Education Minister cuts sod and views work on new complex
By Amy Pollock
A CARROWDORE college has officially marked the construction of its new school with a sod cutting ceremony attended by the Education Minister.
With work already underway at Strangford Integrated College, the £38m project is due for completion in 2027, with one wing, a sports hall and sports pitches left to be built.
The new facility will enable the popular post-primary college to grow and meet the ‘parental demand for all-ability integrated education in the Ards, North Down and the peninsula’, said principal Clare Foster.
Strangford IC’s current school building, originally designed to hold 500 pupils, has been operating at maximum capacity for several years, with 900 students enrolled.
Mrs Foster described the event as a ‘significant milestone for the school community’.
“As we gather to cut the sod and celebrate the progress on our school building, this new build is a testament to our collective commitment to the education and the future of our students,” Mrs Foster said on Thursday in a speech to pupils, architect consultants AECOM, contractors Felix O’Hare & Co Ltd, and members of the Board of Governors and Department of Education.
“Since we opened our doors in 1997, Strangford Integrated College has continued to grow in numbers and reputation. This new building on our existing site will enable us to provide students with access to high quality integrated education in a modern, state-of-the-art, energy-efficient building in which our young people will continue to thrive and flourish,” she added.
The project is funded by the Department of Education under the ‘Fresh Start’ programme, which aims to deliver new capital funding over 10 years to support shared and integrated education.
Education Minister Paul Givan said being able to see the school’s progress first-hand is ‘wonderful’.
“The project is going to deliver a world-class facility, which is long overdue, and just walking around the school, I can see the old buildings that they’ve been operating out of for many years, and this will really enhance the learning environment,” Mr Givan said.
At the event, the Minister acknowledged the commitment and hard work of the school and its stakeholders in helping to bring the project to this stage.
“Today, they can all be proud of this positive step as they look forward to their new school building becoming a reality. I wish everyone at Strangford Integrated College every success for the future,” said Mr Givan.
Speaking about what they are most looking forward to about the new school, year 10 pupils Ollie Nickels and Gabriella Skelton said having more space for extra-curricular activities and better facilities for practical subjects were at the top of their list.
Gabriella said: “We’re all just really excited for the new school build, because we’ve heard so much about it, and I think we all know it’s going to be worth the wait.
“My best friend, she’s very into drama, so she’s really excited about the new drama theatre. I take part in the eco committee and gardening club and I think we’re getting a greenhouse, which I’m really looking forward to having because then we have more room to put plants and help them grow, and I think it will have a good impact on what everyone’s going to understand about the environment.”
Ollie added: “ICT is getting more room and more technology added to it. For science, we’re getting new equipment, and HE is going to be more up to date. The PE hall is also going to be bigger, so it will definitely be better for all those activities.”
Closing the event, Mrs Foster said: “We’re hugely grateful to the Department of Education for funding this project, and we look forward to the exciting possibilities that lie ahead for our college.”
