Three north coast schools to merge and form one post-primary

A new integrated post-primary school in Coleraine, partly run by Ulster University, has been given the go-ahead by the Department for Education.

The 1,200-pupil school will be the first of its kind in Northern Ireland.

It will be created by the merger of Coleraine College, Dunluce School and North Coast Integrated College.

However, a majority of respondents to a previous Education Authority (EA) consultation were opposed to it.

But the merger was backed by the schools' boards of governors, Ulster University, the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) and the Controlled Schools' Support Council (CSSC).

The permanent secretary at the Department for Education, Dr Mark Browne, has now approved the merger of the schools in the absence of a Stormont minister.

Coleraine College had 391 pupils in 2022, Dunluce High in Bushmills had 203 pupils and North Coast Integrated had 431 pupils.

There is a possibility that the new merged school will eventually be built on Ulster University's Coleraine campus.

The school, partly run by Ulster University, would be unique in Northern Ireland

The plan for the school, which was published by the EA, said that "the strategic vision is for a new-build school on the Coleraine Campus of Ulster University, as a partner within the new school".

Partnership with the university would provide educational benefits for pupils and increased opportunities for training for staff, the EA also said.

But it is not yet clear if that will go ahead, when the new school will open or where it will be based.

• Plan for university to part-run secondary school

• Mixed response to new integrated Coleraine school

In 2022, the EA estimated that it would cost £43m to build the new school but that process could take up to a decade.

So it is likely that the merged school will initially operate on separate sites, which had been a major concern of those opposed to the merger proposal.

Other concerns included that children from Bushmills would face a long journey to get to the new school.

There was also concerns that the plan discriminated against the Protestant community as "not all of the community would want integrated education".

But two years after the merger was initially suggested, Dr Browne has now approved it.

'Provide many new opportunities'

In a statement, the EA welcomed the announcement that the amalgamation of the schools in the Causeway area would go ahead.

"The new school will create a learner-focused environment which is sustainable and provide many new opportunities for children and young people, families and wider community," said an EA spokesperson.

"It will also provide increased specialist provision in mainstream for children and young people with special educational needs within the area."

The EA said it would work closely with their partners at Ulster University and the NICIE and the CSSC as they move towards implementing the amalgamation.