News

Northern Ireland schools shake-up gathers pace with flood of proposals

Government policy
A radical shake-up of secondary education in Northern Ireland is now gathering pace after area-based planning appeared to have stalled.

In recent days, 11 schools from various different sectors across the North have been told they are facing significant change. Some will shut, some will merge and some will be made even bigger. 

A plan to shut two more schools, meanwhile, is facing a High Court challenge.

There have been a handful of proposals advanced since the massive area-based planning exercise was published in 2012.

Crippling budget cuts and ever-decreasing pupil numbers means action is being taken to reduce the number of schools across the North.

Area-based planning exercises will help address education minister John O’Dowd’s concern that the North has too many schools and not enough pupils. After months of inactivity, a raft of proposals has come forward in recent days.

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