PLANS to amalgamate St Eugene’s College, Rosslea with St Comhghall’s College, Lisnaskea moved one step closer this week as the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) announced its intentions to put the proposal out to public consultation.

Making the announcement on Tuesday this week a spokesman for the CCMS said a development proposal will be forwarded to the Education Authority “in the near future”.

In Derrylin meanwhile, St Aidan’s High School says the future of post primary education has been “guaranteed” for the local community.

In a statement issued to the Impartial Reporter yesterday (Wednesday), the school said: “The CCMS has recently confirmed that St Aidan’s High School in Derrylin is to be permanently retained as a full 11-16 post primary school. The school will work in a collaborative arrangement with the Lisnaskea school community.” The way forward is strongly supported by the Bishop of Kilmore, Most Rev Leo O’Reilly.

“As Bishop and Trustee, I warmly welcome and support the decision to retain full 11 – 16 post primary education permanently at the Derrylin site,” he said.

“St Aidan’s is an excellent school with over 40 years of serving the community through strong academic achievement, pastoral care for all students and support for those with special needs. The school is an outstanding educational and community facility at the heart of local life. I encourage all parents and the whole community to continue to support St Aidan’s in the strongest possible way, particularly by continuing to send their children to the school in the years ahead.” Pat McTeggart, Acting Principal of St Aidan’s, underlined the importance of the CCMS decision.

“This successful outcome is due to the strong support and hard work of local people and staff alike and comes on the back of a very positive school inspection and great success at GCSE level in the past year. I know that, working collaboratively with our partner schools, both primary and post-primary, we can provide a long term model of post-primary provision in Derrylin that meets the aspirations of pupils, parents and staff, as well as the requirements of Department of Education and Ministerial policies.

“It is now up to our community to copper fasten the decision and the future by sending our children in numbers to a high quality, successful school that is the heart of our local community.” Vice Chair of St Aidan’s Community Action Group, Brian McTeggart said: “This clear decision guarantees and underpins the long term future of St Aidan’s. This is excellent news for the pupils, staff and the wider community. It is a result of unfaltering joint action over the past three years”.

A spokesman for the CCMS said yesterday: “We will be making no statement with regards St Aidan’s at this time.”