Work begins on new building at Devenish College

The new building will accommodate 800 pupils aged 11 to 18, and a new dedicated sports facility with a multipurpose sports hall, fitness suite, and teaching and changing facilities will be built as part of the project.  Direct access will be available to four pitches at the site for the benefit of pupils, staff and also the local community.

The special occasion was marked with Controlled Schools’ Support Council Chief Executive Barry Mulholland joining Education Authority (EA) Chairperson Sharon O’Connor and Simon Mowbray, Principal of Devenish College, along with school governors, EA and Department of Education (DE) officials.  In addition, representatives from the main contractor Glasgiven Contracts and lead designer Isherwood & Ellis were present.

Mr Mowbray commented "It is a landmark day for our school and I would like to thank our governors, staff and parents for their support in getting the project this far.

“We look forward to unveiling a new school with enhanced facilities to better serve our children, staff and community.  We have been delighted to see a significant rise in the standards of our pupil outcomes and in our enrolment over the last number of years and we feel our new facilities will allow us to progress to even better things in the future”.

Praising the dedication of the school staff, governors and officials who have brought the project to construction stage, EA Chairperson Ms O’Connor said,

“I wish to pay tribute to the staff and Board of Governors for their hard work.  This new build signifies a new chapter in the school’s history.”

“It’s an exciting day for everyone involved in Devenish College – the pupils, staff past and present, parents, governors, the planning and design teams, the architects, consultants and contractors, DE and indeed the wider community.”

Mr Mulholland took the opportunity to thank EA officers for all their work on delivering this much needed new school for Devenish College.

“This new school has been awaited now for many years,” he said, as he recognised the tremendous dedication of the Board of Governors, staff and friends of the school “who never tired of working to ensure the pupils of Devenish College received the school they deserved”.

Mr Mulholland concluded “Today's cutting of the sod is a tribute to all involved with the college. Like all in the Controlled sector, I look forward to the day the new Devenish College opens.”

Ms O’Connor added: “EA and our education partners want to develop a network of viable and sustainable schools that can deliver the Northern Ireland Curriculum effectively.”

The new facilities are funded by DE and delivered through EA’s Major capital works programme.

25 November 2019