Northern Ireland

Logo success for Lurgan College's Josh

Josh McAvoy with Barry Mulholland, Uel McCrea, chair of the CSSC interim board and Lurgan College head Trevor Robinson
Josh McAvoy with Barry Mulholland, Uel McCrea, chair of the CSSC interim board and Lurgan College head Trevor Robinson Josh McAvoy with Barry Mulholland, Uel McCrea, chair of the CSSC interim board and Lurgan College head Trevor Robinson

A SIXTH-form pupil from Lurgan College has won a competition to design a logo for the north's first controlled schools' support body.

The Controlled Schools Support Council (CSSC), which was made operational last September, aims to give a strong and effective voice to hundreds of state schools.

It is the first time the north has had such a body for the controlled sector. It is the largest education sector, comprising 48 per cent of all schools and more than 140,000 pupils.

The new council invited Key Stage 4 and 5 pupils from member schools to design a logo.

The winner was Josh McAvoy from Lurgan College, who received a graphics tablet for himself, as well as £1,000 of technology for his school.

His logo will be central to the development of CSSC's branding.

"I am absolutely thrilled that my logo was chosen by the council," he said.

"While I considered other potential, more esoteric designs, I was very conscious of the clear criteria set down by the council in relation to the logo - simple and easily reproduced.

"What I came up in the end was something which I felt symbolised both learning and success, encapsulated in the mortar board effect with its geometric design."

CSSC chief executive Barry Mulholland said 10 logos were submitted as part of the competition and the quality of the entries was outstanding.

"I am now looking forward to seeing our new branding, of which this logo will be an integral part, in use," he said.