Lecale Trinity Grammar is name for new school

Lecale Trinity Grammar is name for new school

5 July 2023

DOWNPATRICK’S new co-educational voluntary grammar school, which is set to open in September next year, has been officially named.

Lecale Trinity Grammar has been chosen by the Lasallian school’s Interim Board of Governors which has sent a communique to parents detailing the new school’s implementation plan.

The school is being created following the controversial merger of St Patrick’s Grammar, De La Salle High and St Mary’s High schools.

The process to appoint a new principal is also underway. Candidates are currently being shortlisted with interviews scheduled to take place next month.

Confirmation that the name of the new school has been chosen and work is underway to appoint a principal comes just over a month after a High Court judge dismissed a legal challenge to the controversial merger of the three post-primary Catholic schools.

The case was taken by the mother of a boy hoping to attend St Patrick’s who claimed the proposed admissions criteria for the new school would “unlawfully put her son at a disadvantage”.

Mr Justice Cotton ruled that the case was “misdirected and premature”.

In the communique to parents, the independent Interim Board of Governors chair Carmel McCartan said there was a “unique opportunity to come together and be part of something truly life-changing for all young people in the local community”.

She continued: “At the heart of all our hard work is a determination to improve the life chances of all young people who will be cared for and educated in Lecale Trinity Grammar.”

Detailing what are being described as the Interim Board’s achievements over the past six months, the communique said its core focus is the creation of a new school in which pupils can access “high quality education in a faith-based community characterised by inclusitivity, diversity and educational excellence”.

Parents have been told that pupils’ creativity, commitment and strong sense of place and local context were inspirational in their choice of name for the new school, encompassing both the geographical location and the symbolism of the Trinity in terms of the three schools and strong connection of Downpatrick with St Patrick.

On the crucial issue of admissions, the Interim Board said a sub-committee has been working on the procedure and that 180 places will be allocated to pupils in so-called Category A schools (non-selective) and 70 places in Category B (selective) schools.

Meetings have been held with the principals of the three schools due to merge and with primary school principals of both Category A and B schools to hear their feedback and consider what has been described the “optimum solution”.

Communique

The communique confirmed a sub-committee is working on detailed admissions criteria which will be made available early in the autumn term. Meetings with local primary schools will also take place at this time.

The Interim Board said the vision is to create a school in which all pupils achieve their full potential by being valued in a faith-based school with a community ethos of inclusion, diversity and educational excellence, enjoying high quality, personalised learning experiences, having access to a broad range of academic and vocational courses, experiencing quality careers advice empowering them to contribute to the local, regional and national economy.

The Board says the vision also focuses on experiencing excellent special needs provision, enjoying enriched extra-curricular opportunities, learning with a broader range of friendship groups and being educated with their siblings.

It has also been revealed that four committees set up as part of the pathway to the new school focused on staffing, education, finance and ethos, communication and policy.

In relation to staffing, the strategic intent is to ensure a “dynamic, distributed leadership structure grounded in both a fusion of the skills, experience and expertise” of the three staffing bodies and best practice of systems level.

In relation to education, the strategic intent is to secure the highest quality educational experience for all pupils, providing a wide and diverse curriculum experience supported by the highest standards of pastoral care, learning, teaching and assessment to allow every pupil to achieve their potential”.

With regard to finance, the strategic intent is to manage the finances of the new school, upholding the principles of transparency, integrity and probity to ensure all resources are used effectively, allowing every pupil to succeed.

The Interim Board said that in relation to ethos, communication and policy, the strategic focus will be on shared visioning of the ethos and values of the new school and ensure that all policies and capacity building initiatives are rooted in the shared ethos.

This autumn, pupils’ ideas in relation to the new school crest, motto and uniform will be developed with the Interim Board insisting the “pupil voice will be crucial in the decision making process”.