An £11million shared education campus in Limavady was officially opened today by the First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly.
Education Minister Paul Givan accompanied the ministers to view the newly completed campus bringing together St Mary’s and Limavady High School sites with a range of new shared facilities.
These include a shared 6th Form/ Careers/ Drama/ Media on the St Mary’s site and shared STEM facilities (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) on the Limavady High School site.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill said:
“I truly believe that our children and young people deserve every opportunity to be the best they can be. Investing in our schools is vital to ensuring that our young people are able to reach their full potential.
“I was very impressed by the new facilities in Limavady High and St Mary’s and am aware of the long history of collaboration between the two schools. The importance of providing spaces where our young people can be educated and learn together should be a central part of all our children’s educational experience.
“Facilities such as this fantastic Shared Education Campus, deliver not just educational benefits to our children and young people, but promote good relations and respect for identity and diversity and will allow pupils to foster even closer relationships moving forward.”
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said:
“The impressive new facilities at this Shared Education Campus provide an excellent learning environment and provide a space where children and young people, teachers, and practitioners from both schools can develop long lasting relationships and friendships.
“As well as supporting the development of our children and young people, education campuses like this also help to improve relations that reach much deeper and wider into our communities.
“While both Limavady High and St Mary’s retain their individual ethos and identity, the shared campus is a physical demonstration of strong, supportive, and interdependent connections between schools and other educational settings which is an important part of our Together Building a United Community (T:BUC) Strategy.”
Speaking at the event the Education Minister Paul Givan added:
“I welcome the completion of this £11million investment. This is a hugely significant milestone for the St. Mary’s and Limavady High Schools and more widely as this is the first Shared Education Campus to open in Northern Ireland. These fantastic new facilities will provide much needed education benefits for pupils, staff, teachers, parents and for the wider community.”
“Schools are very much the hub of any community. This investment will have a major impact not only on the school communities, but also on the wider local community within Limavady and beyond, promoting good relations and creating many positive outcomes.