Limavady High School and St. Mary’s, Limavady (Sharing Education in the Roe Valley – SERV) have a long history of sharing prior to any formal legislative framework of bringing children from different cultural backgrounds together and promoting social cohesion and understanding across the local community. Indeed it was some of their methodologies which were developed and piloted in the Shared Education Programme now in use across schools from all sectors throughout Northern Ireland.

The Limavady Shared Education Campus (LSEC) was developed to deliver greater learning opportunities through shared resources. Each school offers pupils the opportunity to embrace their own cultural identity whilst teaching respect for others through natural dialogue and education opportunities. The diversity and mutual understanding have benefitted the wider community for decades and garnered much political support for the role it plays in creating more opportunities for socially-mixed, shared education, which is a crucial part of breaking the cycle of inter-generational educational underachievement, unemployment, and sectarianism, and improving good relations amongst and for our young people.

It is appropriate that the official opening is due to take place in the same year as the events for the 25th Anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.