£43m for six new shared and integrated schools

Six new schools are to built with money provided under the Stormont House and Fresh Start agreements.

The funding, totalling £43m, will allow shared education campuses to be built in Moy, Limavady and Ballycastle.

Existing integrated primary schools in Ballymena, Limavady and Ballynahinch will also get new buildings.

All of the projects had previously been announced and approved by the Department of Education but building on each site can now begin.

In the Stormont House Agreement the UK government agreed to provide £50m a year for shared and integrated school buildings.

Fresh Start

That commitment was re-affirmed in the Fresh Start Agreement in 2015.

This is the first tranche of that money to be released.

Money will also be used to enable 17 other shared and integrated school building proposals to advance.

However, funding for the construction of those 17 proposals will be confirmed at a later date.

Six new schools are to built with money provided under the Stormont House and Fresh Start agreements.

Last week, Education Minister John O'Dowd announced a £40m capital investment for ten primary school builds.