b"THE LEVERAGE OF THE IRELAND FUNDS' INVESTMENT INTEGRATE MY SCHOOL CAMPAIGNOne such school to benefit is Drumlins Integrated Primary School in Bal- The Ireland Funds were one of the first backers of our recent innovative lynahinch, a school which was previously dependent on The Ireland FundsIntegrate My School Campaign, launched by Liam Neeson, to empow-support for additional classrooms and resources to enable it to grow ander parents. A Flagship Award in 2017 of 100,000 over 2 years from The develop. Today Drumlins dream has come true and its children enjoy a newIreland Funds has helped to ensure there is now more interest in trans-4 million government funded school building. Quite simply, donor invest- formation than ever before. This was evidenced by parents at six schools ment in integrated schools has gone on to leverage hundreds of millions inacross Northern Ireland voting overwhelmingly in favor of transforming to rightful government funding.integrated status during 2019. Support from parents ranged between 85% Whilst helping with the successful expansion and development of existingto 100%. The democratic parental ballots include three Catholic schools; integrated schools is a great source of pride for the IEF and our donors, wenamely Seaview Primary School in Glenarm, Ballyhackett Primary School must always look to the future and the creation of more schools. We are en- near Coleraine and St Marys High School, Brollagh. Votes have also been couraged that the majority of parents aspire to greater integration, howeverheld at Carrickfergus Central Primary and Harding Memorial Primary in the challenge is that most are unaware they have a right, protected in law, toEast Belfast. Bangor Central Nursery School is the first ever Nursery School express their support for their childs school to become integrated. If parentsto have held such a vote. There is no guarantee that the Department of representing 20% of pupils want integrated status for their school then theyEducationwillapprovealloftheseschoolsgoingforwardbutisclear can ask their school to consider transformation to integrated status whichevidenceofgrowingdemand.TheIntegrateMySchoolplatformwas must then be put to a ballot of all parents in the school.enthusiastically embraced by parents in all these schools.connect 201935"