Balmoral High School (Belfast, Northern Ireland)
Encyclopedia
Balmoral High School was a secondary school
in Belfast
, Northern Ireland
. It was established by a merger of Deramore High School and Larkfield High School. The school was managed by the Belfast Education and Library Board (BELB). The school opened in January 2002 and closed in August 2008, due to falling pupil numbers. It had been built as an education 'pathfinder' for the Private Finance Initiative
.
The old Larkfield building was situated adjacent to the new building occupied by Balmoral. The PFI was structured so that the old school site and land was used to build a large housing development and building the new school next to this site.
The BELB are tied to a 25-year contract, which was inflation-proofed, and in 2006 the BELB paid more than £370,000 to use the school. Even discounting inflation, a minimum of £7.4m will have to be paid out over the remaining period of the contract, whether the school remains empty or not. At present, their Regional Training Unit occupies part of the Balmoral building. The project was described, by the Belfast Telegraph
, as "botched".
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It was established by a merger of Deramore High School and Larkfield High School. The school was managed by the Belfast Education and Library Board (BELB). The school opened in January 2002 and closed in August 2008, due to falling pupil numbers. It had been built as an education 'pathfinder' for the Private Finance Initiative
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
.
The old Larkfield building was situated adjacent to the new building occupied by Balmoral. The PFI was structured so that the old school site and land was used to build a large housing development and building the new school next to this site.
The BELB are tied to a 25-year contract, which was inflation-proofed, and in 2006 the BELB paid more than £370,000 to use the school. Even discounting inflation, a minimum of £7.4m will have to be paid out over the remaining period of the contract, whether the school remains empty or not. At present, their Regional Training Unit occupies part of the Balmoral building. The project was described, by the Belfast Telegraph
The Belfast Telegraph
The Belfast Telegraph is a daily evening newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland by Independent News & Media.It was first published as the Belfast Evening Telegraph on 1 September 1870 by brothers William and George Baird...
, as "botched".