GCSE students from St. Mary’s High School, Brollagh, who will be moving to a different school at the start of the new academic year, could have to travel between three schools to take their chosen subjects.

In correspondence sent home with students on an alternative school regarding GCSE subject choices, students may have to travel between St. Joseph’s College and St. Fanchea’s College, both in Enniskillen, and St. Mary’s College, Irvinestown.

With the closure of Brollagh, some students will have to complete a 60-mile round-trip journey just to get to one school, with the options offered adding a further 20 miles to their journeys on at least two days of the week, in a move that is likely to include up to four different bus journeys.

The St. Mary’s High School Parents Action Group, which has fought for years against the closure of the West Fermanagh school, said they have been contacted by parents over this latest development.

“The Minister of Education, Peter Weir, announced on March 1 his decision to discontinue St. Mary’s High School, Brollagh, Belleek from August 31, or as soon as possible thereafter,” a spokesperson for the group said.

“In his announcement, he stated that ‘discontinuation is ultimately in the best interests of local students’.

“On the back of the Minister’s announcement, we were informed by both DENI and CCMS that the transition process would be smooth and non-disruptive for our children. This couldn’t be any further from the truth.”

The group said that parents only discovered at their child’s transition meeting with senior management of St. Mary’s that there was no plan in place, and each individual was left to sort out this situation themselves.

“This serious development is causing a lot of anxiety and stress to our young people, and to us as parents, as we still do not know what is happening come September,” continued the group’s spokesperson.

Continuing, they said the parents of students at St. Mary’s are now sending a clear message that they will not accept the “scraps and leftovers that are being thrown towards us, and we will not tolerate being treated as second-class citizens”.

“We, as parents, would be failing our children if we allowed this to happen. Some of these alternative schools are actually offering fewer GCSE subjects than St. Mary’s did. We are asking Minister Weir how is this in the best interests of our children?”

The Action Group added that parents and children also feel very let down by the school’s Board of Governors for the lack of a statement since the closure announcement, and have called on them to stand up for the young people in the community.

Sinn Féin Councillor Anthony Feely expressed his disappointment with the GCSE subject choice for students moving to new schools, saying: “Peter Weir and the CCMS always said there was more on offer in the Enniskillen schools.

“I have emailed Minister Weir, and so have other parents about this. This has caused a lot of anxiety in the community and we are determined to fight this for the students. Peter Weir should be considering his position as Education Minister.”

SDLP Erne West Councillor Adam Gannon was scathing, saying: “The decision to close St. Mary’s was made under the guise of giving pupils access to a wider curriculum, and that it would be beneficial for their well-being.

“Students will now have access to a more limited choice of subjects, and will be unable to do the GCSEs they want and need.

“Furthermore, some will be travelling 70 miles a day, once shared subjects between schools are considered. This is insane. Peter Weir has serious questions to answer and yet again he has shown he isn’t fit to be a Minister of anything, let alone to head up Education and the childrens’s future.

“Given the large number of fiascos Minister Weir has preceded over, there should be huge question marks over all his decisions, including the wrong decision to close St. Mary’s,” said Councillor Gannon.

At the time of going to print, the CCMS, had not responded to our questions.

A Department of Education spokesperson said: “The leadership team at St Mary’s HS Brollagh and the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) are continuing to work in partnership with schools in the Fermanagh Learning Community and with pupils and their parents on the transition arrangements for pupils to their new school for the academic year 2021/22.

“While it is recognised that the closure of any school is upsetting for a local community, difficult decisions must be made and these decisions are taken in the best interests of all children. This decision allows these pupils to move to schools offering the full curriculum, in order to benefit their education.”