Member's statement: Kilmaine Primary School: 50th Anniversary
Member's statement by Mr Alan Chambers on .
- MLA
- Mr Alan Chambers
- Party at the time
- Ulster Unionist Party
- Date
- 16 June 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Kilmaine Primary School: 50th Anniversary
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5623559
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Recently, I had the privilege of taking a walk down memory lane when Kilmaine Primary School in Bangor hosted an impressive exhibition to celebrate 50 years of delivering a top-class and caring primary education to thousands of children. My five children attended the school — it is just round the corner from my home — and 11 of my grandchildren have been educated at Kilmaine Primary School. The school motto is, "Everyone Counts". That is an ethos that the school lives up to. It is a happy school, and the joy of the staff and children is evident when you step in through the front door. Kilmaine opened in September 1975 with 109 pupils and five members of teaching staff. The school grew rapidly alongside the surrounding housing developments, and, in the 1980s, it reached more than 700 pupils and, during the 1990s, over 1,000. The founding principal was Mr Raymond Boyd, who led the school until 2001. He was loved by the children and respected in equal measure by the parents. The school added a nursery unit in October 2000, providing preschool education for 52 part-time pupils. The late Mr John Mann succeeded Mr Boyd as principal and oversaw one of the most significant developments in the school's history when the move was made into a purpose-built new building in 2005. Prior to that, education had been conducted in 46 temporary mobile classrooms. The new facilities marked a major milestone for pupils and staff, providing modern classrooms and resources to support learning. Since then, the school has continued to build a reputation for academic achievement, sporting success and a strong programme of music, drama and pastoral care. Two members of the Northern Ireland senior women and men's football teams — the much-capped Ashley Hutton and Josh Magennis — attended Kilmaine. Mr William Campbell served as principal from 2014 to 2019. The current principal is Mrs Rachael Sinnamon, who is not only a former teacher in Kilmaine; she attended that wonderful school as a pupil. I wish the school another 50 years of success and excellence in delivering first-class primary education to generations to come. I record my warmest gratitude for what the current and past staff have contributed to children's education and development over the past 50 years in Kilmaine Primary School.
383 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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