All Children Together is a group in Northern Ireland hoping to break down religious divides by educating children together.
The pupils of Lagan College met each other for the first time at a picnic held near Belfast over the weekend. The event was only partly for the benefit of the children as parents and teachers wanted the media out of their hair for the first day of school.
School organisers had hoped to have about sixty children start this year. However, only thirty children have been enrolled.
One of the organisers says that the school will give protestant and catholic children the opportunity to get an insight into each other's religious beliefs.
They grow up as friends and those friendships last.
He believes that if this approach to education was adopted on a larger scale, it could go some way to solving some of the problems in Northern Ireland.
One parent describes some of the challenges and risks involved in deciding to send your child to an integrated school. She is confident that by next year, the school will be inundated with requests to enrol.
The Lagan College will require fundraising to keep it running until it becomes eligible for State aid in three years' time.
All Children Together believe that the school will prove that a substantial number of parents from the North agree with their message that the school can break down religious barriers.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 1 September 1981. The reporter is Cathal Mac Coille.
