The community of St. Mary’s Primary School in Fivemiletown is calling for public support and participation in a protest this weekend amid the ongoing consultation process which could result in the closure of the local school.

At 11am on Saturday, March 25, parents, children and friends of St. Mary’s will be walking from St. Mary’s Church in Fivemiletown up to the primary school, to raise awareness of the campaign and send a message to the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) and the Department for Education (DfE) that “small schools are a vital part of rural communities”.

Chair of the St. Mary’s Primary School’s Board of Governors, Fergal Foy, said: “We’ve received an incredible amount of support so far with our campaign, with thousands of signatures gathered on petitions online and at events across Fermanagh and Tyrone in recent weeks.

“This Saturday, with thanks to the Parades Commission and the PSNI, we will be walking with our children from St. Mary’s Church in Fivemiletown up to St. Mary’s school.

“We would love to see as many people as possible coming along to join us as we send the strongest possible message that our school is the heart of our community, and we will fight together to save it.

“This is your opportunity to build on the fantastic support base we have and help us to save St. Mary’s.”

The Statutory Objection period, during which people are encouraged to write to the DfE to set out their views on the proposal to close the school, remains open until April 8, and the Board of Governors have re-iterated their disappointment at the lack of engagement from CCMS.

Fergal claimed: “At no point during this whole process have CCMS had the courtesy to meet with us and actually consider the concrete evidence we have to show that we are sustainable now and can grow in the future.”

He further continued: “They [CCMS] have continuously hidden behind excuses about processes and avoided our questions. We have tried to engage numerous times in multiple ways, and all we get back are the same standard responses that amount to nothing in terms of proper discussion.

“We know they are feeling the mounting pressure on them, because they have finally offered to meet with the Governors, but with no actual date being provided, time is running out for any such meeting to be meaningful.

“This might just be a matter of pushing some paperwork through a process for them, but this is our children’s futures, and our community will fight tooth and nail to do what’s right for them.

“Please help if you can by walking with us next Saturday to show that small schools are not only sustainable, but a vital part of our rural communities.”

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