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Education Minister Liz Kimmins has said the numbers of children failing to get the post-primary school of their choice "far exceeds" anything she has dealt with before.
Ms Kimmins is highlighting the need to Increase Year 8 Admission Numbers To St Paul’s Bessbrook and is urging the Education Minister to address the issue.
The Newry and Armagh MLA 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”.
Liz continued, “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 advanced knowledge of the numbers 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 exceeds anything I have dealt with before."
Ms Kimmins is urging the Minister to provide St Paul's with the additional places required. "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 for Education to try and resolve this matter in the best interests of all children as quickly as possible”.
