The principal of Drumlins IPS in Ballynahinch, Janice Marshall, travelled to the House of Lords to speak to around a hundred distinguished guests at a reception and dinner hosted by Baroness May Blood. (Photo by Malcolm McNally).

A Ballynahinch principal has told an illustrious audience at the House of Lords that the success of her school owes much to determined campaigners and loyal supporters. Drumlins Integrated Primary School has grown from small beginnings to become the most over-subscribed primary school in the area.

Head teacher Janice Marshall addressed a gathering of around a hundred Integrated Education Fund supporters when she was invited by the IEF campaign chair, Baroness May Blood, to a special dinner at Westminster recently. The audience included the Secretary of State James Brokenshire, MPs and peers as well as business leaders and campaigners for integrated education.

Thanking the guests for their faith in schools like hers, Ms Marshall added:

“…your commitment to our schools and genuine interest in our pupils touches our hearts and is deeply humbling for us; your support helps us to achieve all our extra goals for our young peoples’ learning - to achieve our ‘if only’ dreams, a perfect partnership and one which can only benefit integrated education and all those wonderful young people being educated together.”

Drumlins IPS is preparing to move into a new building next year, thanks partly to the Fresh Start funding following the Stormont House Agreement. The school has spent more than ten years in temporary accommodation, initially in the grounds of Cedar IPS in Crossgar and later in a former shirt factory, then in mobile classrooms on the Lisburn Road. Janice Marshall stressed that certain elements of the school have persisted in every environment: [continues]

“The most important part of our school, our integrated all-inclusive ethos, our collective determination to give our pupils a first-class education, will always remain paramount.”

Baroness May Blood added her thanks to IEF donors for their continuing generosity and said:

“I’m delighted that the integrated education campaign continues, with primary schools at Killyleagh and near Newtownards joining the integrated family this term. These developments, driven by parents, show that the demand is out there for integrated school places, and with your help we will continue to do all we can to meet that demand until our political leaders wake up to reality and step in to fulfil their duty to integrated education.”