Parents and children of this year’s academic intake for St Paul’s High School in Bessbrook were left “deeply upset” after finding out they had failed to secure a place in Year 8.
Many of those who missed out had done so despite meeting the criteria.
However, the school has been heavily oversubscribed for a number of years.
In response to the issues faced by the school, Newry and Armagh MLA Liz Kimmins urged Education Minister Paul Givan to increase admission numbers for the academic year 2025–26.
Speaking in May, Ms Kimmins said: “We are extremely lucky to have so many fantastic schools in our locality, and our children’s future should not be decided by a lottery due to insufficient places. This is a critical time in a child’s life, and moving to a new school can be extremely daunting without this added stress.
“My colleagues and I will continue to work with the school, families and the Department of Education to try and resolve this matter in the best interests of all children as quickly as possible.”
At the start of September, Newry and Armagh MLA Justin McNulty echoed Ms Kimmins’ calls and asked the Minister to detail how his Department will ensure that lessons are learned from this year’s admissions difficulties at St Paul’s in order to inform the process in 2026-27 and beyond.
Responding to the MLA, the Minister wrote: “St Paul’s High School (HS) was oversubscribed with applications for September 2025 admission, as were many schools across Northern Ireland.
“My department allocated the school additional places and sufficient capacity remained available in the area to ensure every child could secure a school place in their preferred school sector.”
Regarding the admission of children with a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN), the Education Authority (EA) advised the Minister that St Paul’s HS has both specialist provision learning and social communication classes.
Added Minister Givan: “For the last number of years there has been an annual challenge to meet the high demand for places at the school, which often exceeds capacity.
“The EA’s SEN Capacity Team liaised with the school last year with a view to expanding the existing provision to help address the placement need within the area.
“The EA’s Operations and Estates Directorate is progressing an assessment of the site with a view to providing new accommodation for the proposed expansion. In addition to this, departmental officials and EA officers met with the school on 12 September.”
Explaining that the admissions process differs for children with a statement of need, the Minister added that these children are “placed in line with criteria outlined in legislation”.
Said Minister Givan: “The EA continues to work with the school to ensure appropriate resources are allocated to meet the needs of pupils with Statement of SEN across both mainstream and specialist provisions.
“The EA acknowledges the need for additional specialist provision in the surrounding area and continues to liaise with school principals to increase capacity for the 2026/27 academic year.”
