The mother of a disabled pupil who attends St. Mary’s High School, Brollagh has urged education officials to “spend one day at the school” rather than close it because of budgetary pressures.

The Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) has submitted a proposal to the Education Authority that St. Mary’s, Brollagh will close from August 31, 2018.

READ: St. Mary's High School, Brollagh: Uproar’ as school’s future under threat once more

“It’s just not fair,” said Wendy Haren, whose 15-year-old son Patrick suffers from severe scoliosis and kyphosis.

“Patrick is very happy at St. Mary’s,” said Mrs. Haren. “He has a carer and the school is very accommodating of his needs. He would suffer from anxiety and that’s why I chose St. Mary’s which is such a lovely, rural school. He couldn’t travel on a bus to Enniskillen and the schools there would be far too big for him.”

The concerned mother added: “Any time I mention the closure to him, he just shakes his head. Next year he will be picking his GCSE subjects and I might have to resort to home schooling him but I don’t want to take him away from his friends.”

Without an Executive or any ministers to make decisions, Mrs. Haren fears that the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Education will make the decision on Brollagh’s future. The school was saved in 2014 by the then Sinn Fein Education Minister John O’Dowd who decided not to agree to closure.

“There’s no minister now. It will be passed to someone not in the know and they will just close it,” said Mrs. Haren. 

She had to fight with the department to release funds for an easy access ramp and a hygiene room in the school before Patrick started first year and she does not relish the thought of having to put up a fight once more.

“I just wish CCMS would spend one day at the school; it’s disheartening and every parent feels the same,” she said.

Meanwhile, former Brollagh pupil Mary Keown has three primary school children she would dearly love to send to St. Mary’s. Her eldest, Caitlin is in primary seven and would prefer to attend a small school which attains “amazing” GCSE results.

Looking to the future, Mrs. Keown is concerned about her younger daughter Amy, eight, who has Dandy Walker Syndrome, having to travel a 60 mile round trip to school in Enniskillen.

“Amy’s condition affects her coordination and she has a moderate learning disability and a lot of sensory issues going on. Going from a small school to a large school with lots of people would stress her and cause her to panic and stumble,” said Mrs. Keown.

“We have this wonderful school only a mile from us and when it’s Amy’s turn to go to secondary school I would love that her older sister would already be there,” she added.

According to Mrs. Keown, who also has a seven-year-old son, Rhys, and an eight-month-old baby, Aoife, there are a number of families in the Belleek area with primary school children who would support Brollagh by sending their children there in the future. 

“I went to Brollagh. It was such a lovely school. It’s the heart of our community and it would be a sin to see it go,” she said, adding: “It’s nice to have a choice of where you will send your child. Down this end of the county, Brollagh is the only secondary school within a 25 mile radius.”

Mrs. Keown concluded: “This school has got such amazing grades the past few years. A decision to close it would have a major knock on effect for all children, especially those with special needs.”