Twelve years ago this week a rural County Armagh community was left reeling after the Education Minister rubber-stamped the closure of the local primary school.
But Clintyclay Primary refused to take that decision lying down and bravely fought back.
Fast forward to 2026 and today the school – long after the doors should have been firmly locked and the children scattered elsewhere – is instead looking to the future with a real confidence and excitement.
For the Clonmore community has grown to such an extent that it can now not only sustain a school but needs additional accommodation to meet its needs!
Plans are in the process of being drawn up which could see the addition of three modular buildings, all linked via a glass corridor, with a MUGA and 3G sports pitch to the rear.
Clintyclay PS principal Fiona Hampsey is grateful to everyone who has supported the school over the years and hopes that the development – with an image of what is anticipated unveiled this week – can be realised “as soon as possible”.
As she told Armagh I: “It is long overdue.”
Fiona added: “There has been an awful lot of development in the Clonmore area. We have had over 70 new houses that have been built and more that are still under construction.
“In developments, we have been very, very blessed that young families have moved into the area and have really embraced life in the Clonmore area and they have sent their children to the local school.
“The school has grown significantly. In the last 10 years we have trebled the population of the school to the point where we need new facilities.
“We’re making the best of what we’ve got, but again, we know what our children deserve and there is a commitment on the part of the school staff, the parents, the governors and the local community to see this through.
“CCMS are very much working with us and the Education Authority. The parish have purchased the piece of land at the back of the school ground, so at the minute we’re at the stage now where we’re putting together our capital works application for the school.
“This was really to let people see what is possible for our children here in Clintyclay.”
It was on October 16, 2014, that then Education Minister John O’Dowd had opted to proceed with a development proposal for the closure of the school, which was established in 1892.
In doing so, he said: “Clintyclay Primary School has provided education to children from the local community for generations. However, the enrolment at the school is such that it is not sustainable into the future.”
The school and wider community rallied against the decision and the closure was overturned in the High Court. An appeal against that ruling followed and eventually the decision was effectively ‘parked’.
Fiona Hampsey, who has been principal for the past nine years, had arrived at Clintyclay while the issue was still before the courts, the decision having been overturned in June 2018.
Since that time there has been dramatic changes in terms of numbers, both within the school and wider community, a trend which is only expected to continue.
“From then, we have really gone from strength to strength and tripled the population of the school here,” said Fiona. “Looking at the amount of births and children who are pre-school age, the upturn in the population of Clonmore is only going to continue and I think there are another 40 to 60 houses that have been either passed or there are plans going to be submitted or in the process of being submitted.
“The location of Clonmore is so close to the motorway that it makes it the ideal place for people who want to move out.
“I think the lowest point that the population of the school had ever gone down to was 26, and we are sitting now, with our figures last week, where we have 99 children from Primary 1 to Primary 7.
“It’s a good news story whenever people need a good news story.
“I am very, very blessed as a principal in this school to have amazing children, outstanding staff, who go above and beyond for the children, very supportive governors and our parents and our local community are second to none.
“This vision for what Clintyclay can be I am determined to make a reality for the children, because it’s nothing less than they deserve.
“It won’t be a brand new build. We are very, very mindful of the history and the sentimentality. I’m a past pupil of Clintyclay so this is my alma mater. The school has a sentimentality in the area, the old school building, so we’re looking to repurpose it and what we would be putting out the back of the school would be modular buildings, connected up with a glass walkway between them.
“In terms of funding, we will make an application to the Department of Education that will be supported by CCMS, which is our managing body, but also the Education Authority as well. It would be a capital works application for replacement modular buildings.”
The school’s PTA has now been relaunched as a ‘Friends of Clintyclay’ and is actively supporting the school’s vision.
The children, too, are eagerly looking forward.
“Our children are very, very excited about it,” added Fiona. “They are wee children who have never complained about being in cramped classrooms before. They accept everything, and I suppose, in reimagining what the school could be like, we’re not asking for special treatment for them, we’re just asking for equal treatment.
“The children were asking me this morning, will this happen in our lifetime? This couldn’t. But those modular buildings could be on site in the next two years.
“We brought a new mobile on site a few years ago, so there had been delays with parking and off-road parking. We have all of that established now at the school, so there shouldn’t be that and we’re not going to create any more congestion.
“I think we have the full support of our local community in achieving this because everybody has that love for Clintyclay.”
The MUGA and pitch to the rear would be available to the children during school hours, but it would be of huge benefit to the entire Clonmore area as well.
“That is going to be opened up for community use, for the local football club, the local youth club, for people to come in and hire in the evenings,” explained Fiona. “People say about putting the school at the heart of the community and that’s what we want to do.”
To register and join the Friends of Clintyclay, please fill out the form here.
