THE delayed closure of a Belfast secondary school has been a "disaster and shambles", a Stormont committee has heard.
A plan to shut down Orangefield High School had to be put on hold because nearby schools did not have room for extra pupils. Orangefield has struggled with low pupil numbers and poor exam results for years.
It was proposed that the school where singer Van Morrison was educated should close in September last year.
Pupils and staff displaced by the closure were to move to Ashfield Girls' and Boys' schools but a shortage of places meant the plan was abandoned until at least next year.
The assembly education committee yesterday quizzed former Belfast Education and Library Board (BELB) interim chief executive Gavin Boyd.
DUP member Robin Newton said the only way it could be described was a "disaster and shambles".
Mr Boyd told the committee that there had been a clear understanding about the plan, and said staff were informed that they would be transferred to either of the Ashfield schools.
Committee chairman Mervyn Storey said he would be seeking a written update from BELB.
Simon Doyle