Shimna Integrated College is an integrated secondary school based in Newcastle, County Down, Northern Ireland. The all-ability school was founded in 1994 with the hope of integrating young people from both sides of Northern Ireland's religious divide and giving all of its students 'self-esteem'.[1]
| Shimna Integrated College | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
The Lawnfield King Street , , BT33 0HD | |
| Coordinates | 54°11′56″N 5°53′26″W / 54.198798°N 5.890528°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Integrated secondary school |
| Motto | Learning from each other |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Mixed |
| Established | 1994 |
| Local authority | SEELB |
| Principal | Steve Pagan |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 531 |
| Website | https://www.shimnaintegratedcollege.org/ |
Context edit
Integrated Education is a Northern Ireland phenomenon, where traditionally schools were segregated, either run as Catholic schools or Protestant schools. On parental request, a school could apply to 'transition' to become Grant Maintained offering 30% of the school places to students from the minority community. Lagan College was the first integrated school to open in 1981.[2]
History edit
It opened in September 1994 with 60 pupils.[3] In March 2011, Shimna became the first school in Northern Ireland to organize a gay-straight alliance.[4]
Site edit
The original buildings are in the process of being replaced with a £16.5m three storey building that meets 2021 design requirements.[3] The plans were approved at the planning committee meeting in April 2021 [5] with completion predicted for September 2023.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "NICIE". Retrieved 18 May 2012.
- ^ "The History of NICIE | Integrated Education Northern Ireland". www.nicie.org. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ a b "Plans submitted for new 620-student Shimna College". www.thedownrecorder.co.uk. 8 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ "Shimna Integrated College forms gay-straight alliance". BBC News. 25 March 2011.
- ^ "Planning_committee_agenda__08-04-2021" (PDF). www.newrymournedown.org/. Retrieved 17 July 2021.