PARENTS fighting plans to merge single sex schools have sent more than 1,500 letters of objection to education chiefs.
A shake-up of post-primary schools will see the end of single sex Catholic secondary education in north Belfast.
Two girls' schools and two boys' schools will be involved in one of the largest re-organisations ever undertaken in the north.
Grammar schools in the area will play no part, however, and will remain single sex.
Teachers have already expressed concern about numerous aspects of the plan, which, if approved, will mean children can only win places at single sex schools if they sit the 11-plus.
The plans involve four non-grammar schools - Little Flower and Mercy for girls and St Patrick's, Bearnageeha and Edmund Rice College for boys. Two other Catholic schools have been shut down in the area in recent years - St Gemma's and St Gabriel's in Ardoyne.
Both Little Flower and Bearnageeha will be "discontinued" with a view to facilitating the establishment of a new Catholic 11-19 co-educational post-primary school.
The new school, which is likely to operate across a split site initially, will have an enrolment number of 1,300 including 325 sixth form places.
Edmund Rice and Mercy Colleges will both expand and become co-educational.
The period for objections ended last week and it is understood that a total of 1,617 letters relating specifically to Little Flower were sent to the Education Authority. Parents signed an agreed letter which objected to the proposal on numerous grounds.
The letter said the right to choose a Catholic, single-sex education for children was being removed, "unless we use the unregulated testing system or avail of buses to schools in other parts of the city".
"Research has proven that co-ed schools can have an adverse impact on the learning of girls at ages 11-14," the letter added.
"Amalgamated split site schools experience a `dip' for a period of years after merging, which is unfair and unacceptable for the education of our children.
"Little Flower Girls School has the best GCSE results including English and maths, in north Belfast, has an intake of 110 in Year 8 and has just received a very positive inspection report."
A separate group of parents and children last night met education minister John O'Dowd to discuss the proposal relating to Mercy College.
The Education Task Group would like the new co-ed school built on the site of the former St Gabriel's.
"It has long been our vision to have a new co-educational all ability school built on a site identified on the Crumlin Road," said Elaine Burns.
"As a task group we are delighted that our community has spoken loud and clear in support of our vision for the future."
