Three school merger gets go-ahead

Three school merger gets go-ahead

19 October 2022

THE most radical shake-up in local Catholic secondary education in generations is to go ahead.

Three Downpatrick schools are to be amalgamated into a co-educational voluntary grammar school for 1,600 pupils which is expected to open in September next year.

The  merger of St Patrick’s Grammar School, De La Salle High School and St Mary’s High School was given the go-ahead by Education Minister Michelle McIlveen last week.

Under the merger plan about 40% of pupils to the new school will be admitted through academic selection.

The rest will be admitted on the basis that the new school is their nearest Catholic post-primary school.

The Minister’s decision has been welcomed by De La Salle and St Mary’s, while St Patrick’s, which had opposed the controversial plan, has given a guarded response.

A spokesperson for St Patrick’s said yesterday: “The Board of Governors notes the decision made by the Minister to approve the amalgamation of St Patricks Grammar, De La Salle College and St Mary’s High School.

“Given the impact of this decision on the school and its community the Governors will be meeting as a matter of urgency this week to carefully reflect on the decision before making further comment.”

By  contrast, Mr Ciaran Maguire, De La Salle principal, said he welcomed the announcement, which he described as a “fantastic opportunity”.

He continued: “The De La Salle Board of Governors and staff welcome the Minister’s approval of the amalgamation between the three post primary schools in Downpatrick.

“We have supported this amalgamation from the very beginning. Our priority has been and will continue to be about attaining better outcomes and experiences for all children.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to bring the resources of all three schools together and to be able to provide a first-class educational experience, with pupils accessing a curriculum provision, that is well resourced, with excellent outcomes. 

“The opportunity now exists for children of all abilities, to acquire educational outcomes that allow them to follow their chosen pathways into life.”

Mr Maguire added: “As a catholic (Lasallian) school we serve our community and meet the educational needs of the children who attend.  All three schools are Catholic schools, who share the same ethos, one of inclusion and educational excellence. 

“Catholic education has never been about academic ability, but rather the holistic development of the children that are entrusted to them.  This amalgamation reaffirms what Catholic education stands for.”

A spokesperson for St Mary’s High School said the Board of Governors and staff were “delighted” by the Minister’s announcement.  

The spokesperson said the De La Salle Congregation, trustees of all three schools, “have had a long-standing vision for co-educational provision in Downpatrick”.

“The three existing schools will bring their individual ethos, values, and culture of excellence to the new school.  We recognise that the experience, skills, and expertise exist in all three post-primary schools to create an outstanding school,” the spokesperson continued.

“However, there is a sense of sadness as this marks the end of three great schools, which can only be accepted as the three schools merge into something much greater than the sum of the parts.

“We believe that the realisation of this vision best meets the needs of all children in the area.  The new school will provide a high-quality education, a broad curriculum with a wide range of learning opportunities for children of all abilities. It will be big enough to cater for every pupil’s needs and aspirations in terms of pastoral needs and educational support, subject choice, and extra-curricular activities.”

Last week’s development should bring an end to four years of debate over the issue.

First aired publicly in 2018, it was hoped that the amalgamation would take place in September last year, but the plan soon ran into controversy.

A proposal to include St Columba’s College in Portaferry in the merger was ped in 2019 following concerns, among others, about arrangements for pupils travelling to and from Downpatrick.

The Board of Governors and parents of St Patrick’s Grammar School voiced their opposition to the merger from the outset and launched a legal campaign, which ended in December 2020 when a High Court judge rejected an application for the proposal to be judicially reviewed.

A public consultation into the merger was announced by the Education Authority in 2021. Out of 120 responses, 106 were opposed to the plan.

The Council for Catholic Maintained Schools CCMS said it welcomed last week’s decision by Ms McIveen.

“The proposal will bring together De La Salle High School, St Mary’s High School and St Patrick’s Grammar School to create a new grammar school in the trusteeship of the De La Salle Congregation,” it said.

“The proposal offers the potential for all children from a family to be educated together at post-primary level, similar to their experience at primary school in the area.

“The new co-educational post-primary school will have a vision and ethos of inclusion and educational excellence in keeping with the tradition espoused by the Catholic family of schools.

“CCMS and Trustees look forward to working with the school communities in establishing the new school.”

Brother Pat Collier, from the De La Salle Congregation, said: “This proposal will strengthen and future-proof quality education provision for pupils at post-primary level in the Downpatrick area.

“The creation of a new, sustainable 11-19 co-educational voluntary grammar school will provide high quality education, a broad curricular offer and a range of learning experiences for all pupils.”

South Down Alliance Party MLA Patrick Brown voiced his opposition to the merger.

He said: “Alliance is opposed to these plans and was the first party locally to object to them. 

“We remain opposed because there are a number of serious issues with these proposals which will impact on student wellbeing.

“There are a wide range of logistical and practical issues with cramming over 1,600 students on to one site, or indeed trying to facilitate them across multiple sites.

“And there is the very serious issue of rural discrimination, whereby students from rural areas will be forced to sit an entrance exam, but those within closer proximity to the new school will not.

Mr Brown added: “This does not remove academic selection but simply displaces it. Ultimately, Alliance wants to see an integrated, all-ability, non-selective educational system for Northern Ireland and this proposal falls well short of that.

“It is a shame therefore that SDLP and Sinn Fein representatives are supporting it, against the wishes of many hundreds of local parents. We will continue to explore avenues to oppose these plans in the coming weeks.”