A CO Tyrone primary school which has suffered declining enrolments is to shut at the end of the academic year.
Education minister John O'Dowd yesterday approved the closure of Gortnagarn PS outside Omagh.
Catholic education chiefs wanted to close the small school by the end of August this year.
It re-opened in September, however, due to a delay in taking a decision on its planned closure.
It was initially suggested that both Gortnagarn and St Eugene's, Tircur - about two miles apart and both serving the Cappagh parish - would both shut.
Campaigners opposed to the plans said while enrolments were in decline, this had been sparked by speculation of closure, rather than any dramatic reduction in birthrates.
They asked the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) to consider a shared education model involving the nearby non-Catholic Dunmullan PS.
However, while St Eugene's was told it would remain open, CCMS told governors and staff that the proposal to close Gortnagarn remained in place.
Enrolments had slumped from 52 in 2010 to 27 last year. Having admitted just one new P1 pupil in both 2012 and 2013, numbers jumped to four both this year and last.
Mr O'Dowd said Gortnagarn had provided excellent education to children but "over the years the school has suffered from declining enrolments".
"Having considered all the relevant information, including that there are 251 unfilled places within five other maintained primary schools within a four-mile radius of the school, I have decided to approve the proposal to close Gortnagarn Primary School, but not until 31 August 2016."
