Today, Education Minister John O’Dowd joined teachers and pupils at Parkhall Integrated College in Antrim to celebrate the beginning of site works on a £20.7million new school build project which will provide pupils with a new purpose built two storey school on a single site at Steeple Road. The completed work will also include two football and one rugby pitch on the site of the existing Parkhall (Steeple Road site) school, as well as a new synthetic pitch and five new tennis courts. Parkhall School was granted integrated status in 2009, following a ballot of its parents. These parents’ desire for integrated education is in keeping with findings from the 2011 and 2013 surveys by Lucid Talk, which confirmed that there is strong public support for integrated education with almost nine in ten people favouring integrated schools as a level of sharing in education. 72% of people indicated that every new school founded in Northern Ireland should be an integrated school.
Like all integrated schools, Parkhall provides an inclusive, child-centered environment in which all students are encouraged to achieve their full potential and contribute to today’s society, irrespective of academic ability, background, race and religion. Parkhall’s academic results in June 2015, are testament to the excellent education provided to all its pupils. In June 2015, over 80% of pupils had reached the target of 5A*-C Grades – an increase of almost 10% from 2014 and an increase of almost 15% from 2013, demonstrating the rising attainment levels within the school. These are the highest results ever achieved by the school and they are due to hard work from the pupils, quality teaching from the staff and a high level of pastoral support and guidance. The relationship and support of the parents also plays a crucial role in this success.
NICIE celebrates this new build and believes that Parkhall Controlled Integrated College will continue to deliver excellent educational achievement and be a centre for community cohesion, sharing and integration in the Antrim area.
