Works begins on almost £45m worth of new school buildings in NI
The principal of a Co Down post primary school has said the beginning of work on a new £38m building is 'a significant milestone for the school community'.
Clare Foster was speaking as Education Minister Paul Givan helped to cut the first sod on the project at Strangford Integrated College.
It was one of two new school building projects to break ground on Thursday, with the minister also visiting Kilronan Special School in Magherafelt, where work began on a £4.9m extension to accommodation.
'Staff and students are excited to see the new building progress,' Ms Foster added as work officially commenced in Carrowdore.
'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.
'Our students deserve the best start in life, and we are looking forward to the opportunities that the enhanced school facilities and top-class sporting facilities will offer to both students and staff.
'A great deal of work has gone into getting to the new build project to this stage I would like to thank the Department of Education, project consultants AECOM and the Board of Governors for their support in making this happen.'
News Catch Up - Thursday 22 May
The Strangford Integrated College scheme is being funded under the Fresh Start capital programme and Mr Givan said he was delighted to see the progress being made.
'The significance of this £38m investment will be reflected in the many benefits it will deliver for pupils, families and staff and the wider community,' he said.
'This major project will provide modern new facilities that will support the teaching and learning needs of the pupils for many years to come and create an environment that helps them to thrive.'
The minister also paid a visit to Magherafelt where work was getting underway on Kilronan School's new £4.9m single storey extension with new specialist classrooms, social areas and support accommodation as part of the School Enhancement Programme (SEP).
It's the first of 10 special school projects to proceed, having been announced in the second tranche of 16 schools to receive a funding commitment in 2019.
'This is an exciting day for everyone at Kilronan, marking the start of a very important programme of construction,' the minister said.
'The investment of nearly £5m will deliver many benefits for pupils, school staff and local families. This project will provide modern facilities which will help children and young people to grow, thrive, learn and achieve their full potential.'
Construction is due to be completed in late summer 2026 and Principal Sharlene Deehan said she was delighted to see work finally underway.
'Governors, staff, parents and pupils are delighted to be at this stage of our SEP Journey, and we are thankful to the previous principal, governors and staff who initiated the project many years ago.
'On completion the SEP should provide equality for our learners with their mainstream peers in terms of resourcing and experiences, providing a modern, bright building which will vastly enhance the day to day running for the ever changing profile of pupils, our dedicated and caring staff and indeed the whole school community.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
09-06-2025
- The Independent
Trump wants to shrink the cap on Pell Grants. It could have a major impact on paying for college
Donald Trump is asking Congress to slash federal financial aid for low-income students as he works to offset the expected multi-trillion-dollar cost of his flagship tax cuts. In its annual budget request for 2026, the Department of Education proposed reducing the maximum payout of Pell Grants by 22 percent, from $7,395 to $5,710. Meanwhile, more stringent college credit requirements proposed in Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' would reportedly affect more than half of all Pell Grant recipients and deny access completely for around 10 percent. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Bill in its current form would add roughly $2.4tn to the U.S. government deficit between now and 2036 — largely due to extending Trump's 2017 tax cuts, which were skewed towards the richest Americans. The White House has pushed back on that figure, claiming that merely renewing previous tax cuts should not be counted as an extra hit to the deficit. Who receives Pell Grants? A Pell Grant is a permanent financial award for first-time undergraduate students with few monetary resources, established in 1965 by the Higher Education Act. Unlike student loans, they never need to be repaid. While Pell Grants by themselves rarely pay for a full undergraduate degree, they can be supplemented by other programs and form a key part of low-income students' overall aid package. Nearly 40 percent of undergraduate students received Pell Grants in the 2019-20 academic year, according to the Department of Education. Of those recipients, at least 20 percent are estimated to attend community college. Who would Trump's cuts affect? Technically, the DoE's new budget request merely keeps Pell Grant funding at the same level as it was in 2024 and 2025. But because the number of people seeking grants has risen since then, that would mean cutting the maximum award to $5,710. Mark Kantrowitz, an independent higher education expert, told CNBC the change would add about $6,500 on average to the debt burden of Pell Grant recipients who earn bachelor's degrees. The DoE is also proposing to cut its federal work-study program, which helps eligible low-income students keep and maintain part-time jobs by subsidizing their wages. Instead of covering up to 75 percent, the government would now pay only 25 percent. Separate provisions in the so-called 'Big Beautiful Bill' would reportedly increase the number of course credits required to get the maximum Pell Grant from 12 per semester to 15 for part time students and from 24 to 30 for full time students, as well as cutting off less than half-time students completely. According to the Budget Office, that would reduce grants for more than half of Pell recipients and render about 10 percent of current recipients entirely ineligible. Unlike Trump's budget request, the Bill also proposes additional funding for Pell Grants overall, so it's not clear how these two sets of provisions would combine.
Belfast Telegraph
28-05-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
More ‘focus and pace' needed to equip NI workforce with the rights skills, report finds
In a report 'Developing the skills for Northern Ireland's future,' the scrutiny body said that despite the development of the Skills Strategy, Northern Ireland continues to face significant shortages in key sectors. It said it was particularly concerned about the lack of coordination between the Department for the Economy (DfE) and the Department of Education. Daniel McCrossan, chair of the PAC and SDLP West Tyrone MLA, said: 'The DfE spends around £470m on support for skills and learning - and has more than 370 staff working in this area. "While it provides a broad range of skills programmes, there has been little progress towards or evidence of actually meeting the Skills Strategy's goals. 'We are strongly of the view that the department's financial and staff resources could be used more effectively if there was better collaboration and a clearer focus on achieving strategic outcomes. 'Both it and the Department of Education have found effective joint working challenging for a variety of reasons – but a cohesive approach to the delivery of the Skills Strategy is essential. Departments need to do much better and work with significant pace to achieve the strategy's goals. 'The DfE also needs to make greater use of the wealth of data available to it – in order to identify and understand current and future skills needs in Northern Ireland.' He said the focus now needed to be on reducing numbers of economically inactive people, with jobs vacancies in areas with skills shortages now five times higher than between 2015 and 2022. 'We believe DfE needs to look at collaborating proactively with other departments, engaging with those people who are facing barriers to employment - and exploring new ways of working with employers.' Cheryl Brownlee, deputy chair of the PAC and DUP East Antrim MLA, added: 'We believe more should be done to educate students about good employment opportunities to help influence the choices they make in a positive way - to benefit themselves and the local economy. "It's concerning to note that despite DfE providing funding of £372m to further and higher education institutions in 2023-24, to help support skills and learning, they had little influence over what types of courses were offered. 'There is a duplication of educational services between schools and further education colleges and they are actually now less collaborative and more competitive. "It's simply unacceptable that this is something both departments are aware of but have taken no action on. This is about the best use of public money and must be addressed as soon as possible, as highlighted in our list of recommendations. 'The committee recommends that careers education and advice be reviewed to ensure that pupils are empowered to make informed choices that open up training and career opportunities aligned to the skills gaps identified. 'Members of the Northern Ireland Youth Assembly told us that most of them weren't aware of what skills were needed here. This has to change, along with better availability of information and guidance on educational pathways.' The committee also outlined its concerns in the report about the functionality of the IT system operated by the Department of Education – and calls for greater change. A spokesperson for the Department of Education said: 'The Department notes the publication of the PAC report and will consider the Committee's recommendations fully.'
Belfast Telegraph
22-05-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
Works begins on almost £45m worth of new school buildings in NI
The principal of a Co Down post primary school has said the beginning of work on a new £38m building is 'a significant milestone for the school community'. Clare Foster was speaking as Education Minister Paul Givan helped to cut the first sod on the project at Strangford Integrated College. It was one of two new school building projects to break ground on Thursday, with the minister also visiting Kilronan Special School in Magherafelt, where work began on a £4.9m extension to accommodation. 'Staff and students are excited to see the new building progress,' Ms Foster added as work officially commenced in Carrowdore. '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. 'Our students deserve the best start in life, and we are looking forward to the opportunities that the enhanced school facilities and top-class sporting facilities will offer to both students and staff. 'A great deal of work has gone into getting to the new build project to this stage I would like to thank the Department of Education, project consultants AECOM and the Board of Governors for their support in making this happen.' News Catch Up - Thursday 22 May The Strangford Integrated College scheme is being funded under the Fresh Start capital programme and Mr Givan said he was delighted to see the progress being made. 'The significance of this £38m investment will be reflected in the many benefits it will deliver for pupils, families and staff and the wider community,' he said. 'This major project will provide modern new facilities that will support the teaching and learning needs of the pupils for many years to come and create an environment that helps them to thrive.' The minister also paid a visit to Magherafelt where work was getting underway on Kilronan School's new £4.9m single storey extension with new specialist classrooms, social areas and support accommodation as part of the School Enhancement Programme (SEP). It's the first of 10 special school projects to proceed, having been announced in the second tranche of 16 schools to receive a funding commitment in 2019. 'This is an exciting day for everyone at Kilronan, marking the start of a very important programme of construction,' the minister said. 'The investment of nearly £5m will deliver many benefits for pupils, school staff and local families. This project will provide modern facilities which will help children and young people to grow, thrive, learn and achieve their full potential.' Construction is due to be completed in late summer 2026 and Principal Sharlene Deehan said she was delighted to see work finally underway. 'Governors, staff, parents and pupils are delighted to be at this stage of our SEP Journey, and we are thankful to the previous principal, governors and staff who initiated the project many years ago. 'On completion the SEP should provide equality for our learners with their mainstream peers in terms of resourcing and experiences, providing a modern, bright building which will vastly enhance the day to day running for the ever changing profile of pupils, our dedicated and caring staff and indeed the whole school community.'
