THE long awaited £21.5 million new build for Devenish College is set to move one step closer to construction in the next few weeks. Principal Simon Mowbray has confirmed that six contractors have been invited to submit their tender prices for the construction of the new school located at the Tempo Road site. 

The tender process is set to wrap up in mid-February with the schedule for building laid out by the Education Authority anticipating that building will commence in early April. This news comes over ten years after the new school was originally expected to be completed. 

“The new school is currently out to tender and companies have been issued with the specification,” Mr Mowbray noted. 

“Our design team, Isherwood and Ellis, have designed a new school building which is 10,500 square metres and will ensure that we have the most advanced and sophisticated school building in Northern Ireland when it is completed.

“The building is scheduled for two years. It will accommodate up to 800 pupils, it’s a substantial building. We would hope that the new school will open to pupils in September 2021.”

Reflecting Mr Mowbray, pictured above, added, “Over the past two and a half years there has been continual progress, although sometimes that progress has been slow. We had to redesign at different stages but I can say I am delighted with the quality of the design.” 

The progress on the new school comes almost 15 years after the site was acquired by the Western Education and Library Board (WELB) in 2004. Since then two amalgamations have taken place, this brought additional pupils to the Enniskillen site. The Duke of Westminster High School in Kesh amalgamated in 2005 and in 2013 a further amalgamation took place as Lisnaskea High School joined Devenish College. 

Later this evening (Wednesday 30 January) prospective primary seven pupils and their families are invited to attend the school’s open night. At the event parents and pupils will have the opportunity to enjoy a virtual reality tour of the school as part of the 3D fly-through. 

The new multi-million pound school is set to include: 21 general classrooms, 8 ICT suites, 6 science labs, 3 art rooms including 3-D and ICT facilities, 2 home economics rooms, 3 technology and design workshops, a library, sixth form centre, careers and drama suite and a media suite which will include a mock TV studio and a fully functional music suite with recording studios. 

Sports accommodation will consist of a leisure centre style 4 court sports hall, fitness suite, 5 multi sports tennis courts with flood lighting, a synthetic pitch with floodlighting and 3 grass soccer and rugby pitches.