Killyleagh school bidding to convert to integrated status

Killyleagh school bidding to convert to integrated status

9 September 2015

KILLYLEAGH Primary School may be converted to integrated status by next September.

Plans got officially underway this week to re-designate the local controlled primary as integrated through the launch of a development proposal that will be subject to public consultation until November.

The idea was first suggested last Christmas when a secret ballot was held to gauge parents’ reaction to the proposal.

With an overwhelming majority indicating their interest, school principal Jason Milligan said governors decided to pursue the idea.

Mr Milligan said the proposal for Killyleagh made good sense as the feeder playgroup for the school is integrated as is Blackwater College where most pupils move for their secondary schooling.

“This seems like a natural progression for the school, which is very much integrated in its ethos,” he said.

“We have pupils from all faiths and no faith so this would not be a huge leap.”

Mr Milligan said Killyleagh Primary School, which was founded in 1939, had thrived since it became the first school in the area to share a principal as part of the education authority’s move towards federations.Two years ago he was appointed principal of Killyleagh in addition to the headmaster’s role at Glasswater Primary School in Crossgar.

He said enrolment in Killyleagh had grown from 78 to 98 in that period, while the nearby Glasswater is oversubscribed.

“The purpose of the federation was to ensure there was a primary school for the two communities in Killyleagh and Crossgar,” he said.

“I think now that has been secured, parents have been assured of the future and that has led to growing enrolments.

“We are now ready for the next stage of change of Killyleagh and are hoping for ministerial approval for the Killyleagh proposal by Easter and that will give us a full term to consult with parents about uniforms and badges.

“Before we went down the road towards integration we were working to be an inclusive school so this is a logical step.

“There will be changes, but they will be changes for the better.”

Mrs Laura Craig, who is a parent associated with Killyleagh Primary School, said she agreed integrated status was the right way forward for her children.

“I want them to be educated in an environment where they are encouraged to be who they are, to be proud and to be respectful of everyone.

“I think it is crucial to learn about diversity and to mix with everyone.”

Killyleagh Primary School will host a fun day for the community on September 19 to raise awareness about plans for integration.