Video: MLA backs school’s push for integrated status

Earlier this month the North Eastern Education and Library Board published a proposal that the school move to controlled integrated status from September 2015 or as soon as possible thereafter. The transformation proposal, put forward by the Board of Governors earlier this year, is aimed at securing the future of the school, which has suffered from a dramatic drop in pupil numbers over the past few years.

Governors, staff and parents are confident that a switch to integrated status will ensure a bright future for the village school - a view shared by Mr Kinahan.

The UUP’s education spokesman believes that transformation is “the right way forward” for the area, and a move that could help the school to thrive once more.

“Integrated is the way forward for all our schooling. Whether it is total integration or whether it is shared schooling to get people working together, it has to be the right way forward for Northern Ireland,” he commented.

A decision on whether or not the school is permitted to make the switch to controlled integrated status will be taken by the Education Minister, John O’Dowd.