St Mary's High School, Brollagh, to close in 2018

Only 17 new pupils enrolled at the school in the 2016/17 academic year

A County Fermanagh school kept open by former education minister John O'Dowd has been told it will close next year.

A development proposal to close St Mary's High School in Brollagh, near Belleek, in 2018 has been published by the Education Authority (EA).

The school's enrolment has fallen to 84 pupils, far below the recommended minimum for post-primaries.

In 2014, Mr O'Dowd rejected a previous proposal from the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) to close it.

'Cross-border partnership'

CCMS had originally wanted to shut the school when it had 121 pupils.

At the time, Mr O'Dowd said that he had taken into account the school's isolated rural location and wanted further investigation of its plan to link up with schools on the other side of the Irish border.

"The option of cross-border collaboration needs to be further examined and I am calling on CCMS and the WELB (Western Education and Library Board) to bring forward a pilot scheme which would allow the school to work with schools on the other side of the border," he said then.

He had also called on local parents to enrol their children at the school.

However, enrolment has fallen since and only 17 new pupils entered the school in 2016/17.

In 2016, the school also had accrued a deficit of £718,143.

Kilkeel merger

St Mary's had previously approached schools in County Donegal and County Leitrim in order to form cross-border partnerships, but these did not develop.

The decision to close the school on 31 August 2018 has been taken after a consultation by CCMS.

Meanwhile, a Catholic grammar and non-grammar school in County Down are to merge.

According to the EA's development proposal, St Columban's College in Kilkeel is to close while St Louis' Grammar is to increase in size.

In future, 40% of pupils will be admitted to St Louis' through academic selection while the other 60% will be admitted using non-academic criteria.