Parents reinforce their dedication to school and pledge to battle proposal

Parents reinforce their dedication to school and pledge to battle proposal

3 April 2013

BURRENREAGH parents have given enthusiastic backing to the school and have pledged to fight the closure proposal.

The packed public meeting heard a series of testimonies from parents who were effusive in their support for the education provided to their children by the rural school.

Michelle Grant said she moved her child to the school from a much larger primary because of the standards, and she has not regretted the decision.

“I want John O’Dowd to tell me what we fell down on,” said Mrs. Grant. “This is a school of commitment and passion. In this school the parents are involved in the entire fabric of the school.”

Mrs. Grant claimed the school enrolment has suffered because for the past 20 years there have been consistent rumours that the school is under threat. “That alone has stopped children coming to the school, not bad education.”

She said parents must “drive John O’Dowd nuts” with letters fighting for St. Patrick’s. “He has picked the one school in the one area that could do him a lot of damage,” she added.

She also argued that it should be up to the education authorities to justify the closure proposal and should not be up to the parents to prove why the school should remain open.

Mrs. Grant suggested that as part of the campaign a slogan should be devised, such as ‘Burrenreagh All The Way’ which should become widely publicised throughout the district.

Another mother, Amanda Ranaghan, moved her child to St. Patrick’s three weeks ago and said the change in that short period of time has been amazing.”

“My child is on the autistic spectrum and has some moderate learning difficulties but the transformation has been miraculous,” said Mrs Ranaghan. “He is happy to do his maths homework which he wouldn’t have done six months ago.”

Aisling Mooney’s child is enrolled to start at St. Patrick’s in September and she has very deliberately picked the school.

“My child is being tested for special needs,” she explained. “I know other parents who picked Burrenreagh because their kids have some sort of learning difficulty and want their children to get the best support.

“I know my child will get the attention that he will not get in any other school.”

Daniel McIntosh is another parent who moved his child to St. Patrick’s because “his needs were not being met” at a larger school.

Another parent, Mary Young, said St. Patrick’s is in a parish with three primary schools so the Burrenreagh school is seen as an “easy target.”