Enrolment gaps emerge in West Tyrone schools

NEW figures reveal the number of pupils at some schools in West Tyrone is falling well below their approved enrolment capacity.

Each year, schools are approved by the Department of Education for a certain number of pupils, dependent on several factors.

However the figures show some local schools are more than 300 places below their approved enrolment numbers.

The figures were revealed by the Education Minister, Paul Givan, following a question at the Northern Ireland Assembly by West Tyrone MLA Daniel McCrossan.

Mr McCrossan asked the Education Minister to provide the enrolment figures for each school in the West Tyrone constituency for the 2024-25 academic year, alongside the number of approved school places for each school.

The figures show the high demand for nursery school places in West Tyrone.

Of the 19 nursery schools and nursery units attached to primary schools in the region, almost all have filled their approved enrolment numbers or were over-subscribed for the current academic year.

Only two of the nursery units did not fill their approved enrolment numbers.

Sion Mills Integrated Primary School has 33 pupils in its nursery unit, while the school was approved for 52 nursery pupils.

St Patrick’s Primary School in Castlederg was also approved for 52 pupils in its nursery unit, but has 34 pupils in the unit this year.

PRIMARY

There are 55 primary schools in the West Tyrone constituency area. The newly-released figures show the majority of the primary schools are below their approved enrolment numbers.

Some of the primary schools had more than 100 unfilled places for this academic year: Christ the King Primary School in Omagh (185); Sion Mills Integrated Primary School (158); Gibson Primary School in Omagh (133); and St Mary’s Primary School in Killyclogher (130).

The new figures show of the 11 post-primary schools in the West Tyrone area, only two filled all their places for the current academic year.

The number of pupils this year at Castlederg High School (507) and Dean Maguirc College in Carrickmore (678) were above the schools’ approved enrolment numbers of 450 and 440 respectively.

The other nine post-primary schools in West Tyrone all have taken in fewer pupils this year than they were approved for.

According to the figures, Holy Cross College in Strabane had 386 available pupil places, while Sacred Heart College in Omagh had 363 unfilled places.

The figures in brackets show the number of unfilled places this academic year at the other post-primary schools in the West Tyrone constituency: St John’s Business and Enterprise College (324); Omagh High School (120); Drumragh Integrated College, Omagh (92); Strabane Academy (82); Christian Brothers Grammar School in Omagh (62); Loreto Grammar School in Omagh (33); and Omagh Academy Grammar School (11).