Pupils 'appear to have been forgotten' in merger of three schools

Causeway Academy is a new integrated school which is a merger of three existing schools, Coleraine College, North Coast Integrated College (pictured) and Dunluce School

Pupils "appear to have been forgotten" in the process to merge three post-primary schools on Northern Ireland's north coast.

That is according to governors from Dunluce School, who have withdrawn from the interim board of Causeway Academy saying there was a "total misunderstanding" of school governance by those leading the project.

Causeway Academy is a new integrated school due to open in September 2026, which has merged three existing schools in Coleraine and Bushmills - Coleraine College, North Coast Integrated College and Dunluce School.

But when the academy opens it will operate on the three existing school sites - the Education Authority said this approach was "student-centred".

The SDLP MLA Cara Hunter has said that "the three schools at the heart of Causeway Academy have been thrown into total disarray"

It added the three-site model has "the objective of minimising movement for students throughout their post-primary school career".

Dunluce School is in Bushmills, County Antrim, while the other two are about eight miles away in Coleraine, County Londonderry.

The East Londonderry SDLP assembly member Cara Hunter said "the three schools at the heart of Causeway Academy have been thrown into total disarray".

"We have no clarity on a future site for Causeway Academy and how the amalgamation will work going forward," she told BBC News NI.

Why is there not a single site for the new school?

It was originally suggested a single new school for Causeway Academy would be built on Ulster University's Coleraine campus.

But, as no new school has been built yet, the academy is set to operate across the three separate sites, meaning pupils in different years will be educated at one of the existing schools.

That has led to concerns about how exactly the new school will operate.

In a previous consultation on the school plan, a number of parents said it reduced parental choice and were worried that merging the three schools without a new single school building would cause disruption for pupils.

Dunluce School is located in Bushmills, County Antrim

In their letter to the Education Authority (EA), which was also posted on social media, the five Dunluce governors said there was "total misunderstanding of what governance is within a school by the people who are leading the project".

They also said there should be an independent oversight, not appointed by the Education Authority and agreed by all, to work with the interim board of governors.

This person or group would "oversee and ensure that the final months of preparation for Causeway Academy is effective, robust and fit for purpose to deliver the best for children who appear to have been forgotten in the process".

What has the reaction been?

Independent assembly member Claire Sugden says families and staff have been left "in limbo"

Claire Sugden, who sits in the Northern Ireland Assembly as an independent, said the Department of Education must take responsibility for the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the school, following the resignation of the board members.

"The resignations are disappointing but not unexpected given the department's continued lack of clarity about the school's future," the East Londonderry assembly member said.

"The interim board has done a huge amount of work to get Causeway Academy to this point, and they deserve real credit for that.

"Their leadership through the amalgamation has been vital, but they've been trying to move forward without the direction or assurance that should have come from the department."

Ms Sugden said families and staff had been left "in limbo" as it appeared pupils would remain across three sites for the foreseeable future.

"The department's indecision has created real challenges for those trying to make this new school work," she said.

"People need to know what the long-term plan is, where the school will be based, and when that will happen."

Meanwhile, SDLP assembly member Cara Hunter said the resignations showed "just how serious this situation has become".

She added that Education Minister Paul Givan should intervene to "restore confidence, safeguard the vision of an inclusive, integrated Causeway Academy and provide clarity before this situation deteriorates further".

What have education officials said?

In a statement, a spokesperson for the EA said they would respond to the governors' letter in due course.

"Causeway Academy will open in September 2026 across three existing sites with differing student numbers on each campus," they said.

"This approach is student-centred with the objective of minimising movement for students throughout their post-primary school career."

The spokesperson said this would "maximise the educational experience of all students, whilst allowing exam year groups to complete their education on their current sites".

They acknowledged that the "process of change" can lead to differences of opinion, adding that the EA will work with stakeholders so that "improvements in sustainable education are delivered through the amalgamation".

It also said the interim principal had been working with the interim board, current school principles and EA to ensure everything is in place for pupils and staff ahead of the school's opening.

Paul Givan said that the "three-site model is one that is likely to continue"

The Department of Education referred BBC News NI to answers that Education Minister Paul Givan gave to Stormont's Education Committee on 22 October.

Givan told assembly members on the committee that the "three-site model is one that is likely to continue".

"Ideally you would want to have a single site," Givan said.

But he said that would cost more than £20m, "and there just isn't £20m available within the department's capital budget in order for that to take place".

"It's not acceptable in my view that this is where we are with these three schools having to operate still within their sites.

"I don't believe that is an outcome which is the best.

"However it's also a reality of the situation that we're having to deal with."