Ballougry Primary School in County Derry has only 44 pupils and three teachers
Ballougry Primary School, which has 44 pupils, had been due to shut by August after the Education Authority said it was “unsustainable”.
But the plans were strongly opposed and gained the support of Silent Witness actress Amanda Burton.
Ballougry PS along with Balnamore PS in Co Antrim, Lack PS in Co Fermanagh and Queen Elizabeth II PS in Co Tyrone were all set to close this summer.
They all have fewer than 105 pupils.
The Department of Education’s policy on sustainability states this is the minimum for a rural primary school.
An Education Authority (EA) spokesperson said it was still awaiting a ministerial decision on the future of the schools.
They said the EA would not be in a position to take forward a closure in this academic year, should it now receive a decision to close before 30 June 2024.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education said minister Paul Givan would make decisions when he had been “fully informed of all the facts”.
The DE spokesperson said all the proposals for closure had gone through a public consultation process including a statutory two-month objection period.
“The minister is aware of the importance of providing clarity to the respective school communities and will make decisions when he has been fully informed of all the facts and circumstances pertaining to each of these proposals by officials,” they added.
Ballougry Primary School had been due to close last year, but that decision was also postponed.
It is situated about a mile from the border with the Republic.
The proposal has faced opposition, including from Silent Witness actress Amanda Burton who attended the school as a child.
Ms Burton, whose dad was a former headmaster, described the school as “magical”.
She was a pupil at the school between 1961-17 and her father retired in 1979 from his post as school principal after 32 years service.
Ms Burton said: “I traipsed through the school garden every day to be taught.
“I had to leave when I went into the city to further my education, but it has such a special place in my heart but obviously that’s not a reason to keep a school going.
“For me, in the first instance, it was such a magical place for me to grow up in – the surroundings and the education that can come with a smaller school, a personal and intense education that you can have with smaller class groups, I am a great advocate for that.”
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