Sion Mills PS achieves ‘integrated’ status

THE whole school community at Sion Mills Primary School remains in celebration mode after recently receiving confirmation from the Department of Education a development proposal to transform to integrated status has officially been granted.

Speaking this week in the wake of the news, principal at Sion PS, Louise Kingh thanked parents for “pointing the way forward.”

A well-established school, Sion Mills PS provides education to around 240 pupils in the area.

“In everything we do as a school, we put the children and families first,” principal Kingh said. “We’d like to thank the parents for pointing the way forward. We know through experience that learning together in an inclusive environment, even from a young age, is what is best for all children.

“We are delighted to hear the great news that the Department of Education has approved our development proposal and that we can now be officially called an Integrated primary school.”

No school can become integrated without the consent of the majority of parents. However due to the evident parental demand in the Sion Mills Primary School community, a democratic ballot was held in Spring 2022. The outcome of the ballot was that 98.7 per-cent of the parents voted yes to the school transforming to integrated status.

The school was already considered integrated by many in the community. Although a formal and legal integrated status will offer parents reassurance about the school’s commitment to diversity and also provides a mechanism for accountability, which the school welcomes.

Tina Merron, chief executive of the Integrated Education Fund, added, “We congratulate the Board of Governors, staff and parents of Sion Mills Primary School on their successful transformation to Integrated status. It has taken a lot of time, dedication and commitment from the entire school community to complete this process and become an Integrated school. We look forward to welcoming Sion Mills Primary School to the growing community of integrated schools across Northern Ireland.”