Education Minister marks major milestone at Strule Shared Education Campus
Date published:
Education Minister Paul Givan celebrated a major milestone at the Strule Shared Education Campus (SSEC) today as the main structural works onsite are now complete.
Principals from the six Strule schools, project partners and community stakeholders attended a ‘topping out ceremony’ to mark the progress made on the most significant shared education project being delivered in Northern Ireland.
The Strule campus will bring together six schools on the former Lisanelly Army Barracks site in Omagh. It will provide state‑of‑the‑art, shared facilities to support teaching and learning, sports and other educational activities, while preserving the individual ethos and identity of each school. When complete, the campus will support collaboration, reconciliation and shared education for around four thousand young people.
Construction at the Strule Shared Education Campus has advanced at pace since work commenced on site just over a year ago. The planned opening of the campus remains on track for September 2028.
Speaking at the event, Education Minister, Paul Givan said:
“Today marks an important milestone for the Strule Shared Education Campus and is a clear demonstration of the progress being made on this flagship project.
“Strule represents a powerful commitment to shared education, bringing young people together in a modern, purpose-built environment that supports excellence in education through collaboration and cooperation.
“I am delighted with the pace of progress onsite and I look forward to seeing the campus move through the next stages of delivery as we work towards welcoming pupils and staff to Strule in 2028.”
Notes to editors:
1.The Strule Shared Education Campus is a pioneering approach to delivering shared education with six schools from Omagh being built on a single campus with a range of shared facilities. The six schools to be located on the campus are: Arvalee School and Resource Centre, Christian Brothers Grammar School, Loreto Grammar School, Omagh Academy Grammar School, Omagh High School and Sacred Heart College.
2.The construction of Arvalee School and Resource Centre was completed in 2016 and construction of the remaining schools and shared facilities commenced in February 2025 following the Department of Education’s award of the contract to the Woodvale Lowry Joint Venture in August 2024.
3.The topping out ceremony marks a key point in the construction programme and provides confidence in the continued delivery of the campus in line with stated timelines. Alongside construction activity, work is ongoing to support schools, staff and communities to prepare for the transition to the new shared campus.
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