I recently asked a pupil what I should tell you about our school and your choices. He said: “If you want things in the future to be different, then choose our school.”

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30 years ago, a group of people set up this school, wanting this city to be a better place where people lived and worked together. Now 3,000 people later, you have a choice for your child. Do you go for more of the same? Or, like us, do you encourage children to take safe risks, step out of comfort zones and enter a school which prepares them for the real world, a world where difference is celebrated?

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Oakgrove never believed in transfer testing. We don’t need a test result to know your child is clever. We work to bring out the best in every child, in every area of their character. Our students continue to thrive academically. We see every child as an individual and we “add value” to every student by monitoring progress from their first day all the way through school. Whatever their starting point, we see students exceed their expectations.

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In Oakgrove Integrated College, young people have opportunities to see the world as an exciting place, full of diverse experiences.

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Some say a child should go to a school with people like them. We say no to that: only by coming to our school to meet people who are different will your child really know what makes us human and how unique they are. Oakgrove is an adventure from which people never look back. With us, your child can see the world in the integrated way, and you will see what dreams they can fulfil.

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It has been said that we see the world not as it is but as we are. Our view of life is shaped by our experiences. For many, life has kept our communities away from each other. Governments try to bring people together. Yet while they do, our staff and students are working together all the time, based on mutual respect, naturally showing the normal way to live, together, not apart.

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Knowing that we have a shared past means that we don’t have to chase a dream of a shared future. We remember it. We don’t have to travel to other schools to get a shared education experience. In Oakgrove Integrated College, every day is shared with others in an integrated space.

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Here, all identities are equally cherished and valued. We learn from as well as about each other. We want a school and a city where Protestant, Catholic and other backgrounds learn together beside each other every day.

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We are about to embark on the next chapter of our school’s story. We don’t know what the future holds, but it will be better if you are with us. Join us and help us make your story the Oakgrove story. We need your vision to change this city and make it a place for everyone, together.

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John Harkin Principal, Oakgrove Integrated College

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