A major capital construction project is officially underway at Crawfordsburn Primary School, following an investment of over £7.3 million from the Department of Education.

Education Minister Paul Givan marked the beginning of the new build by cutting the first sod at the school's existing, extended site.

The new school, which is set to be completed in March 2027, will feature eight modern classrooms and state-of-the-art facilities. The Minister welcomed the start of the construction phase, calling it the "beginning of an exciting chapter" for the school community.

Mr Givan added that the new building has been designed to help pupils at Crawfordsburn Primary "grow, thrive, and reach their full potential."

The Minister continued: "There has been considerable work to get to this stage. I commend the school and stakeholders who have shown dedication, commitment and perseverance to bring the project from initial design, through planning and into construction. It is a journey that displays the very best of our school communities. "I wish the pupils, staff, governors and parents of Crawfordsburn Primary School every success as this exciting new chapter unfolds and the vision for the school becomes a reality."

Principal Adam Ferguson said: "This is a significant milestone for everyone within the Crawfordsburn Primary School Community. The contractors are on site and everyone in our school is excited to see the new building start to take shape.

"A great deal of work has gone into getting to this stage of the project. I would like to pay tribute to the Department of Education, the whole project team, our Board of Governors and previous principals, who have all had a role to play over the last number of years.

"This new building behind our current site will provide our school community with access to modern, state-of-the-art facilities that will further add to the excellent provision delivered by our staff. The project will see an expansion of our school site and improved outdoor learning spaces, as well as greater parking and drop-off capacity. Our pupils deserve the best start in life, and we are looking forward to the learning opportunities that the enhanced school facilities will offer to both our pupils and staff."

Isherwood & Ellis are the Integrated Consultant Team for the project and Bell Contracts Ltd. is the appointed building contractor.