 Children protest outside the Belfast board's headquarters |
Parents of pupils at a small east Belfast primary school have lost their battle to prevent its closure. The Belfast Education and Library Board decided to close Mersey Street Primary School, despite late protests from local families and city councillors.
The board has cited falling numbers. At one time, 900 children attended but this has fallen to 80 pupils.
Parents said it was a "total disgrace" the Department of Education was to be asked to amalgamate it with two others.
They argued that a home-building programme in the area could lead to an upturn in the school's numbers.
They had held separate protests at board headquarters and outside the school on Thursday. They also went to the board's education committee meeting to try and convince them to keep the school open.
However, the committee decided on a merger of Mersey Street School, Strand Primary School and Sydenham Infants, which would mean closure for Mersey Street.
The chairman of the board, UUP councillor Jim Rodgers, said he has been told that a local businessman has offered to pay legal costs to fight the closure.
The board's decision would mean the school would close next August, but parents representatives said they were considering applying for a judicial review.
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