Shimna News - September 2025
- Shimna Integrated College
- Sep 21
- 4 min read
Dear Parents & Carers,
With the school year now up and running, I am pleased to update you on recent developments.
The new timetable has bedded in very well. Students and staff have quickly adapted to the new schedule and previous pressure points, around break and lunchtime, have been significantly eased.
Likewise, the introduction of epraise appears to be going well. Thank you to those of you who have already contacted us. If you would like to provide your own feedback, please complete this survey.
It’s also great to see the extra-curricular programme offering our students so many opportunities, with a few more being planned. Rehearsals for ‘The Wizard of Oz’ are now well underway.
Thank you for observing our request about not driving up to the back gate. We enjoy good relations with our neighbours and want to ensure we do not obstruct access to their homes.
Our Mission, Vision and Values
As you will have seen, our Vision statement is proudly displayed in our new reception. It captures our ambition for every student who attends our school.
This formulation of this statement was part of a wider exercise that, over two years, ran parallel to the new build project. Along the way, parents, carers, governors, staff and students took part. It was an opportunity to reflect on our proud heritage and to refresh our thinking around the true meaning of integration.
When I met Mr Bailey, one of our founding teachers, for the first time in November 2021, he made the interesting comment that ‘we are always integrating.’ He was quite right. No less than any other integrated school in Northern Ireland, Shimna has an important role in bringing positive change to our community and wider society.
Naturally, the College will continue to evolve.
Our Values explicitly emphasise the importance of acceptance and of celebrating our differences:
“Our core principles are all about learning with and from each other. Our College delivers outstanding teaching and fosters positive and responsive relationships between students and staff. We provide a broad and balanced curriculum of both academic and vocational education, supported by creative extra-curricular provision and exceptional pastoral care.
Our values are centred around championing diversity and equality, mutual respect, acceptance, excellent standards and high expectations for all.
We are proud of the close and positive relationships the College has with parents, carers and our community and the promotion of social conscience in our students.”
And, therefore, our Mission is clear:
To support our students to learn together and from each other in a student-centred College which provides excellent academic and vocational education to students of different abilities, and promotes a diverse, integrated and inclusive learning environment.
Student Leadership Team
I am delighted to introduce our Year 14 Leadership Team. When we interviewed the students in June, it was a privilege to hear them speak so eloquently about the College and their desire to play a positive role this year.
Their ideas include reconstituting the Student Council, supporting our extra-curricular programme, organising charity fund-raisers and promoting greater environmental awareness across the College.
Our Environment Leaders - Lily-Mae Truesdale, Molly Sloan and Marta Forde - will feature in our social media coverage in the near future.
Next week, we will be launching the application process for students in Years 8 through to Year 13 to sign up as Young Ambassadors.
New staff
I am pleased to introduce our new colleagues, who joined us at the start of this term.
We say a fond farewell to three excellent colleagues: Janet Mayers, Erin Hardy and Juneve Nicholls. All of them served Shimna with great distinction. We wish Janet and Erin well in their new teaching posts, and Juneve as she moves to a new role in early years education. We also wish our colleagues Maria Steele and Marion Fleming the very best as they embark on career breaks.
Andrea Burge, formerly Head of Spanish at the Beaulieu Park School in Chelmsford, will be joining the Modern Languages Department before the end of the month. I am delighted to say Mr Smyth has returned from a career break to rejoin the History Department.
In other changes, Letitia Kerr has taken over as Head of Religious Studies. Shauna Rowell is the new Head of Year 10, taking over from Sarrah Samuel. We thank Sarah for her tremendous work as a pastoral leader.
Key dates for the first half of term
Thursday 2 October: Gordon Wilson Lecture @ 7.00 pm - Sir Howard Morrison KC
Click on the link for more information - Gordon Wilson Lecture
Tuesday 14 / Wednesday 15 October: College Celebration @ 7.00 pm
Friday 17 October: P7 Day - College closed to students
Friday 24 October ( 3.25 pm ): Half term begins
Monday 3 November: College re-opens
Attendance
We strive to work closely with parents, carers and the Education Welfare Service to ensure levels of student attendance are high. Given the strong correlation between attendance and outcomes, we are determined to ensure our students have the best possible opportunity to succeed.
Further guidance can be found here:
Attendance Matters - Department of Education publication
Safeguarding & Child Protection
Please visit the updated section of our website for further information about our policies and procedures.
As ever, thank you for your ongoing support for Shimna.
Kind regards,
Steve Pagan
Principal
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