Ballougry Primary School closure postponed for a year

Ballougry Primary School has 44 pupils and three teachers

A plan to close a primary school that has 44 pupils has been postponed.

Ballougry Primary School in County Londonderry had been due to shut by August, with the Education Authority saying it was unsustainable.

But that proposal faced opposition, including from actress Amanda Burton who had attended the school as a child.

On Friday the Education Authority said the immediate closure would not take effect and the school would operate for another academic year.

Ballougry is situated about a mile from the border with the Republic of Ireland.

Some children travel about three miles from Derry to attend the school and it also has six pupils from over the border in County Donegal.

Amanda Burton described her former primary school as "magical" as she pressed for it to stay open

Damian O'Kane, principal of the school, told BBC Radio Foyle's Mark Patterson Show the fight against the closure would continue.

He said the postponement allowed "an opportunity to show again that we are still here, still fighting, still working, that we have children in our school and are providing education for them".

He added: "It gives us another period of time to continue to grow and show the Education Authority and Department of Education that this would not be an appropriate decision for our school."

The Education Authority is responsible for planning the future of schools in Northern Ireland.

It had previously said, that with 44 pupils and three teachers, Ballougry had far fewer than the Department of Education's recommended number of 105 pupils for a rural primary school.

It suggested that pupils at Ballougry could attend primary schools in Derry, where they would have access to more educational and extra-curricular activities.

The authority also said that closing the school would save money.

'Magical'

Amanda Burton was among those who called for the decision to be reversed.

The Silent Witness star, whose father was a former headmaster, described the school as "magical" and said it provided great value to the rural community.

On Friday the Education Authority said a public consultation about the future of the school had attracted "a significant number of responses".

It said that information along with other evidence had to be "carefully assessed before a final decision on the future of the school" could be made.