Plans to close the North Monastery primary school withdrawn

Plans to close the North Monastery primary school in Cork City have been withdrawn after angry opposition by parents, pupils, staff and the wider local community.

The decision by the Edmund Rice Schools Trust (ERST), less than three weeks after proposals to amalgamate it with nearby St Vincent’s convent primary school emerged, has been cautiously welcomed by parents and management at Scoil Mhuire Fatima in the North Monastery.

It was proposed to move its 170 boys to a new school on St Vincent’s grounds, under Religious Sisters of Charity trusteeship, but ERST said it has no wish to oppose the expressed will of those for whom the school is part of their lives.