'Significant pressure' on post-primary places in Northern Ireland

The Department of Education (DE) has warned of "significant pressure" on post-primary places in some areas in 2022.

In a letter to primary school principals, DE said some schools' oversubscription "will be so significant that early intervention may be required".

It previously asked post-primaries to apply for extra places.

Approximately 24,250 pupils will move to post-primary schools in 2022.

That number is over 400 more than this year.

The maximum number of pupils a school can admit every year is decided by the department, but many more pupils want to go to some schools than they have places for.

The DE letter said that it expected to have to give schools in some areas additional places in 2022 to meet demand.

"It is anticipated that some sectors in the following areas may face significant pressure in 2022," the letter said.

Post-primary schools have been asked to apply for extra places for 2022 by mid-April 2021

The areas named by DE are Belfast, Foyle, south County Londonderry, Ballymena, Lagan Valley, Newry, north Down and Strangford.

"The areas listed above are not the only areas where we anticipate oversubscription," the DE letter said.

"However they represent the areas where we believe oversubscription will be so significant that early intervention may be required."

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Post-primary schools have been asked to apply for extra places for 2022 by mid-April 2021 and will find out in June if they have received them.

DE said there had been a large increase in recent years in the number of children transferring to post-primary schools.

They had given a number of schools temporary extra places to cope with a rise in pupil numbers in previous years.

"Within the last two years the department has provided over 1,000 additional Year 8 places each year to cater for increased demand," the DE letter said.

It also said that they expected to have to give some schools more extra places for September 2021 but gave no further detail on how many or the schools involved.