At Oakgrove Integrated Primary School and Nursery our purpose is learning together for life and celebrating diversity.  We aim to provide child centred education in an integrated environment, where families and the wider community are involved.  We are an integrated learning community which seeks to learn together, of and from one another, regardless of creed, race, gender or ability.

At Oakgrove we are keen to challenge our children and staff and the rest of our school community.  We have an ethos, within the school where we embrace difference and celebrate diversity.  Exposure to as a wide a variety of experiences and challenges is what helps children, staff, families and ultimately our communities to grow.  As an integrated school, a school which teaches children of all creeds, race, gender and ability, we want to lead the way for education in Northern Ireland.  Only 7% of the population are educated in integrated schools in Northern Ireland.  As an integrated school we want to challenge this, on a local and global level.

Oakgrove hosted the Communities in Dialogue Event at Oakgrove IPSN on Thursday 16^th November.  We hoped that through meaningful discussion and dialogue with pupils, school leaders and community representatives that we would be better able to support pupils from ethnic minority families develop a sense of community in school and at home.  It was a wonderfully well attended day supported by NICIE. 

Our Panel was:

• Dr Anne Murray (former Principal of OIPSN/Chair of Board of Governors OIC)
• Sue Divin Programme Manager (PEACE IV)
• Mark Heathers (PSNI)
• Karen Mullan MLA (Sinn Fein Education Spokesperson Foyle Constituency Office)
• David Ramsey DUP Councillor
• Nikki Yau Migrant Centre NI (Also part of Sai Pak Chinese)
• Gareth Cross Reporter (Derry Now/Derry News) 

Our Student contributors were:

• Lena from P7B OIPSN
• Anna from  P7B OIPSN
• Urte from P7A OIPSN
• Tyler from OIC

Also in attendance were pupils from local primary schools and secondary schools, politicians, community leaders, Parent's Group members, NICIE staff, members of Foyle Trust for Integrated Education, a representative from Derry City and Strabane District Council and European Capital of Culture 2023 Bid Team a Development Worker Migrant Centre NI, our student council representatives and our staff.

At Oakgrove IPSN, our mission statement is "Celebrating Diversity- Learning Together for Life."

We aim to promote high achievement and learning for life by working with children of different backgrounds (religion, culture, race, gender, ability) to enable them to become happy, confident, polite, sensitive, tolerant and caring people.

Integrated Education Week is usually the first week in March.  The children throughout the school areinvolved in various cross-community and integration activities. 

One of the highlights of the week is annual Multi-Cultural Evening, which brings together the four integrated schools from the area in a celebration of food, costume, tradition and culture as well as music, song and dance from around the world.

• Roe Valley Integrated Primary School
• Groarty Integrated Primary School
• Oakgrove Integrated College
• Oakgrove Integrated Primary School and Nursery

Click here to see the Galleries:

• Integrated Education Month 2018
• The Gathering Drum (Part of Integrated Education Month 2017)
• Church visits as part of Integrated Education Month 2016
• International Integrated Education Week 2015
• Integrated Education Week Gallery 2014
• Annual Multi-Cultural Evening Gallery

IIE Week was a little different during 2016. We worked towards celebrating 25 years of integration in Derry~Londonderry.

Click here to read the news story.

Founded in the midst of conflict in our community, Oakgrove Integrated College cherishes the values of courage, imagination and determination which our founders showed.

We commit ourselves to nurturing those values in all our students and developing their ability to speak the truth with confidence. Founded as a place of learning, we strive to enable all to achieve the highest academic standards whilst fostering courage and willingness to take risks accepting what might not be.

We are ever mindful that our school’s history teaches us to look to the future with hope This is a different school created by people inspired to imagine a better future because difference is seen as strength, not weakness. As an integrated school, we are ever-committed to seeking out and welcoming what is different and recognising the challenge to accept what is new.

We foster world-wide partnerships, encouraging students to discover the joy of integrating which continues beyond the experience of school. Our fundamental aim is to develop self-esteem and from it to grow a sense of commitment to others and to the society in which we live, study and work. Oakgrove is no ordinary college. If you are willing to embark on the exciting challenge of a process of life-long learning, then join us now.

Jill Markham

 Principal
Oakgrove Integrated

Click on the logo to visit Oakgrove Integrated College site.