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'Please don't close my school' urges disabled Fermanagh student

Patrick Haren is campaigning for his Fermanagh school to remain open in spite of the threat of closure
Patrick Haren is campaigning for his Fermanagh school to remain open in spite of the threat of closure Patrick Haren is campaigning for his Fermanagh school to remain open in spite of the threat of closure

A YOUNG disabled schoolboy has made a heartfelt plea for his school to remain open amid fears he will be forced out of mainstreaming education.

Patrick Haren, from Derrygonnelly in Co Fermanagh, suffers from severe scoliosis as well as kyphosis, which causes excessive curvature of the spine.

Despite his diability the 14 year-old has been a pupil at St Mary's High in Brollagh since November 2015 after his mother campaigned for the school to be adapted to accommodate her son.

Mrs Haren lobbied the Department for Education for vital funds to provide a special hygiene room, hand rails and disabled access for the Year 9 pupil.

After initially being told the funding was not available, months of letters, emails and phone calls resulted in the money being released.

But now the teenager's future in mainstream eduction is under threat after the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) announced plans to close the school next year.

"I thought it was the end of it when we got Patrick into the school, it took me months to get the funding to put into the school and have the changes made in 2015, but now here we are again," Mrs Haren said.

"He just enjoys it so much and the school is a perfect fit. They love him, he's so well cared for, the staff are just fantastic, he's got his one-to-one carer and she's with him all the time, he's got his wee hygiene room just there for him, there's hand rails throughout the school, he's got his own specialised chair.

"I can't imagine him not being able to go. It would be just heart-breaking. It shouldn't just come down to money, figures and numbers, it shouldn't," she said.

Young Patrick took to social media last night to make a heartfelt appeal for his school to remain open.

"Mum told me last week that we have to fight to keep my school open next year. I love my school and I am very happy there, I like all the staff and all the pupils, everyone is very kind to me. It took a long time for me to get started at my school I am very happy. Please don't close my school, " he wrote.

If the school closes pupils will have to move to Enniskillen but Mrs Haren said it was not a viable option.

"I just know that Patrick would not cope in an Enniskillen school. Nothing against the schools it just would not work," she said.

" He would either have to stay at Brollagh or I would have to home school him. His size is a big issue. He may be 14, but my seven-year-old nephew is bigger than him.

"Safety is another issue in relation to the big numbers at the Enniskillen schools. Brollagh's very flexible as Patrick has a lot of medical needs. They let him start at 10 in the morning and I don't know if another school would be so flexible. It's just an added stress we don't need," she said.

A written consultation process is open until March 10 after which time the education minister will make a final decision however the Parents Council at St Mary's say they are determined to retain post-primary education in the area.