Northern Ireland

Millions of extra pounds needed to keep neighbouring small schools open

Small schools have larger costs per pupil than larger institutions
Small schools have larger costs per pupil than larger institutions Small schools have larger costs per pupil than larger institutions

MILLIONS of extra pounds are being spent keeping open `isolated pairs' of small schools, a new study has found.

Academics identified 32 such pairs across the north, many of which receive additional funding as a lifeline.

The findings are included in a paper published by the Transforming Education project at Ulster University.

It is examining aspects of the education system "which are not as effective as they might be".

The project has been developing briefing papers focussing on policies relevant to integration and separate schooling.

The latest study examined duplication of primary school provision.

This occurs where a Catholic and a state controlled school are located close to each other, often in small settlements.

However, while located close to each other, one or both may be too small to be sustainable.

Were these schools to find arrangements to remove duplication and to become more sustainable they would be more likely to avoid closures, to the benefit of all sides of the communities.

Previous audit reports have found that there are too many small schools across the north that require additional funding. These have greater costs per pupil than larger institutions.

Primary schools with fewer than 300 pupils and post-primary schools with fewer than 550 pupils qualify for support. Without it they would be unable to deliver the curriculum in full.

The new study said rural areas with two primary schools, each serving their own community, was not uncommon in Northern Ireland.

While these were an average of just 670 yards apart, "it is clear that these schools are serving the needs of two different communities".

The study used geographic information system analysis of 2018/19 education data to precisely identify and quantify pairs of schools very close to one another but some distance from schools of the same management type.

It found 32 instances of pairs offering primary-aged education to two different communities.

Six of these pairs were "unsustainable", in that both schools had less than 105 pupils.

There have been instances in which both communities in a rural area lost their school rather than come together as integrated. In Co Derry, Bellarena PS shut down in August, four years after a nearby Catholic primary also closed.

Overall, the 32 pairs identified received an additional £2.3 million each year, compared to the average cost to support the same pupils in combined schools.

"There is potential for small communities to retain a single, integrated school rather than risk closure of two unsustainable schools currently catering separately to each community," the study concluded.

"While reaching sustainable enrolment, often such schools would still be small enough to offer the advantages that small schools are thought to provide, while being of a scale which allows some of the benefits of larger schools."

The Integrated Education Fund (IEF) welcomed the study and said mergers were key to sustainable education provision.

"The cost analysis of duplicating local delivery in small schools highlights the need to develop a creative approach to planning, which will ultimately benefit schools throughout the system," said IEF Chief Executive Tina Merron.

"However, the paper also points out that schools play a crucial role in rural communities, and working with local families and other residents to develop a way forward for education provision will be very important."