Strangford College
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2025}}
{{infobox school
| logo = File:Fair_use_logo_Strangford_College.png
| address = Abbey Road
| motto = {{lang|la|In hoc signo vinces}}
| mottoes =
| motto_translation = Under the sign we are strong
| location = Carrowdore, Newtownards
County Down BT22 2GB
| country = Northern Ireland
| established = {{start date and age|1997}}
| status = Open
| local_authority = Education Authority
| gender = Co-educational
| lower_age = 11
| upper_age = 18
| enrolment = 834 (2024/25)
| capacity = 760
| houses = {{Colour box|Purple}} Mahee House
{{Colour box|Yellow}} Ogliby House
{{Colour box|Red}} Sketrick House
{{Colour box|Lime}} Taggart House
| colours = {{Colour box|Maroon}}{{Colour box|Silver}}
{{Colour box|Blue}}{{Colour box|Maroon}} Sixth Form
| website = {{url|https://www.strangfordintegratedcollege.net/}}
| principal = Mrs Clare Foster
| type = Grant-Maintained Integrated
| religious_affiliation = Integrated
| coordinates = {{coord|54.5796|-5.5531|display=title,inline|region:GB_scale:5000}}
| other_name = Strangford Integrated College
| mapframe-zoom = 9
| mapframe-frame-coord =
| Colours =
}}
Strangford College, also known as Strangford Integrated College, is a school in Carrowdore, Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland. It is an integrated co-educational secondary school with a grammar stream with 834 students (2024/25). Mrs Clare Foster is the school's current principal.{{cite web |title=Proposal 622 Strangford Integrated College expansion |url=https://www.eani.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-12/DP%20622%20Strangford%20Integrated%20College%20-%20Final%20for%20Website%20Amended.pdf |website=www.eani.org.uk |access-date=19 June 2021}}
Context
Integrated Education is a Northern Ireland phenomenon, where traditionally schools were sectarian,Lord Baker of Dorking, Daily Hansard, 18 July 2006 : Column 1189 [https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199697/ldhansrd/pdvn/lds06/text/60718-1006.htm www.parliament.uk], retrieved 22 July 2007 either Catholic or Protestant. On parental request, a school could apply to 'transition' to become grant-maintained and offer 30% of the school places to students from the minority community. Lagan College was the first integrated school to open in 1981.{{cite web |title=The History of NICIE {{!}} Integrated Education Northern Ireland |url=https://www.nicie.org/about-us/who-we-are/the-history-of-nicie/ |publisher=Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education |access-date=18 June 2021 |date=2012-08-10}}
As of 2025, students at Strangford College were 39% Protestant, 19% Roman Catholic and 42% other.
History
Strangford College opened 1 September 1997, with 64 students and 7 staff. It was awarded grant-maintained status in September 1999.{{cite web |title=History and Ethos |url=https://www.strangfordcollege.net/our-college/history-and-ethos/ |publisher=Strangford College |access-date=19 June 2021 }}
A new build was approved by the Department of Education in April 2016 and a contractor appointed in 2021.{{cite web |title=New Build Consultation Boards |url=https://storage.googleapis.com/siteassetsswd/399/downloads/doc03246320190911123930.pdf |website=storage.googleapis.com/siteassetsswd/399/ |access-date=19 June 2021}}
In 2021, the college applied to raise its official enrolment number from 670 to 760; the minister at first refused the request,{{cite news |last1=Doyle |first1=Simon |title=Heavily oversubscribed Strangford Integrated College loses bid for extra places |url=https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2021/02/06/news/heavily-oversubscribed-strangford-integrated-college-loses-bid-for-extra-places-2211799/ |access-date=20 June 2021 |work=The Irish News |date=2021-02-06 }} but on appeal, reversed his decision. This allows the college to accept 130 year 8 students a year.{{cite web |title=Strangford Integrated College – Minister Retakes His Decision |url=https://www.ief.org.uk/2021/04/28/strangford-integrated-college-minister-retakes-decision/ |website=Integrated Education Fund |access-date=19 June 2021 |date=2021-04-28}}
The college applied unsuccessfully in 2019 to use transfer tests to select the 35% of pupils it admits to the grammar stream in Year 8.{{cite news |first=Robbie |last=Meredith |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-48924214 |title=Strangford Integrated College 'cannot use academic selection' |publisher=BBC News |date=2019-07-10 |access-date=2022-01-15 }} It reapplied in January 2022.{{cite news |date=2022-01-14 |title=Strangford College makes another bid to use transfer test results |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-60002011 |access-date=2022-01-15 |publisher=BBC News}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.strangfordcollege.net/home/ Strangford College]
- [https://storage.googleapis.com/siteassetsswd/399/docletter/20210104072836_47_Prospectus_January_2021_web_.pdf Strangford College Prospectus 2020/2021]
{{authority control}}
{{Education in Northern Ireland}}