Northern Ireland Education Minister, Paul Givan, has officially opened a new-build five-class base school for Islandmagee Primary School.

The £5.4m project has enabled the school to move to one site, providing the children and staff with a new, modern, energy-efficient school building.

Speaking at the official opening ceremony, Givan said: “It is a truly-landmark day for the school I am delighted to be here to celebrate with them today.

“The total capital investment of over £5.4m will help to improve the school experience for generations to come.

“There has been considerable work to get to this stage and I would like to commend all of the team involved in the design and construction of this state-of-the-art facility which will have many benefits for the school community of Islandmagee.”

Education Authority (EA) chairperson, Mervyn Storey, added: “Today is the culmination and the realisation of a project which I know is worthy of a great deal of praise.

“Part of the EA’s vision for education is to give our children and young people the best start in life to be the best that they can be, in a fit-for-purpose, modern schools estate, capable of meeting the ever-changing learning needs of our children and young people.

“I believe we have achieved that vision today as we look around this impressive school.”

Construction of the new build school on the Low Road Islandmagee commenced in March 2023. It was built by Martin and Hamilton Construction and designed by McAdam Design, which was also the structural engineer and quantity surveyor for the project.