St Eugene’s Tircur loses battle to remain open

A RURAL school outside Omagh, which has been fighting hard to stay open, had its fate sealed this week when the Education Authority decided it should close in August.

News that St Eugene’s PS, Tircur is to shut after 65 years has been met with a mixture of despair and anger.

The school’s board of governors condemned the decision, while West Tyrone MLA, Nicola Brogan, a past pupil, said the closure would be ‘devastating’ for the local community.

St Eugene’s had sought to address its enrolment difficulties by seeking integrated status.

However, with 18 pupils currently attending the school, the Department of Education says that granting the school integrated status ‘would not address sustainability issues’.

The Board of Governors of St Eugene’s has strongly rejected the decision, and says the closure of the school after 65 years has ignored pupils’ health and wellbeing, and denied them the right to be educated in their local area.

Shane Kerlin, speaking on behalf of the Board of Governors, expressed strong opposition to the decision, labeling the Department’s approach to education area planning as ‘fundamentally flawed’.

“Time and again, we hear from rural communities about the impact of closing schools,” he told the UH.

“Yet, the education sector continues to shut them down.”

“We understand the difficult financial landscape in Northern Ireland and the impact on both the health and education services. But the community is also acutely aware that the loss of a school in the area is the loss of a highly valued and much cared for community hub.”

Mr Kerlin described the school building as a “hive of activity” and warned that rural communities will struggle to survive in the wake of such decisions.

“The removal of rural schools will impact on the health and well-being of future generations in rural areas and a whole way of life will die out,” he stated.

West Tyrone Sinn Fein MLA, Nicola Brogan, said the confirmation of the decision is ‘devastating’ for the local community.

“As a past pupil and a member of the local community, I know that small rural schools are often the heartbeat of the community. It’s important that the future of rural schools isn’t judged by fluctuating pupil numbers alone,” she remarked.

“Small rural schools like St Eugene’s have provided and will continue to provide an excellent standard of education to our children. The Department must take that into account, as well as the importance of having a local school in a rural community.”

Explaining its decision, the Department for Education said that the proposal for St Eugene’s to become an integrated school ‘falls short in meeting almost all of the key issues required for transformation’.

“There is no compelling evidence of unmet demand for Integrated education in the Mid-Tyrone/Omagh area,” the Department said.

“St Eugene’s PS has been assessed as having serious deficiencies, particularly in regard to Quality Education Experience, ie composite classes and teacher numbers, stable enrolment trends and sound financial position and this is likely to remain the case even if the school was to transform to Controlled Integrated status.

“There is insufficient evidence to demonstrate how St Eugene’s PS could achieve a sufficiently mixed religious balance that is reflective of the local community.”