An event focused on future-proofing rural primary schools will take place next week in Enniskillen.

The Education Authority’s latest Strategic Area Plan suggests that more than 40 per cent of rural primary schools in Northern Ireland could be unsustainable, with 220 rural primary schools having enrolment numbers below the minimum threshold set by the Department of Education.

The Future Schools Project, developed by Ulster University, provides support for school communities to undertake self-evaluation in relation to school sustainability.

It provides guidance on how communities can be engaged to ensure that the views of everyone who lives in the area can have their views heard regarding education preferences.

A detailed Toolkit has been created as part of the project, which includes options such as an increased sharing of facilities between schools, an amalgamation of schools, or the transformation to an Integrated school, if there is community support.

The Future Schools Toolkit is available on the Ulster University website at https://tinyurl.com/3jyvyym6.

Tickets are available for the event which will be held in the Killyhevlin Hotel on March 16 via https://tinyurl.com/yahfd7zf.