Soccer ace returns to open integrated primary school

Soccer ace returns to open integrated primary school

28 September 2016

SPECIAL guests and old friends returned to Killyleagh Primary School on Friday for its official reopening as an integrated school.

The town’s most famous sportsman, Northern Ireland international footballer and record goal scorer, David Healy, returned to his alma mater to cut the ribbon to mark the new beginning.

Killyleagh Primary School closed at the end of June after serving the community for 76 years.

Its reopening three weeks ago as an integrated primary came following months of planning and consultation.

Speaking of his happy memories of his days at the school, David Healy said Killyleagh Primary was a key part of town life.

“It’s great to see it developing as Killyleagh Integrated Primary — a school to welcome and cherish all sections of the community,” he said.

“Killyleagh primary has happy memories for me and always played an important role in local life.”

He was at the official launch alongside Baroness May Blood, campaign chairwoman of the Integrated Education Fund, Denise Morgan, from the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) and Sharon O’Connor, chief executive of the Education Authority.  

The visitors enjoyed a performance by the school choir after the ribbon-cutting.

Congratulating Killyleagh IPS on its new status, Baroness Blood said she wished the new integrated well at the beginning of “a new term with a new, refreshed commitment to truly welcoming pupils of all traditions and backgrounds.”

“Developments like this shows what can be achieved by schools responding to the wishes of parents and reaching out to the entire local community,” she said.

“You give everyone hope that we can grow an education system in Northern Ireland which brings people together and meets the demands of the twenty-first century.”

School principal Jason Milligan, who has been head teacher at Killyleagh for three years, said there was great optimism and energy about the new start for the school.