Community will have input into Islandmagee primary amalgamation plans

Rev Peter Bovill is chair of the board of governors at Kilcoan and sits on the board at Mullaghdubh.

“I’m also a parent and in that way I can see it from all points of view. It’s very much a positive step towards securing primary school education in Islandmagee,” said Mr Bovill, whose daughter is a pupil at Kilcoan.

“The desire of the whole community is that there will be a new-build for the school, and while everybody is aware of the financial situation the Government departments are in, this takes us much closer to creating that stable foundation.

“Over the next few months, an interim board of governors will be appointed and decisions will be made about how the new school will function.”

Mr Boville added: “Parents, staff and pupils will have the opportunity to get behind that, whether that’s choosing a name for the school, or designing a new badge.”