Portadown College

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Portadown College is a state funded grammar school in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It has approximately 850 male and female students and its premises is currently on the Killicomaine Road in Portadown. Rated one of the top 3 grammar schools in Northern Ireland, and in the top 5% in the UK, students achieve well above the UK average in both GCSE and A Level examinations.

Its current Headteacher is Mrs. Deborah O'Hare, who is supported by two Vice Principals, and a number of Year Heads.

The school has a strong sporting tradition and is a Sportsmark school. Representative teams participate in Rugby, Boys and Girls Hockey, Netball, Football, Volleyball, Tennis and Athletics.

The School Rugby team compete annually in the Ulster Schools Cup whilst hockey teams enjoy success in the Belfast Telegraph Ulster Senior Schoolgirls Cup and McDowell Cup competitions. Portadown College hockey teams have won the Senior Schools Cup on 4 occasions^{[citation needed]}, the most recent being in 1996.

The Under 18 Boys Volleyball team are current Northern Ireland and All Ireland Champions.

Perhaps the school's most famous past pupil is the athlete Mary Peters.

[edit] History

The school was opened in 1924 at its original site at Edenderry House on the bank of the River Bann. In 1964, the school moved to its present site on the Killicomaine Road. Since its inception, the school has had 5 Headteachers:

Mr W J Warren (1924 - 1946)
Mr D W J Woodman (1946 - 1973)
Mr T H Armstrong (1973 - 1993)
Mr T W F Flannagan (1993 - 2006)
Mrs D O'Hare 2006 (incumbent)

In 2006 it was announced by the Education Minister that Portadown College would receive over £14 million for a new school on its current site^{[citation needed]}.