50,000 empty seats in schools in NI 20 September 2006 at 8:00AM edited 30 November -1 at 1:00AM in N. Ireland 21 replies 1.1K views

IvanOpinion

Noboy wants to lose heir local school but if a school is not feasible then it should be closed down. It is not cheap to run a school with each school having overheads simply to open its doors. It is time to stop throwing good mony after bad and close uneconomical schools down.

Ivan

darrenfinlayson

IvanOpinion wrote:

Noboy wants to lose heir local school but if a school is not feasible then it should be closed down. It is not cheap to run a school with each school having overheads simply to open its doors. It is time to stop throwing good mony after bad and close uneconomical schools down.

Ivan

completely agreed

butterflymum

Perhaps doing this would help ensure all children get equal access to all areas of the curriculum and not be faced with such huge differences, as there appears to be at the moment, from school to school, in areas from the very basic standard subjects, to computers, music, after school clubs etc. It really is frustrating that within even say one local education board area, your child can receive such a varied level/standard of education depending on what school they happen to be nearest to/attend, by way of what facilities it has and what emphasis it puts on particular areas of work.

claudefrog

totally agree with the Opinion man!

D.A.

Would you believe that there is actually a primary school somewhere in Co. Down (I believe it was Ballygowan) which has a grand total of *two* pupils, complete with two teachers, classroom assistant, dinner staff, etc. It's only being kept open because the CCMS wants there to be a Roman Catholic school presence there - never mind the cost it seems.

Sleepyhead_2

D.A. wrote:

Would you believe that there is actually a primary school somewhere in Co. Down (I believe it was Ballygowan) which has a grand total of *two* pupils, complete with two teachers, classroom assistant, dinner staff, etc. It's only being kept open because the CCMS wants there to be a Roman Catholic school presence there - never mind the cost it seems.

hmmm, or you could have just made that up...

D.A.

Well, no, since it was a school vice-principal from the SEELB who told me.

wifeforlife

I have to agree, on a similar note though, how come some pupils can get taxis (more expense) to school instead of the school bus and good old walking as I had too

Cath

thetope

cathy2702 wrote:

I have to agree, on a similar note though, how come some pupils can get taxis (more expense) to school instead of the school bus and good old walking as I had too

Cath

generally the pupils who get (paid for by the board) taxis are special needs pupils...

IvanOpinion

thetope wrote:

generally the pupils who get (paid for by the board) taxis are special needs pupils...

So I have been told before, however I do not think that things like 'mild asthma' is a special need that warrants a taxi

Ivan

wifeforlife

To be honest where I went to school and not long out of it, I see pupils getting taxis that are most definately not disabled or children with special needs, I would never criticise those who need it, but having witnessed able bodied children within 2 miles of school getting taxis' I do wonder what the criteria is