01/10/2026
๐ก๐๐ช ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐จ๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ก ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ฆ ๐ก๐๐ช ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐จ๐ฃ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ, ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐๐น ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐๐ผ๐ป, ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ต๐ป ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐น๐ฒ๐, ๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ
We are delighted to have received confirmation from the Education Authority that the former Balnamore Primary School is to be given a new lease of life as a ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น.
The Education Authority has confirmed that the Balnamore site is being refurbished to accommodate Sandelford pupils, including early years provision, with the new campus expected to be fully operational by ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ณ.
Balnamore Primary School sadly closed following a significant and sustained decline in pupil numbers. The Department of Education approved the closure proposal in January 2025 after considering the long term sustainability of the school.
At the time there was understandable disappointment within Balnamore and the wider Ballymoney community at losing a school which had served generations of local families.
From that point, however, it was important that this valuable educational site was not simply allowed to lie empty.
๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ.
There is a significant and growing need for specialist educational provision across North Antrim and within the Ballymoney area.
Earlier this year it was confirmed that ๐ฎ๐ต๐ญ ๐ฝ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐น๐ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ก๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ต ๐๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐บ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
The Education Authority also specifically identified the development of a dual campus site in the Ballymoney area for Sandelford School as part of plans to allow more children to receive the support they need closer to home.
Ballymoney already benefits from specialist provision within a number of mainstream schools, but there remains a clear need to increase local capacity.
For children with additional and complex needs, and for their parents and families, lengthy daily journeys to access the appropriate education and support can place an additional burden on family life.
Bringing permanent Sandelford provision to Balnamore will give more children the opportunity to receive the specialist education and support they need ๐ฐ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ, ๐ฐ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐๐ป ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐.
๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ต๐๐ด๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐น๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ต๐๐ด๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐.
It takes a school site which could otherwise have been left vacant and places education back at the heart of the Balnamore community.
We look forward to seeing the refurbishment progress over the coming months and to welcoming Sandelford School, its pupils, families and staff to Balnamore in 2027.
Democratic Unionist Party
Cllr John McAuley
Councillor Darryl Wilson
Leigh Gerrow
Lynsey Blair
