The new name for a merger of three schools in Downpatrick will not include the name of St Patrick, it has been revealed.
After years of planning, the new school combining St Patrick’s Grammar, St Mary’s High and De La Salle is set to open in September 2024 under the name Lecale Trinity.
As Downpatrick is the burial site of St Patrick, the change means that no secondary school in the Co Down town will be named after Ireland’s patron saint.
Two Catholic primary schools in Legamaddy and Saul are still named after the patron saint.
As a voluntary grammar of around 1,600 pupils, it is proposed the new intake will be based on a system of 30 per cent academic selection with the rest based on a non-selective route.
This means around 180 new admissions would be non-selective and 70 would be selective each year.
Originally approved by the DUP’s former Education Minister, Michelle McIlveen, the change provoked some opposition from teachers, parents and pupils at St Patrick’s Grammar.
As well as the changes in academic selection, another major concern is a lack of a date for building a new school for all pupils to be educated on the same site.
The Department of Education has previously said the merger would be "a complex amalgamation with significant financial implications".
In May, a High Court Judge also dismissed a legal challenge from the mother of a boy hoping to attend St Patrick's Grammar School.
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The latest details came from a document sent to several primary schools in the area by the interim board of governors.
The letter said the new name was confirmed after hearing from pupils, parents and staff from each of the three schools.
It read: “The pupils’ creativity, commitment and strong sense of place and local context were inspirational in their choice of name encompassing both the geographical location of the new school and the symbolism of the Trinity in terms of the three schools and strong connection of the town with St Patrick.”
This autumn, pupils’ ideas regarding the school crest, motto and uniform will also be developed further.
Applications for a principal designate have now closed, with interviews due to take place in August.
Concluding the letter, the interim board of governors chair Carmel McCartan said: “We have a unique opportunity to come together and be part of something truly life-changing for all young people in the local community.”
