SOS letter campaign for Donaghadee High
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
By Michael Bashford
Councillors, parents and pupils have rallied together to try and save
Donaghadee High School from closure.
Councillors Alex Easton and Jonathan Bell, along with parents and pupils of
the school, have started a letter campaign to try and save the school with
over 2,000 letters of protest being sent to local residents who are asked to
sign and return them to Education Minister Caitriona Ruane.
The letters express their “overwhelming desire” to retain the school and
appeal to the Minister directly not to make any decision until she has met
with parents and elected representatives of the school.
Councillor Easton said the aim of the campaign was to “highlight the depth
of local opposition to any attempt to close Donaghadee High School and
encourage parents, pupils and residents of Donaghadee and Millisle to send
in a letter of protest to the Education Minister”.
“Letter writing will afford the people the opportunity to have their voices
heard,” Mr Easton said.
“It is critical that we have a mass letter campaign supporting the retention
of Donaghadee High School. I am calling on the people of Donaghadee and
Millisle to take up the challenge to gain maximum impact in this campaign to
retain Donaghadee High School.
Councillor Bell said: “This campaign will add weight to rational argument to
retain Donaghadee High School.
“It is imperative for all who have contacted me to support Donaghadee High
School to take the next logical step and put it in writing for the sake of
our children's education in Donaghadee.”
The South Eastern Education and Library Board (SEELB) made the decision to
close the school in September 2009 by way of a letter to the Donaghadee High
School’s Board of Governors.
At the time, a statement by the Board of Governors said it greeted the
decision with “dismay and severe disappointment” for the effect it will have
in the provision of post primary education for the town of Donaghadee and
its surrounding environs.
SEELB representatives first approached the school in 2007 with plans to
amalgamate with Movilla High School in Newtownards.
When this fell through Donaghadee applied to the Education Minister to have
the school changed to integrated status. Despite this application the SEELB
has gone ahead and recommended closure of the school.
The Department of Education said it could not comment on the proposal until
it had received an official recommendation by the SEELB.
