'Last resort' to boycott sod-cutting of shared campus site, says school

Christos Gaitatzis is the principal of Omagh High

The headteacher and governors of a County Tyrone school are to boycott the sod-cutting ceremony at a landmark shared education campus later over dissatisfaction at plans for its new school building.

Principal Christos Gaitatzis said Omagh High School had faced "a constant battle" over proposals at Strule Shared Education Campus and the boycott was a "last resort".

The campus is the biggest school building project in Northern Ireland and the long-awaited sod-cutting has come after years of delays.

The Department of Education (DE) said it was disappointed by the move and the school's requests had been considered.

What is the Strule Shared Education Campus?

The campus involves six schools, and more than 4,000 pupils, moving to the site of the former Lisanelly Army base.

Omagh High School is one of the six due to get a new building at Strule.

However, despite work beginning on the site in 2013, Arvalee Special School is the only school to be built so far.

The others waiting for new buildings are Loreto Grammar School, Sacred Heart College, Omagh Academy and Christian Brothers Grammar School.

The project has been plagued by delays and rising costs - in March 2024, the estimated cost was £374m, up from the initial estimate of £168.9m.

But construction is finally due to start and a sod-cutting ceremony for the campus is set to be held on Wednesday.

Strule had a "Shared Education Campus Construction Launch" in September 2024

Why is Omagh High School unhappy?

Mr Gaitatzis said Omagh High School would not be represented at the sod-cutting, because its planned new school building at Strule was unsatisfactory.

"The school is very small for us," he said.

"It's built for 450 pupils - this is our current number and it's rising.

"There are significant areas within the school that they're building that will not really offer, we feel, the necessary prospective growth that is required.

"So we have significant areas in the school that we requested adjustments, and these adjustments have not been made."

Mr Gaitatzis said that the school had raised its concerns with the Department of Education (DE) "on multiple occasions".

"They need to listen to the educationalists, the people on the ground that work in the schools every day," he said.

He said he had urged the department to make "the necessary adjustments in order to build modern schools for the future".

"We felt that none of our recommendations were heard," he said.

A department spokesperson said design requests from Omagh High were considered by the team responsible for the Strule project.

"While every effort has been made to respond constructively to school-specific feedback, there are a range of requests that no new school build within the estate would typically receive," they said.

"Equity across the school estate is a critical principle, and all designs must align with the Department of Education's school design handbook standards."

The campus is intended to cater for 4,000 pupils

Mr Gaitatzis said the canteen in the planned new school was too small - just over half the size of the school's current canteen.

"There hasn't been proper joined-up thinking," he said.

"They had some plans from a decade ago and those plans were revisited very quickly to try to put them through the line without really making significant changes."

Mr Gaitatzis added that Strule was an opportunity "to make something great".

"They're going to make something just standard, just something that is going to tick a box," he said.

"We are taking this stance now because we know that we are correct in what we are requesting in order to make the future of the pupils of Omagh High School the best that it can be."

He said the "most frustrating part" was that "people believe that because something was planned 10 years ago it's still valid".

"We know ourselves it isn't - look how technology is moving on, look how people have changed the way of learning," he added.

"It was a golden opportunity to build a proper future campus to have to talk about for the next 50, 60 years and I think we're making something just standard."

Education Minister Paul Givan said it was a "missed opportunity"

Education Minister Paul Givan said it was a "missed opportunity for Omagh High School not to be here today but that's for the principal to defend".

He added that it was "tremendous to be able to see now the work that's going on" and "huge opportunity for Omagh".

Givan said it was important to be able to say "here in Omagh, a community that has suffered more than most during the Troubles, sending out a statement that they want to be together in shared education on this site".

"The schools have led on that, and now we will deliver them world class faculties that I believe will be transformational."

First Minister Michelle O'Neill said the new campus was a "game-changer"

First Minister Michelle O'Neill said it was a "momentous day for Omagh, for the wider Tyrone community".

"This is going to be a real game-changer because all these children 4000 children will be coming together everyday to achieve their education and also to share facilities.

"We have come on such an enormous journey and so many positive developments that have happened since the peace process...but we still have a journey to travel so I think projects like this really enhance our society," ONeill said.

'Significant day'

Susan Cullinan is the principal of Loreto Grammar School

Principal of Loreto Grammar School Susan Cullinan said: "We're absolutely delighted with the site, it was great to come onboard and see the site today.

"Of course there has been doubt and uncertainty at certain times in terms of funding in particular following Covid and due to the rising costs et cetera," she told the BBC.

"But now, hopefully today, everybody will really take on board that this is something that is going to come fruition."

Jennifer Morgan, Programme Director at Strule, said "this is a hugely significant day for the long awaited sod-cutting for the Strule campus".

"There is a huge excitement and obviously I would rather that Christos and his pupils were with us today," she told BBC Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show.

"To be clear, it is accurate that his school is currently designed for 800 pupils, it is redesigned on the campus for 450.

"I am very confident with my technical team, and the reviews that we have done as recent as September to November last year, that this will be a phenomenal building".

She said Strule has been designed for "projected enrolment" and that the "handbook allows for 10 to 15 per cent tolerance for increase in size".