Oakgrove staff in Stormont briefing

Principal Jill Markham and Mr John Harkin briefed the committee on the “all-ability school’s” development over the past two decades from a small facility catering for 75 pupils in 1992 to its current enrolment of 846.

Ms Markham told members the school was currently in the “fortunate position of being very oversubscribed, and long may that continue.”

She told members the only integrated post-primary school in Londonderry was able to draw pupils from a wide-ranging catchment area.

“We take from 45 primary schools in a huge catchment area, mainly because the nearest integrated post-primary schools to ours in Derry are Drumragh Integrated College in Omagh, which is in one direction, and North Coast Integrated College, which is the other direction.

“We, therefore, take from a very wide catchment area. We plan to make our presentation under the three loose headers of leadership, parents and underachievement,” she told members.

Mr Harkin advised of the work underway to improve a cycle of poor numeracy and literacy in the disadvantaged areas targeted by the school.

“We do a lot of work on literacy and numeracy, and we include parents in that work, because there is a cycle of poor literacy and numeracy to be broken,” he told the Committee.

“The other side of Northern Ireland’s fame around the world for examination success is poor literacy and numeracy, and we have found that working with parents on that is an important way of changing the current situation.”

The Committee heard of Oakgrove’s focus on diversity in the community and how the school - in tandem with other members of the Foyle Learning Community - was keen to tackle barriers to cooperation.

“We recognise some of the barriers to collaboration in our city, and we work with others to overcome them,” said Mr Harkin. “Those barriers include sectarianism, sectoral issues and, the major one, transport.

“We recognise the need to do more than just have young people side by side. We also get them involved in discussions, so that, when problems and tensions arise, which they do in this little place of ours, they can be addressed and young people can have the confidence to deal with them.

“Consequently, they will not grow into adults who think that, where there is a problem, it will remain a problem.”

Asked by DUP MLA Mervyn Storey if the planned co-location of Foyle and Londonderry College and Ebrington Primary School in the Waterside in close proximity to Oakgrove and Lisneal would be a challenge, a help or a hindrance Ms Markham pointed out there was once talk of all three schools locating at the same site at Gransha.

Ms Markham stated: “There was definitely talk of it. That would have been a community in itself, because we would all have been there. I do not know whether John disagrees, but I do not see it as a hindrance.

“However, who knows whether the Foyle and Londonderry and Ebrington site will go ahead? There is all sorts of speculation about that. Personally, I do not think that it would hinder us in any way. If anything, it will increase access to working with people.”

Alliance MLA Trevor Lunn noted: “Londonderry has led the way in so many ways in the advancement of our society, but I would not have placed it high on the list of places where there would be a demand for integrated education; yet there clearly is.

“Why is that? Is it just the acknowledged quality of the education that you provide or the spectacular facilities that you have? Is there a genuine demand?”

In her reply the Oakgrove head said she thought it was a combination of all of the above.

She added: “We have fantastic facilities, for which we are always very grateful. I know that we are biased, but we feel that we deliver a great standard of education. There is a genuine passion and interest from a large part of the community that wants integration.”