Slemish College
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Slemish College is a co-educational integrated secondary school in
Ballymena Ballymena ( ; from , meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 31,205 people at the 2021 United Kingdom census, making it the List of localities in Northern Ireland by population, seven ...
,
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
. The college is named after Slemish Mountain near Ballymena in mid- Antrim, which tradition suggests was home to
Saint Patrick Saint Patrick (; or ; ) was a fifth-century Romano-British culture, Romano-British Christian missionary and Archbishop of Armagh, bishop in Gaelic Ireland, Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Irelan ...
during his youth.


Context

Integrated Education Integrated education in Northern Ireland refers to the bringing together of children, parents and teachers from both Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions in childhood education: the aim being to provide a balanced education, while allowing the ...
is a Northern Ireland phenomenon, where traditionally schools were sectarian, either run as Catholic schools ( Maintained) or Protestant schools ( Controlled). On a parental request, a school could apply to 'transition' to become Grant Maintained ( Integrated school) which would offer 30% of the school places to students from the minority community.
Lagan College Lagan College is a grant maintained integrated secondary school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It holds a total of around 1475 students (as of 2024) It was formed in 1981 as the first integrated school in Northern Ireland and contains students o ...
was the first integrated school to open in 1981. Under the delegated Northern Ireland education system, the year groups are numbered differently to their English cousins. In England the first year is Reception, then comes Year 1, in
Education in Northern Ireland The education system in Northern Ireland differs from elsewhere in the United Kingdom (although it is relatively similar to Wales), but is similar to the Republic of Ireland in sharing in the development of the ''National school (Ireland), nat ...
, reception is year 0, then Primary 1 and 11 year-olds transition to post-primary (secondary) into Year 8.


History

Ballymena parents had established integrated primary schools, and wanted their children to complete their education in an integrated schools. A steering group formed in 1994, and support was received from NICIE on condition that 80 children could be found.
Ballymena Ballymena ( ; from , meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 31,205 people at the 2021 United Kingdom census, making it the List of localities in Northern Ireland by population, seven ...
and particularly Harryville Chapel had been a point of conflict during
The Troubles The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...
. The violence did not stop until The Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998. Slemish first opened its doors in September 1996 with 84 pupils. The school takes in 120 new students every year. It was one of the most oversubscribed schools in Northern Ireland by 2001. In June 2008 the college was given
specialist school Specialist schools, also known as specialised schools or specialized schools, are schools which specialise in a certain area or field of curriculum. In some countries, for example New Zealand, the term is used exclusively for schools specialis ...
status in the area of the
Humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...
(Geography and English). It is the first specialist school in the Ballymena area and one of only three schools in the province to specialise in humanities.


See also

* The Troubles in Ballymena *
List of integrated schools in Northern Ireland Integrated schools are part of integrated education within Northern Ireland, aimed at bringing children together from both sides of the main religious communities through education. Integrated schools can be Controlled Integrated or Grant Mainta ...
*
List of secondary schools in Northern Ireland This is a list of secondary schools in Northern Ireland, according to the Department of Education (Northern Ireland). __NOTOC__ See also * List of Irish medium nurseries in Northern Ireland * List of Irish medium primary schools in Northern ...


References


External links


Slemish College website
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1996 Integrated schools in County Antrim Secondary schools in County Antrim Ballymena 1996 establishments in Northern Ireland Specialist colleges in Northern Ireland