Children left shaken after primary school ceiling collapse

The incident happened at about 11am today while P4/5 pupils were being taught at Killyleagh Integrated School.

The collapse, which is believed to have been caused by damp from a leaking pipe, left a three square metre hole in the ceiling.

A number of pupils were left shaken by the incident, but there were no injuries.

Strangford MLA Kellie Armstrong – who visited the school last week to help celebrate its new status as an integrated primary – said she was “stunned” by the incident.

The Alliance representative added: “This could have been a horrendous incident that led to injuries or even worse if the collapse took place even a matter of inches from where it did. To think something like this happened while pupils sat underneath the ceiling doesn’t bear thinking about.

“I understand staff at the school have been raising maintenance issues with the Education Authority for some time and hope this incident is a wake-up call for getting repairs carried out immediately, so there is no repeat.”