Castle High: Former north Belfast school to become a special school

A former high school in north Belfast is to become an additional special school due to the increasing number of pupils who need a school place.

Castle High School closed in 2009 and has been used as an Education Authority (EA) resource centre since then.

BBC News NI has learned that it is to be used to provide additional special school places for September 2021.

EA said it would increase provision, "including the use of the Fortwilliam site for a temporary period".

About half of the children in the school will be post-primary pupils from Harberton Special School in south Belfast, creating a new Harberton North campus.

The EA have said that in total almost 250 more children will need a special school place this September compared to 2020.

The number of pupils in special schools has increased by about 1,200 in the past five years - a rise of almost 25% since 2015/16.

There are about 6,400 pupils in special schools in Northern Ireland in 2020/21, compared to under 5,200 in 2015/16.

That means some special schools have many more pupils than they are meant to enrol.

The school at Fortwilliam is expected to have places for approximately 120 pupils, about 60 will be post-primary pupils from Harberton.

Harberton's principal James Curran told BBC News NI that the new campus for his pupils was a "step in the right direction", but that "further and urgent investment is critical".

"Special school principals have repeatedly stated their concerns in relation to the capacity pressures and lack of places in our special schools, particularly in Belfast," he said.

"We have continued to provide solutions that ensure pupils receive the highest level of teaching and care and their parents are assured that their children have access to the highest quality provision.

"The current system is at or past breaking point.

"Harberton welcomes this 'interim' solution.

"Classrooms will be bespoke for the children's needs and outdoor spaces have been identified to provide the vital access to outdoor play our children need."

More than 40 extra classrooms will also be needed at other special schools across Northern Ireland to enable them to admit more pupils.

"Pressures in other areas will be addressed through the provision of purpose-built modular accommodation at school sites," the EA said.

In June 2020, BBC News NI revealed that almost 300 children did not have a special school place confirmed for the start of term in September 2020.

The EA said they were aiming to ensure a similar situation did not arise in 2021.

In a statement to BBC News NI they said there were "increasing capacity pressures over a number of years across special schools and specialist provisions in mainstream for September 2021".

"During the 2015/16 to 2019/20 period the profile of pupil need has changed significantly with an increase of 37% of pupils now presenting with very significant intellectual or cognitive impairments placed in special schools.

"This has been a contributing factor in relation to the increased demand for special school places."

The authority has also identified 4,129 children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) who will need a different placement in mainstream or special schools for September 2021.

That number includes children who are moving schools, or have changed needs which means they will need to move school.