Parents and children have been left “deeply upset” after finding out they have failed to secure a place in Year 8 at St Paul’s High School in Bessbrook.
Many of those who have missed out have done so despite meeting the criteria.
However, the school has been heavily oversubscribed for a number of years.
Newry and Armagh MLA Liz Kimmins has urged the Education Minister to increase admission numbers for the academic year 2025–26.
The Sinn Féin representative explained: “Primary 7 children have recently received notification of which post-primary school they will go to in September, and our offices have been inundated with calls from parents of children who are deeply upset to learn they have not secured a place in St Paul’s, Bessbrook, despite meeting the admissions criteria.
“I have written to the Education Minister, Paul Givan, and to the Chief Executive of the Education Authority, Richard Pengelly, to stress the seriousness of the situation and the impact this will have on the dozens of children affected.
“The Department will have had advance knowledge of the number of children due to transition from Primary 7 to post-primary, with a high proportion of these coming from feeder schools selecting St Paul’s as their first preference. Therefore, it is incumbent upon them to work to accommodate those children.
“I have many years’ experience of dealing with children who do not obtain a place at the school of their choice, but this year the numbers far exceed anything I have dealt with before.
“I have urged the Minister to take steps to address this issue and provide the school with the additional places required.”
Ms Kimmins added: “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.”
