A CO Down nursery school has been granted integrated status, effective from the start of the next academic year.
Education Minister Michelle McIlveen approved the development proposal for Bangor Central Nursery School.
It will become just the second free standing integrated nursery school in the north and comes after parents voted overwhelmingly in support of the change in a ballot in 2018, with 97 per cent in favour of the move.
For the first time parents in the Bangor area will now be able to apply for a local integrated nursery, with the deadline of January 28 to apply for nursery places.
It brings the total number of schools with official integrated status in Northern Ireland to 69.
School principal Pamela Algie said it had "always been an inclusive school where all communities, cultures and backgrounds are welcomed and celebrated".
"The natural next step for the school was to seek to formally integrate through the transformation process," she said.
"In everything we do as a school, we put the children and families first.
"As an integrated nursery school we are formalising our ethos that everyone in the community is valued in our school and that learning together in an inclusive environment, even from this young age, is what is best for the children in our care."
Tina Merron, chief executive of the Integrated Education Fund, said it was "fantastic news for the parents, teachers and governors who have worked so hard to get this process across the finishing line".
"Demand for places in integrated schools is higher than ever and it’s important to be able to give this choice to parents at all levels," he said.
"It’s been a great year for transformations and we look forward to working with more schools and parents to enable an Integrated place for any child that wants one."
Roisin Marshall, chief executive of Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE), said it was a "big achievement" for the school as it becomes "only the second freestanding integrated nursery school".
"Alongside Bangor Central Integrated Primary School, there is now more choice for parents in the Bangor area who want their children to have an integrated education across nursery and primary school," she said.
