A fledgling Irish language school, which opened with just 16 pupils, is celebrating a positive first year and looking forward to more success.
Gaelcholáiste Dhoire opened last September in Dungiven Castle, now affectionately known by pupils and staff as Hogwarts na Gaeilge.
It became the second stand-alone Irish language post-primary operating in the north but the approval of such a small school angered unionist politicians.
Education minister John O'Dowd came under fire for approving the proposal at a time when the education budget was facing massive cuts and after his officials advised him to reject the plan.
Coming to the end of a successful first full year, staff and parents are confident that the school will continue to flourish, having overcome some initial hurdles.
It is hoped the school will grow to cater for up to 400 pupils.
Principal Diarmaid Ua Bruadair was one of the first six pupils to attend Bunscoil Phobal Feirste, the first gaelscoil in the north. It now has more than 300 pupils.
Mr Ua Bruadair said he knew he was part of something special then, in the same way as he is part of something special now. He said he saw a deep sense of pride in the eyes of the first 16 pupils who walked through the doors of the new school.
Led by a committed and professional staff and a dedicated and visionary board of governors, the school has risen to the challenge of laying a solid foundation to the first Irish-medium college in Derry.
"There is definite demand in the area and there is growing demand. We have five Irish-medium primary schools in rural Co Derry, it is a very vibrant growth area," Mr Ua Bruadair said.
"We have 16 pupils now and 31 first choice applications for September. The school was designed in a more strategic way to cater for growing demand. There is also growing demand in Derry city and Strabane and we have students coming from Portglenone. We already draw from a wide area, Antrim, Derry and next year Tyrone."
Advice given to the minister suggested the school might face difficulties in meeting the statutory requirements of the 'entitlement framework' which, from September 2015, are 24 and 27 courses for GCSE and post-16 respectively.
Given the very low enrolment, the correspondingly low number of teachers risked the curriculum being delivered by non-subject specialists, the advice read.
As the pupil numbers grow, however, the number of teachers will also grow, and the school is still some years away from entering external exams.
"There are big challenges providing the full range of subjects with a small team," Mr Ua Bruadair said.
"We have really good, committed and very talented board of governors and their talents lend themselves to this kind of project. Our staff is a mix of experience and youth and we have very good advisers helping to support the development of the curriculum.
"We are looking to GCSEs already. We are part of the Roe Valley Learning Community. We'll start courses in Year 9 and exams in Year 10. They'll take their Gaelic in Year 11. We want our children to be literate in Irish at a high level. We are a full immersion model and this allows the pupils to access all parts of the curriculum. It has been very successful so far."
The school was officially opened in March by Mr O'Dowd.
"The Irish language is an integral part of our rich and shared heritage and I take great pride in being part of a sector that continues to grow and thrive educationally, socially and economically," the minister said.
"I have no doubt about the benefits that Irish-medium education offers our children and I am committed to protecting, enhancing and promoting our language and cultural heritage for future generations."
