to be explored.

Similarly, Gaeilscoil Éadain Mhóir has just 114 pupils and Gaeilscoil Na Daróige has just 55 pupils. For both of these “a Business Case on a Regional Strategy for Irish Medium education is currently with DE.”