Portadown Integrated Primary
Encyclopedia
Portadown Integrated Primary is a primary school which opened in Portadown
, County Armagh
, Northern Ireland
in 1990. When the school first opened it was housed in portable cabins in Chambers Park, home of Portadown RFC. Initially it had a small number of pupils, around 20-30, and lunch was held in the rugby changing rooms. The first head teacher was Mrs Kathy Magee.
After growing quite rapidly, it moved to a new semi-permanent building in 1992 in the Kernan area of the town, one of the few areas in Portadown which was considered a mixed area. There are currently 223 pupils enrolled, and the current head teacher is Feargal Magee. The school was one of the first primary schools in the area to openly educated both Protestant and Roman Catholic children together.
(DENI), though for the first few years it was not directly funded by any education authority.
Portadown
Portadown is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about 23 miles south-west of Belfast...
, County Armagh
County Armagh
-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
in 1990. When the school first opened it was housed in portable cabins in Chambers Park, home of Portadown RFC. Initially it had a small number of pupils, around 20-30, and lunch was held in the rugby changing rooms. The first head teacher was Mrs Kathy Magee.
After growing quite rapidly, it moved to a new semi-permanent building in 1992 in the Kernan area of the town, one of the few areas in Portadown which was considered a mixed area. There are currently 223 pupils enrolled, and the current head teacher is Feargal Magee. The school was one of the first primary schools in the area to openly educated both Protestant and Roman Catholic children together.
History of the school
In November 1989 a group of Protestant and Catholic parents who had been meeting under the auspices of the North Armagh Group for Integrated Education (NAGIE) resolved to form a committee with the aim of establishing an integrated primary and nursery school in Portadown. The decision was inspired by the belief that Catholic, Protestant and those of other faiths and beliefs should have the opportunity of being educated together on a basis of equality, mutual respect and understanding. The school officially opened on 3 September 1990 with 22 primary pupils and 20 nursery pupils. The school was opened by the NAGIE and supported by The Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education. According to 'In the Frame' it was a grant maintained integrated primary school, which means it comes under the direct authority of the Department of Education for Northern IrelandDepartment of Education (Northern Ireland)
The Department of Education is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive...
(DENI), though for the first few years it was not directly funded by any education authority.
Proposed new school development
As of today the secretary of state for Northern Ireland has not yet published a proposed capital building project for the school, even though the current school building was only a temporary building designed to cater the needs of the school for the first few years of opening, it has currently been standing for 18 years.See also
- Education in Northern IrelandEducation in Northern IrelandEducation in Northern Ireland differs slightly from systems used elsewhere in the United Kingdom, though it is more similar to that used in England and Wales than it is to Scotland. A child's age on 1 July determines the point of entry into the relevant stage of education unlike England and Wales...
- Integrated EducationIntegrated EducationThe Integrated education movement in Northern Ireland is an attempt to bring together children, parents and teachers from both Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions: the aim being to provide a balanced education, while allowing the opportunity to understand and respect all cultural and religious...
- List of integrated schools in Northern Ireland