New-Bridge Integrated College opened in 1995 following a concerted effort by parents from Newry and Banbridge to bring post primary Integrated Education to their area. The school started out in mobile accommodation with just 75 pupils enrolled across Years 8 and 9 but now, almost 30 years later, there are around 670 pupils in the school
In 2017 New-Bridge was the laureate of the European Evens Prize for Peace Education. The international jury of experts, which was looking for post primary school strategies for dealing with 'hot topics' in a constructive way, found that New-Bridge demonstrated an impressive and strongly embedded approach which helped teachers respond to everyday diversity as well as transform controversial subjects into learning opportunities.
The video in this section was produced by the Community Relations Council and includes a contribution from New-Bridge principal Anne Anderson. Along with staff and pupils, Anne outlines how the school intentionally embraces debate and discussion and describes the methods used to ensure that this happens in a safe and meaningful way. The relevant clip can be found between 19 min 25 sec and 30 min 05 secs.
The work in New-Bridge has been used by CCEA to inform its support and guidance material for the Key Stage 3 curricular strand of Learning for Life and Work (Local and Global Citizenship)
New-Bridge Integrated College Case Study: Teaching Controversial Issue
Developing a whole-school approach to teaching and learning about controversial issues