Birnie responds to Balmoral High School Closure
“The decline of Balmoral High School has now become notorious as a case study in poor planning by government departments; it was built after 2000 using PFI to house 500 pupils. Current numbers are only 154 and dropping. Sadly, the BELB is proposing closure in August 2008. This decision will have some adverse “equality impacts” (particularly from the point of view of the already disadvantaged community in the Greater Village). This is why former MLA Esmond Birnie has made the following comments to the Board’s consultation exercise:
“Additional comments on BELB Equality Consultation Questionnaire— Proposed closure of Balmoral High School 31 August 2008
The closure is, obviously, deeply regrettable. Most of all, from the point of view of the staff and pupils involved. Additionally because of the financial context; given that the school was rebuilt in the early 2000s using PFI, the public purse will continue to pay for this now unused building for decades to come (this raises questions for another occasion as to how the projected demand for a 500 pupil school was estimated and what decisions were made by DE, BELB and perhaps other Boards which resulted in such a large diversion of potential pupils away from Balmoral).
If mistakes were made regarding the provision at Balmoral then these probably only built upon much earlier decisions. Balmoral High School drew most of its intake from the Greater Village area— it was obviously far from ideal that there was a 3 mile gap between the secondary school and its main primary school feeders.
We are where we are, the challenge now is to find the best response to this situation; a situation were an area (the Greater Village) which is already disadvantaged in social and educational terms is “losing” its school. We need an imaginative response. One which might make use of the opportunities existing post –the 2008 reforms and also use some of the spare capacity in the three primary schools in the Greater Village-lower Lisburn Road area to provide some 11-14 education in the heart of that community.”