“An environment of survival withers the hearts of our elderly, taking away their ability to dream. In this way, it cripples the prophecy that our young are called to proclaim and work to achieve” – Pope Francis.

The merger of the Little Flower Girls’ School and St Patrick’s College, a boys’ school, will result in the creation of a new co-educational school for 1,119 students.

Desertmartin is a Church of Ireland primary school while Knocknagin is a Catholic Maintained Primary. The two are set to make history by becoming the first jointly-run church school in Northern Ireland.

Ongoing industrial problems at West Belfast’s largest post-primary school over the past few months has seen a number of parental protests.

Jointly Managed Schools a new model agreed by the main Churches and the Northern Ireland Department of Education.