Credit: Sarah Kelly, parent of daughters who attend St. Malachy
Parents of children who attend St Malachy's Kilclief have joined together in a campaign to save the primary school which is at risk of being closed by the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS).
The campaigners issued a statement which said: "When small rural schools are closed or under-resourced, the consequences for these children are profound, so protecting them is therefore not merely a matter of nostalgia or community pride – it is an issue of equity and child rights.
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"Every child deserves access to an educational environment in which they can succeed.
It also states that intimate scale rural school allows teachers to know and understand each child better. For some children with additional learning requirements or sensory processing challenges, this level of personalised support is not just beneficial – it is critical.
Outdoor space
"St Malachy's sits on an extensive piece of land that provides exceptional outdoor space for our children: a pitch, vegetable patch managed by students, swings, playhouses, and more.
"Outdoor space of this scale is becoming increasingly rare as small rural schools face closure, leaving many children with no option but to attend schools in towns or villages where access to safe, spacious outdoor play areas is limited.
"The children at St Malachy's benefit so much from our local farming community. They have guided walks through local farmlands, bird watching, help in the eco garden and their vegetable patch, as well as helping look after our countryside with litter picks."
In an effort to get the word out about the campaign behind saving the school, the parents of the children who attend organised a community tractor run on November 16.
The event brought together families, local farmers, and supporters from across North and South Ireland, in a visible show of solidarity for the future of rural education.
"St Malachy's has been serving generations of local families since 1867. Our message is simple: our school matters, and our children matter.
"We are committed to ensuring that St Malachy's remains at the heart of this rural community for generations to come."
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A petition to save the school has received more than 4,000 signatures, you can find it here.
CCMS said: "Operational Plan 2 of the Strategic Area Plan 2022-2027, was published on January 16, 2025. This included a work stream for the Strangford and Kilclief area in which the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools proposed to review maintained primary school provision in the area.
"CCMS plans to carry out a pre-publication consultation with parents, staff and governors from St Malachy's Primary School and St Joseph's Primary School on the future of primary provision in the area. The consultation is due to commence early 2026."
