Secondary school makes desperate bid to survive as authorities threaten closure

AS anxious students gear up for the Junior and Leaving Certificate exams starting tomorrow, one secondary school will learn later this week if it has passed the survival test.

Its local VEC is being roped in, in a desperate bid to keep the 150 year-old school open.

Parents of pupils at St Bridget’s Secondary School in Goresbridge, Co Kilkenny, were given a week just last month to prove their school is viable, or run the risk of it being phased out over the next two years.

They scouted through nine primary schools in their area for new recruits and have left no stone unturned in the battle to save their 150 year-old secondary school.

The Brigidine Order of Nuns, which runs the 132-pupil, 10-teacher school, received notification from the Department of Education four weeks ago that it would be closed over a phased two-year period due to falling class sizes.

Parents are confident their school is viable, particularly given that over 300 new houses are being built in the area, according to local TD and school board trustee, John McGuinness.

“We managed to persuade Minister Dempsey to save our city status when he was in Environment. We’re equally hopeful here we can save our school. A strong case has been made by the school board of management, trustees and the action group,” he added.

Teacher, Mary Meaney, said that everyone is on tenter-hooks, awaiting the Department decision.

“Our non-exam classes have finished up and we need to know now, for the sake of our first year students next year, if the school is going to close,” she said.

A report on the school has been received by the Minister.

This has been referred to the planning and building unit, as well as to the school accommodation unit. Talks are also ongoing with the VEC and the Minister will be “coming back urgently” to those with a vested interest in the school, she added.