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John O'Dowd outlines Belfast and Holywood school changes | |
(about 5 hours later) | |
The education minister has announced his plans for seven secondary schools in Belfast and Holywood. | |
John O'Dowd said Dundonald High, which had been facing closure, would remain open while Orangefield High will close. | |
Knockbreda and Newtownbreda schools will merge in September. | |
A proposal to create extra space for pupils at Ashfield Boys and Ashfield Girls schools has been rejected, but Priory College in Holywood will be allowed to expand slightly. | |
The department of education had been considering the fates of seven schools | |
Dundonald High School has low numbers, 247 pupils, and had been in formal intervention to improve its performance, but there had been a campaign against the proposal to close it. | |
That lobbying and local support has convinced the minister to give the school another chance. | |
A programme of extra support and training will be put in place to help the principal, staff and a new board of governors. | |
The six proposals for seven schools in the area are inter-related and Mr O'Dowd took into account the knock-on effect of any decisions he made. | |
A plan to create extra space for pupils at Ashfield Boys and Ashfield Girls schools has been rejected in case that would damage the prospects for Dundonald and other schools in the area. | |
Expansion | |
Ashfield Boys, which currently has 666 pupils, had wanted to increase its pupil numbers to 850 by 2018, while Ashfield girls, which now has 708 pupils, had wanted to raise its intake to 900. | |
However, Priory College in Holywood, which has 500 pupils, has been given the go-ahead to expand expand slightly, but not to the 600 pupil size which had been proposed. | |
A merger of two other controlled secondary's in the area, Knockbreda and Newtownbreda, has been approved and will happen in September this year. | |
The amalgamated school will operate on a split site with the eventual aim of a new school building. | |
Orangefield High School has only 80 pupils and its closure will go ahead in August this year. |