Door closes but new era beckons for Drumlins IPS

Door closes but new era beckons for Drumlins IPS

28 June 2017

DRUMLINS Integrated Primary School is finally on the move.

The doors to the school’s temporary accommodation, which has been home for over a decade,  have closed as the final touches are made to a new building just one mile away.

Despite mounting excitement about moving to the modern £3m development following a 13-year campaign for a permanent home, emotions were high at the old Lisburn Street school last week as principal, Janice Marshall, locked up for the last time.

Mrs Marshall has been at the helm of the successful primary school since it was launched with just 12 pupils.

During that time, she has led a campaign for permanent accommodation and was delighted when officials gave the green light for the new development at Windmill Lane, which will cater for the school’s burgeoning enrolment of 200 children from September.

Hosting a picnic to mark the end of an era at Lisburn Road, Mrs Marshall said there was sadness despite the obvious eagerness to move to the new site.

“It is not just staff who are waiting for this,” she said.

“There are people in the town who have been supporting the school for so long who do not have children or who no longer have young children.

“We want them all to be with us to mark the launch of the new building and we intend to have a proper opening for them and of course a formal launch event.”

Staying at school for an extra week with staff to pack up “13 years”, Mrs Marshall said the long campaign for new accommodation now seemed to have passed in the “blink of a eye”.

“The new school sits at the top of the drumlins and I have a beautiful view from my office. Everything will be new,” she said.

“If you get something easily maybe you do not appreciate. Over the last 13 years we have focused on what we feel in important and that has bought us very close as a staff.

“It is awful work packing up but it will be worth it. While there is some sadness, in the back of my mind this was always the last bit of puzzle.”