St Eugene’s takes step closer to ‘integrated’

ST Eugene’s Primary in Victoria Bridge has submitted its official application to the Education Authority to become an integrated school.

The local primary, which has been in operation since 1960, has undertaken the next phase in achieving integrated with the aim of becoming a hub for co-educational needs within the local community.

Principal of St Eugene’s, Laura Gormley, is “very hopeful” that integrated status will be achieved.

She commented, “If St Eugene’s is established as an integrated school, it signals a huge step forward for not only everyone involved with the school, from the governors to staff and the pupils who will benefit most from it, but for all of the community.

“St Eugene’s will be seen as a beacon for children of all faiths and of none. It would be a wonderful sign for the future and everyone is excited at the prospect.

“We were established as a Catholic school, but in recent years children from the Protestant, Muslim and traveller communities have joined the St Eugene’s family as well as children with special needs, and those from deprived and more affluent backgrounds. St Eugene’s already provides for children of all backgrounds, but confirmation of integrated status would only cooper-fasten our intention of being a school for all.

“At present, the closest integrated primary schools are Omagh Integrated Primary and Oakgrove in Derry, which are 16 and 19 miles away respectively. These distances really jumped out at us. Integration for St Eugene’s would allow parents to send their children for a co-educational experience on their doorstep with pupils from places like Strabane, Sion, Castlederg, Ardstraw and beyond to benefit.”

At present there are 21 integrated primary schools across the North; 15 grant-maintained and six controlled.

The road to integration for St Eugene’s began last year when they opened a ballot allowing parents the opportunity to vote on the school’s educational future. This ballot returned a resounding 87.3 per-cent in favour which Ms Gormley admits was “quite an endorsement.”

A ‘case for change’ document was subsequently written by Ms Gormley and then submitted to the Education Authority (EA). That document is currently under scrutiny by the EA before going to the Department for Education.

Ms Gormley added, “I believe that under integration, St Eugene’s will go from strength-to-strength. The signs are there that integration is what parents want and are choosing for their children. It will be the culmination of a three-year action plan paving the way forward for St Eugene’s to build our reputation and broaden our horizons. We’ve always been inclusive but a positive decision lets us be intentional about it. A lot of children don’t mix with different backgrounds until they’re teenagers; why not let them do it at four years old?”