Alliance meets Minister on threatened school

7.45.00pm GMT Sun 29th Oct 2006

Alliance Deputy Leader, Naomi Long

East Belfast Alliance MLA Naomi Long has led a party delegation to meet Minister Maria Eagle to discuss the future of Lisnasharragh High School. She will ask the Minister to keep the school open, on the basis of the specific requirement for special needs provision in the area.

Naomi Long stated: "We will once again be putting forward a strong case for the retention of Lisnasharragh High School. The timing of the decision to close the school is premature before the Bain Review publishes its findings and before the amalgamation of the Boards, especially as the school lies so close to the boundary with the Belfast Board area.

"We want to see the future of education in Northern Ireland, particularly special needs education, secured before any premature decisions on schools such as Lisnasharragh are made.

Castlereagh Councillor Michael Long is also part of the delegation, and stated: "The school also has the highest proportion of children from deprived backgrounds in the whole of South and East Belfast, according to the free school meals measure, and the best way to address this level of disadvantage would be to allow this school to continue to provide good

quality education.

"The school provides an exceptional service to the local community and its care for the large number of those with special needs or who have experienced bullying elsewhere is well renowned. We will not be giving up the case."

ENDS