Politicians say ‘no’ to plan for school

Politicians say ‘no’ to plan for school

3 November 2021

A NUMBER of politicians and school principals are opposed to creating a new integrated education college in the area.

The proposed 600-place Mid Down Integrated College (MIDC) would replace Blackwater Integrated College in Downpatrick, providing sixth-form places.

Public consultation into the development proposal brought forward by the MDIC steering group ended in September and the Education Authority (EA) has already given its response to the parents’ group behind the proposal.

However, DUP politicians and three of four post-primary schools in the area — Saintfield High School, St Colman’s High School and Sixth Form College in Ballynahinch and St Colmcille’s High in Crossgar — have publicly voiced their concerns for the first time.

Strangford MLA Harry Harvey said: “I am disappointed that despite widespread opposition locally, the Education Authority continue to press ahead with these proposals. The nearby Saintfield High School, a school supported by the entire community, is in dire need of funding for expansion and refurbishment.  

“I would call on the EA to listen to the local community and support a truly cross community educational establishment that is already in existence.”

Cllr Billy Walker, who represents the area, said he will not supporting the development proposal, which he described as “ill-thought”.

“As an elected representative, I will not be supporting the call for an integrated college in the Mid Down area,” he told the Recorder.

“First and foremost, I want to put on record that I am not opposed to integrated education in any shape or form.”

Cllr Walker said along with Strangford MP Jim Shannon, they lobbied for a new integrated primary school at Drumlins in Ballynahinch and were also instrumental in helping to get the funding to turn Killyleagh Primary School into an integrated school.

He continued: “My credentials speak for themselves. My concern is that we have four post-primary schools in the Rowallane area that have been very successful in the last number of years.

“The four schools are totally opposed to it as this will put serious pressure on these schools if a new integrated college opens.

“These schools have an excellent track record in working together in a cross-community basis which I have seen at first hand.”

The councillor claimed he had seen figures to show that Blackwater College was under-subscribed by pupils and local people have made representations to him about the development proposal.

He and Mr Shannon recently met with the principals of the four local schools, including The High School Ballynahinch, to hear their concerns.

“How can you honestly push for another integrated school in the Mid Down area when you have another one already under-subscribed,” Cllr Walker continued.

“If Blackwater wants to expand, hopefully in the near future Down High will get the go-ahead for its new build which would leave a site for Blackwater to move to. That’s something I could add my support to further down the line.

“But I will not be quiet on this any longer. I have given a commitment, as has Mr Shannon, to the four schools we have visited that we are 100% behind their very robust case against which has been submitted to the Education Authority.”

Tim Jackson, co-chair of the MDIC steering group, said that the development proposal was looking at the future need for an integrated college.

The group had already collected 775 expressions of interests from parents who would send their children to the school,along with 232 parents who are supportive but don’t have children of school age year.

He also stressed that the schools had been consulted before the end of the last school year and the public consultation completed by September.

“We feel that people have not understood what our approach and what our proposal is trying to achieve,” continued Mr Jackson.

“We are very much about increasing the provision of integrated education in  the area, not at the expense of other schools but to support and reflect the support for it in the area and Northern Ireland as a whole.

“We are not about trying to compete with other schools but are trying to deliver something that supports that demand of integrated education. We have had lots of support from local primary schools, many of which are integrated themselves and from other integrated colleges, who you could argue we would be in more competition with.”

He said that the group had written to every MP and MLA in the area and pointed out that Cllr Walker had not yet been briefed by them.

“He did not take up the opportunity for us to brief him which might have assuaged some of the concerns he has highlighted,” said Mr Jackson.

“And while we are hoping to establish a sixth form, we are not aware that the other local schools have also applied to do something like that.”

He added that the group were looking at the EA’s response to the development proposal “in detail as we think that some of our assertions have not been fully understood or appreciated as the EA looks at historical data while we are looking into the future as the urban and geographical landscape changes”.

Mark Morgan, principal of St Colman’s, described the proposal as a “solo run that disregards accepted protocols and should be dismissed”.

He added: “It is imperative that any proposals for change in any sector of the education system must be aligned to the area planning process.”

Saintfield High School principal Sarah-Lucy Hynds pointed out that irrespective of the proposal, her school would continue to strive for its own expansion.

She said: “Saintfield High School’s campaign to grow has remained the same for decades. The challenges we face as a result of our capped enrolment at Year 8 must now be addressed as a matter of urgency.”

Mr Seamus Hanna, principal of St Colmcille’s, said he was disappointed with the lack of “proper consultation”.

“On a very basic level, the proposal ignored the reality that our staff and students already come from diverse faith backgrounds and our ethos is and always has been, pupil centred, welcoming and respecting every pupil, regardless of faith or academic ability,” he said. 

“On a higher level, it ignored the reality that schools must work in partnership to place student needs above institutional interests. An inclusive and imaginative solution would have received our whole-hearted support, but this current proposal unfortunately fell short of this vision.”