Rostrevor community rally around Killowen Primary following threat of closure

THE community of Rostrevor has rallied around Killowen Primary school following threats of closure.

The school, which has been at the heart of educating children for over a century, has been earmarked for closure by as early as August of 2027 on the part of the CCMS.

This is due to dwindling numbers alongside high running costs and existing debt, with Saint Bronagh’s Primary School expected to accommodate for those pupils who  will need a new place of learning if Killowen  does close its doors.

 However parents, staff and children at the school do not believe that all hope is lost for their beloved sanctuary of learning, with Killowen recording a 120% increase in the number of Primary 1 applications this year proving that their still exists a future student base in the community to make the school sustainable.

At a parish event held in protest to the proposed closure of the school, Killowen parent Catherine Donnelly said that the huge turn out served as evidence regarding  the animosity felt by the community towards the plans lain in place by the CCMS.  

      Proposal for Closure

“The proposal is to discontinue Killowen Primary School on August 31 2027, or as soon as possible thereafter” said Catherine “and to increase the admissions to St Bronagh’s PS from 29 to 34 and the enrollment number from 203 to 240 from 1st September 2027.”

“The proposal comes in response to dwindling numbers at the school alongside high running costs and existing debt.

“However Jan 2025 saw a P1 application increase of 120% demonstrating a steady increase in enrollement. This is likely after extensive efforts and development made to the reception provision at the school resulting in parents and their children being very happy and therefore staying at the school into P1.

“There is a strong community and parish voice in opposition to this proposal.

“At our Parish meeting last Monday over 100 people attended to voice their opposition and try to strategise moving forward. Among these people were representative from both St Bronagh’s School and Killowen School as well as a strong community presence across all age groups.

“ We all agree that we cannot let Killowen School close allowing a fracture through the heart of our community and we will all work together to mount a large response of opposition to CCMS’ proposal and are working on a counter proposal which will see both educational sites remaining open.

“This movement is gaining support from local politicians and councilors and indeed Jarlath Tinnelly, local councillor spoke out strongly in opposition of the proposal at the meeting.”

Parents Perspective

For Catherine, whose own two sons attend Killowen Primary, the closure of the school would not only mean the loss of a foundation stone which has existed in the community for 115 years, but also make the education of her two children more stressful then it should be as she believes both of her boys are better suited to the smaller context which Killowen provides.

This is evidenced in no small part by the fact that the current principal at the school was able to identify small but additional needs required on the part of her eldest son Raphael which were swiftly addressed.

“My eldest child Raphael does have an individualised education programme that he is on. He would not have extremely severe needs but it has been identifed that certain elements of his education benefit from small interventions to improve his focus and I can see how well he has come on.

“Miss Evans, who is now the acting principal, is also our SEN appointed teacher. She was able to identify it at the beginning of his Primary 2 year Within a few weeks she said that we needed to have a conversation about his needs and what we can do.

“She wasted absolutely no time which I am sure in a different facility would have taken longer to identify.

“Not only this but both of my children are extremely happy at this school, they have a lot of close friendships and they go into school everyday with a smile on their faces, they look forward to Monday morning.

“It is all these things that just make community life and school life a lovely environment for them to learn in.    

“This is not to say that Saint Bronagh's does not have the ability to provide this same kind of setting for education but there are projected to be enough children  in the community to sustain two schools.

“They both do what they do extremely well but if you just cut and axe one from the resources I think we will find, and Saint Bronagh's have confirmed as much in their community meeting, that they will not be able to do their job quite as well either.

“I think on all counts there would be a detrimental impact. There is an extensive provision available at Killowen Primary school for SEN children and a high proportion of children at Killowen do have additional needs.

“The education provided at Killowen for these children has been lauded as exemplary by the education authority and recommended by specialists for families of these children who seek a gold standard educational setting for SEN children.

“Parent satisfaction at Killowen School is exceptionally high and indeed parents whose children have been turned away from other schools see Killowen as a lifeline and extended family to their children. Many couldn’t have dreamed of this type of integrated education and have had disappointments in other schools where their children were not thriving.

“ Not only this emotionally I know that they are very happy at Kiloween school and I cannot imagine that an adjustment at this formative stage of their education is going to be a positive thing.

Parental Response

“Finally there is a strong parent response to this proposal in particular. Parent’s of children at the school often speak about a magic within the school, a family atmosphere and a beautiful setting in which their children can happily attend for those critical formative years of education.

“ I have to believe that Killoween Primary can be saved. The data and projected numbers demonstrate that there are enough children to sustain two schools in the parish and we need to retain Killowen Primary School to plan for growing numbers in the future.

“Killowen Primary school is the only fully funded reception facility in the parish. This helps children get ready for their school lives and helps working families and therefore has a positive economic impact on a wider scale.

“Not only that but from my heart I want my children to be educated in Killowen School. It provides an outstanding education and my two children are very happy there every day.

“ While ST Bronagh’s is also an exceptional school I believe that the closure of Killowen School will likely put St Bronagh’s in jeopardy and overall will render the community and parish under funded and overstretched. This is the take-home message. We cannot allow resources to be drained from Kilbroney Parish and cannot sit idly by without putting up a fight.”