Education Minister Paul Givan has officially opened the new £56 million St Ronan’s College campus in Lurgan, marking the end of an eleven-year journey to unite three amalgamated schools on a single site. The ceremony on Thursday celebrated the completion of Northern Ireland’s largest single-school capital project, which accommodates 1,750 pupils and serves as a community hub for the area.
From three schools to one campus
St Ronan’s College was established in September 2015 following the amalgamation of St Mary’s High School, St Paul’s Junior High School and St Michael’s Grammar School. Since then, pupils and staff have operated across split sites in Lurgan, with the new build finally bringing the entire school community together on the former St Michael’s Grammar School site at Cornakinnegar Road.
The all-ability, non-selective grammar school is now the second largest post-primary school in Northern Ireland. The consolidation ends nearly a decade of disruption for pupils who previously transitioned between separate buildings for different year groups.
A decade in the making
Plans for the new school were first proposed as far back as 2012, with the amalgamation intended to create a modern, co-educational grammar school for the Lurgan area. However, the path to completion has been far from straightforward. Initial estimates in 2018 suggested a £30 million build, but procurement difficulties in 2021 caused significant delays and cost increases, with the final budget reaching £56 million.
Construction commenced in April 2023 under principal contractor Glasgiven Contracts, with McAdam Design serving as project managers. The project faced further challenges, including market pressures and supply chain issues affecting the wider construction sector. Pupils first moved into the new buildings in September 2025, with the official ministerial opening taking place eight months later.
Facilities for pupils and community
The 20,000 square metre campus spans three storeys across a 36-acre site and includes specialist classrooms for art, science, drama, ICT, music, design and technology, and home economics. The development features extensive sports provision including synthetic and grass GAA pitches, a football pitch, five tennis courts, and a dedicated sports pavilion.
Sustainability features include solar panels, rainwater harvesting, and air source heat pumps, with the building achieving a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating for environmental performance. A notable heritage element is the preservation and integration of the former St Michael’s chapel, which now serves as both a place of worship and a performance space.
Crucially, the design incorporates community use, with facilities such as the sports hall, gymnasium, fitness suite, music department and design workshops intended for public access outside school hours.
Minister hails ‘significant investment’
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Paul Givan said:
“This is a great day for everyone at St Ronan’s College and the wider community.
“It represents a significant investment of over £56m. That is an investment, which not only gives us this superb building, but one that helps to give current and future pupils the best possible start.”
The Minister continued:
“A new building brings tangible change to daily school life and the wider community. Teachers, staff and pupils deserve to teach and learn in schools that create an environment for children to learn and flourish. I am certain the new facilities here will serve the pupils and the local community well, now and for generations to come.
“I would like to acknowledge the efforts of everyone involved in delivering this project, including school staff, governors, consultants, contractors and officials.
“I wish everyone associated with the school every success as they embark on a new chapter at St Ronan’s.”
Capital pressures and wider context
While the opening represents a significant milestone for Lurgan, it comes amid intense pressure on the Department of Education’s capital budget. The project’s final cost of £56 million represents a substantial increase from initial estimates, reflecting broader inflationary pressures in the construction sector.
The completion of St Ronan’s also highlights ongoing challenges in the schools estate. Recent Assembly questions revealed that £280 million of capital funding was surrendered by Northern Ireland departments in 2025-26, with £22 million subsequently reallocated to education. Meanwhile, demand for special school places continues to rise, with Minister Givan recently announcing planning approval for three new major special school projects to address a 49% increase in pupils attending special schools over the past decade.
The project also sits within the wider debate about Northern Ireland’s divided education system. Research from Ulster University has estimated that maintaining separate school sectors costs the public purse between £400 million and £830 million annually. St Ronan’s, while a maintained school under Catholic trusteeship, has developed shared education links with Lurgan College, with the two schools collaborating on projects including a Sustainable Futures group that presented at the BETT Conference in Manchester.
Questions for stakeholders
- How will the Department for Education ensure similar large-scale capital projects avoid the procurement delays and cost inflation that affected St Ronan’s?
- What mechanisms will be put in place to measure the educational outcomes and community usage of the new facilities against the £56 million investment?
- Given the pressing need for special school places and maintenance of existing estates, how will the Executive balance flagship new builds against broader estate renewal?
- Will the community access provisions be fully realised, and what funding will support the extended opening hours for public use of sports and cultural facilities?
- How does the completion of this maintained sector school impact the Executive’s obligations under the Integrated Education Act to meet demand for integrated places?
The opening of St Ronan’s College marks a significant infrastructure achievement for Lurgan, ending years of split-site working and providing modern facilities for one of Northern Ireland’s largest post-primary schools. As pupils settle into the completed campus, attention will turn to whether similar momentum can be maintained across the wider schools estate, where many pupils continue to learn in outdated or temporary accommodation.