Education Minister Michelle McIlveen has cut the first sod on a major project to provide a new school building for Down High School in Downpatrick.

The sod-cutting marks the start of construction on the new school with an investment of almost £33million by the Department of Education. Catering for up to 950 pupils, the new building will include the construction of a sports hall, PE facilities and sports pitches.

Speaking at the new Down High School site, Minister McIlveen said:

“This is a really exciting day for the whole school community as work gets underway on their new building. This is a significant £33million investment by my Department and will provide a modern learning and teaching environment, tailored to meet the needs of pupils and teachers.

“It is important to acknowledge the commitment and hard work of the school and its stakeholders in helping to bring the project to this stage. Today, they can all be proud of this important milestone as they look forward to their new school building becoming a reality.”

Gary Holmes, Regional Managing Director for the GRAHAM Building North region, added:

“The construction of the new Down High School is a particularly important project for the GRAHAM team.

A number of our employees who will be responsible for the delivery of the building live in the local community, including our proposed Project Manager who in fact went to Down High School.

It is fantastic that we can be involved in delivering a best in class education facility that will mean so much to both our team and the local community.”

GRAHAM was appointed to carry out the construction works which are due to complete in Spring 2025.