Principal’s Welcome
On behalf of the Board of Governors, Staff and Students, I would like to welcome you to our school. New-Bridge Integrated College is an 11 – 18 school which welcomes boys and girls, all abilities and families from catholic, protestant and other traditions. Our school was established in 1995 by parents from the Banbridge and Newry areas, who wanted a school where children from different communities could be educated together under one roof.
As Laureate of Peace Education, we continue to play a significant role in promoting our inclusive ethos, celebrating diversity and developing our young people into well rounded tolerant citizens, who are happy and engaged in their learning and respectful of each other’s beliefs and traditions. At New-Bridge we provide high quality education through a broad and balanced curriculum which caters for the full ability range. Our child centred approach to learning and teaching is built on positive relationships between staff, students and parents; with priority given to the care and welfare of our students.
New-Bridge is a happy place to learn and work and we are very proud of our excellent record of academic and vocational successes which ensures progression for all our young people. We offer a quality learning experience for those with gifts and talents, those with a high academic profile and those who require additional support and this is evidenced through the destinations of our students, be that University or Further Education Colleges. As our school motto states, we are indeed ‘The School for All the family’. I am proud to say we celebrate the ‘personal best’ of every student at New-Bridge.
We are delighted that under the Fresh Start Agreement Funding, our Contractors, Ganson Ltd, have been appointed with construction work expected to commence early 2023 with a completion schedule of 18 months! Our design plans are breath-taking and will offer so many new opportunities for our students, staff and local community. Through our School Website, our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram posts, we capture the ethos of our school in words and pictures.
We also hope that your visit to our school, be that virtually or face to face, enables you to experience first-hand our welcoming, friendly and caring ethos. We look forward to expanding our New-Bridge family in September 2023 by welcoming new students and new families to our school.
A Anderson Principal
Head Girl Welcome
My name is Emma Bryson, and I am Head Girl of New-Bridge Integrated College. It is my privilege to welcome you to our school. I have always been proud to be a pupil of New-Bridge, and to now say that I am Head Girl is such an honour. I’ve always been told that “school days are the best days of your life” and now, during my final year at New-Bridge, I can only agree! I joined New-Bridge in 2016 from Scarva Primary School and have been part of the New-Bridge family since then and I can tell you that my school experience has been so positive from the outset. I am currently studying A-Level Drama, History and English and am hoping to move on to Queens University, Belfast next year to study BA (Hons) Drama and I know New-Bridge has equipped me to do this.
For me, what makes our school so unique is our motto and the important message behind it “The school for all the family”. Not only does this promote the warmth and positivity of our school atmosphere, but it also highlights our thriving integrated ethos. I had never been in integrated education until I came to New-Bridge, and I can whole heartedly say that it is such an incredible and important community to be part of. Integration is not just about different religions coming together, it’s about different personalities, beliefs, abilities and learning styles coming together and staying connected. I have learned from the different prefect teams that I have seen throughout my time at New-Bridge, that it’s our duty to the younger pupils to make sure everyone feels part of our family, to make sure everyone is connected, and we work on this everyday as senior prefects and pupils.
New-Bridge has provided me with so many opportunities, memories and guidance. Our teachers have helped me to grow both academically and as a person and that extends beyond the classroom. For example, becoming an Anti-Bullying Ambassador has afforded me the opportunity to help and support younger pupils and resulted in gaining the leadership skills I use to mentor others. I am passionate about helping others and the ethos of our school which focuses on compassion means that this is a priority for all pupils.
The positive memories and lessons I have learned in my time at New-Bridge will also inform my future career and I know that if you are a pupil at our school, your experience will be just as positive! I will be sad to leave New-Bridge but the family links with our school will continue through my younger sister who in in Year 12 sitting her GCSEs this year, so this is really the school for all my family. I hope you choose New-Bridge as I know you will love it here.
Emma
Head Boy Welcome
My name is Jamie Mc Dowell and as Head Boy of New-Bridge Integrated College, I would like to welcome you all to our school. I joined our school from Bridge Integrated Primary School and can say that my time in Integrated education has provided me with many opportunities and possibilities which I know have shaped me into the person I am today. I am not only proud and privileged to be Head Boy, but to also be a student here at New-Bridge.
Currently, I am studying A Levels in History, English Literature and Creative Media and throughout the last two years of my sixth form study, I have developed the strong skills and foundations that will assist me in my next stage of my career, where I hope to study Law at Queen’s University in Belfast – a process which will be made easy for me thanks to what I have learned during my time at New-Bridge.
As the oldest sibling in my family, and having my younger sister starting New-Bridge this year too, I can certainly say that New-Bridge is a ‘school for all the family’. I also know that the same opportunities that were provided to me from my first year will also be given to my younger sister, as well as any future students who wish to attend New-Bridge. For me, these amazing opportunities are highlighted in the leadership roles and responsibilities I have been offered within our school, whether as a senior prefect, a bus prefect, an Ant-Bullying Ambassador, a member of Pupil Council or a Peer Mentor. I know that the level of support, positivity and the plethora of opportunities offered by our school is unmatched. For me the development of peer-to-peer support in our school has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my school career, where I really felt that I made a difference to our students’ learning.
Year 8 pupils can expect to be supported from their very first day in our school by sixth form pupils who will guide and support our new pupils in their new school. This is further developed throughout our school, as you’ll often see senior pupils supporting junior pupils with their work through peer mentoring at both GCSE and Key Stage three level. As a GCSE pupil, I can certainly say that my A-Level peer mentor supported my studies and helped to develop my confidence.
I take pride in belonging to a school with a strong integrated ethos which is proudly represented both inside and outside of school, it is our unique ethos that has provided me with the opportunity to make friends with people I never would have had the opportunity to meet before – something I am incredibly grateful for. I enjoy being able to support and guide younger pupils in the school and help welcome them into the New-Bridge family and I hope to welcome you all soon.
Jamie
“New-Bridge Integrated is an integrated all-ability school. We are committed to ensuring that all our pupils are provided with the opportunity to achieve to their full educational potential in a challenging and stimulating environment in which they all feel cherished and valued”
Our College Aims
and College Prayer
- To enable our pupils to grow mature in their own beliefs, culture and tradition
- To promote peace and reconciliation by actively seeking knowledge and understanding of other beliefs, cultures and traditions
- To develop in our pupils the self-esteem and self-discipline necessary for responsible citizenship in a pluralistic society
- To provide a challenging and stimulating environment in which the academic, sporting and personal success of pupils is promoted and celebrated
- To cherish, nurture and respect each other regardless of race, gender or other differences
- To encourage individual spiritual development and to work and pray for peace in our lives
- To promote the involvement of all members of the College community, whether governors, parents, pupils or staff in the development of the College
- To foster a caring and responsible attitude to the College and the local environment
- To create effective links between the College and the wider community
May God give Blessings on All
Whose Lives Build Our School
Both Parent and Child
Both Young and Old
Both Wisdom and Youth
Stranger and Friend
Both Male and Female
Catholic, Protestant and Others
Both Visionary and Builders of the Vision
With the Eye of the Weaver you have Chosen Us
Such Different Threads
to be Gathered into Unity
So that the World Might be Changed
Our Staff
Mrs Anderson Principal
Mrs Harbinson Vice Principal (Care, Welfare and Learning)
Mr Thompson Senior Teacher
Mrs E Cordner College Bursar
Ms L Belshaw, Mr W Cochrane, Mrs D Daly, Misss S Devlin, Mrs J Gibson, Mrs J Kelly, Mrs H Lennon, Mrs A Lennon-Malone, Ms R Lindsay, Mrs N McDowell, Ms A Monaghan, Mrs V Morton, Mrs E Sands, Ms J Smith, Mrs S Sweet, Miss C McIvor, Miss J McDowell, Miss L Campbell, Miss P Hamilton, Miss S Maginness, Mrs N Cone, Miss M Connolly
Mrs E Lennon (Principal’s Secretary)
Mrs D Canniford (Pastoral Secretary)
Mrs A Annett (College Secretary)
Mrs J McKeown (Finance/Exams Officer)
Mrs J Ward (College Librarian)
Mr T McGrath
Mr D Barker
Mrs S Kennedy, Mrs L Magill, Mrs S Moffitt, Mrs Á Mooney, Mrs S Taggart
Ms C Gonzalez (Manageress)
Mrs J Johnston (Assistant Cook)
Mrs L Burns, Mrs H Brown, Mrs C Finnegan, Mrs S Moffitt