O’Neill hails importance of shared education in bringing communities together

First Minister Michelle O’Neill has hailed the importance of shared education in bringing communities in Northern Ireland together.

Ms O’Neill was speaking as she and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly officially opened a new shared education campus in Limavady, Co Londonderry.

The £11 million campus includes Limavady High School and St Mary’s High School on the same site at Irish Green Street.

Shared education involves pupils from separate schools and different backgrounds engaging in some joint classes and activities.

Ms O’Neill and Ms Little-Pengelly were joined by Education Minister Paul Givan and Northern Ireland Office minister Lord Caine as they toured the facilities at the two schools, including a new media studies suite, performance spaces and a new study and common rooms.

Ms O’Neill said it was a positive moment and hoped there would be more shared education sites in Northern Ireland in the future.

She said: “It speaks volumes in terms of the shared society that we are all trying to build.

“I want to commend the many, many years of work from both school communities to actually get us to this point today.”

She added: “This absolutely goes to the crux of who we are as a society. We all have a shared history, but we equally have a shared future.

“I think the more of this shared education that happens across our society, it goes towards building a better future for us all.

Ms Little-Pengelly said: “We know that there has been a fantastic amount of work put in by many, many people to make this happen.

“This is a really great example of what sharing can do. Bringing people together, young people who are very proud of who they are, who have their own perspectives and their own identities coming together in a shared environment and working together for the good.

“This is an inspirational project.”

The project for the two adjacent schools to be joined in a shared campus was approved by the Department of Education in 2014.

Eve Bremner, chief executive of the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS), said: “The schools have a long history of sharing, and I commend them for driving this project forward.

“The new campus will enable pupils of all backgrounds and beliefs to come together and achieve their full potential and is a reflection of the schools’ commitment to inclusion, innovation and mutual respect.

Mark Baker, chief executive at the Controlled Schools’ Support Council (CSSC), said: “As we recognise the achievements of Limavady High School and St Mary’s High School and the difference shared education has made for generations of children and young people as well as the local Limavady community, it reinforces the need for a vision and strategy for education that includes everyone working together and all voices being listened to.

“Shared education provides the opportunity for pupils from different backgrounds to come together, forge new friendships, experiences and access to a broader range of learning opportunities.”