Ballyclare High School
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| Ballyclare High School | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland |
|
| Information | |
| School district | NEELB |
| Head of school | D. A. Knox |
| Enrollment |
1210 |
| Type | Grammar school |
| Motto | Industria et Probitate |
| Colour(s) | Navy and red |
Ballyclare High School is a co-educational, non-denominational grammar school in Ballyclare, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. There are approximately 1,200 pupils at the school, taught by around 80 teachers. It was opened in the 1890s in the village of Doagh, a few miles south-west of Ballyclare. 1904 saw a move to Ballyclare itself, and in 1930, the school finally moved to its current premises on the Rashee Road in the town. In 2006, the school was awarded formal recognition as an Investor in People[1].
Contents |
[edit] Academic Matters
Ballyclare High prides itself on high academic standards, and is featured in the times top 500 schools at both GCSE[2] and A-Level[3] in 2006. In the 2004/2005 academic year, 71% of A Level grades were As or Bs. 83% of A Level students achieved 3+ A - C grades[citation needed]. During the same period, 91% of GCSE pupils achieved 7 or more A* - C grades[citation needed].
Due to the school's size, it can afford to offer a large range of academic subjects. Alongside traditional academic disciplines, the school also teaches more socially useful subjects such as life skills, European and civic/political awareness, citizenship and health education. In some cases, these subjects are blended in with pertinent traditional classes, but some have their own separate teaching time.
Pupils from Form 1/Year 8 to Form 3/Year 10 obligatorily study English, Mathematics, History, Geography, Science, Technology, IT, Home Economics, French, German (French or German can be substituted for Spanish in Form 3), Physical Education, Religious Education Art and Drama. At GCSE, pupils choose 7 - 10 subjects; English, Maths, R.E (short course), a language and two sciences (technology, biology, physicis and chemistry) are compulsory. Pupils can then choose from Art, History, Geography, Business Studies, H.E, P.E, Add Maths, English Lit, Child Development, Full Course R.E. Subjects not previously offered that can be taken at GCSE include Drama and Journalism.
Those joining or returning to sixth form at the school take usually four AS Levels in their lower sixth year. Excepting timetable clashes, pupils can choose any four subjects they wish. At the end of the lower sixth year, pupils usually keep on three subjects to A2 Level (see Advanced Level (UK)#Curriculum 2000), though many keep on all four. Extra subjects offered only at A Level include Government and Politics and Media Studies. Additionally, for the last hour on Thursday afternoons, the entire sixth form indulges in the school's "Thursday Options" programme, which enables pupils to undertake short, mostly recreational courses in a range of subjects including some languages (Gaelic, Japanese, Russian and sign language), first aid and Young Enterprise.
[edit] Extra-Curricular Activities
The school is proud of, and is well known for, its devotion to music, especially in the form of light opera, choral choirs and a large orchestra[citation needed]. Every year, the school runs two carol services at Christmas which have become so popular that in 2005 the event had to run four times (twice in one day x 2). In April, there is an annual spring concert and every autumn, the school runs its perennial opera (usually productions from Gilbert and Sullivan which have included Iolanthe and The Mikado). The chamber choir frequently performs outside the school walls and has traditionally been very successful. Entry to the chamber choir is limited to elite singers from fourth form upwards, but junior (first to third form) and senior (fourth form upwards) choirs exist for anyone interested in singing and performing in the school's various musical events. Since the Millennium Concert (see below), a past pupils choir ("The Old Ballyclarians Choir") has also existed. This was originally conducted by John Dallas, a long-term music teacher, but upon his retirement, past pupil soprano Sheelagh Greer, who has made her career in music and singing, took over.
The choirs and orchestra have performed three times to date (2006) in Belfast's Waterfront Hall - once for the turn of the Millennium (2000), once for the school's centenary (2003) and once in tribute to the retiring John Dallas (2006).
As well as its musical focus, Ballyclare High boasts a wide range and large number of extracurricular sports and activities. As well as fairly common activities such as rugby union and debating, the school also runs less common clubs such as outdoor pursuits (mostly, but not completely, involving water sports) and jazz and blues.
In rugby, Ballyclare has won the Ulster Schools Cup once, in 1973. In 2008 they made it through to the semi-finals.
There is a 'house' system in place, which mainly relates to internal sports. Four houses exist: Aiken, Brann, Dixon and Russell. However, the High School tends to attach less importance to this system than some other schools.
[edit] Uniform
A uniform is compulsory at the High School, and what one wears depends mostly on what stage they are at in their school life. All pupils wear a blazer - black for boys and navy for girls - with the school logo emblazoned on a pocket on the left. There are exceptions to this rule; those who have excelled in sport can be awarded a specific emblem for their blazer pocket (an "honours pocket"), and those who are especially outstanding in sport (or, in rare cases, debating) may be awarded an "honours blazer" - this is a red blazer with an honours pocket and is gender-neutral. Such awards are rare below sixth form, but it is possible to see them on pupils as young as 15 (fourth form).
These exceptions aside, girls in the junior school (first to third year) wear a navy a-line skirt. In winter, navy v-neck sweaters are permitted as are tights - ankle-high white socks must be worn at other times. In the case of junior boys, black trousers must be worn and during winter black v-neck sweaters are permitted.
Girls in the senior school must wear grey pleated skirts and senior boys can wear dark grey trousers (though black ones are still permitted).
Ties must be worn for all pupils: in first to fifth year, ties are diagonal stripes of the school's colours, red and navy. In lower sixth, pupils wear a tie that is mostly navy with intermittent and thin red stripes as well as a representation of the Ballyclare mill that can be seen in the High School's emblem. In upper sixth, the tie is different again - it is similar to the first to fifth form tie except the red is brighter and the mill from school emblem is emblazoned on it in the same manner as the lower sixth tie.
There are rules governing shoes, coats, jewellery and other accessories. Red and navy striped school scarfs are, in theory, the only scarfs permitted, though lower and upper sixths who have been involved in the School Aid Romania programme are allowed to wear their red, blue, green and yellow SAR scarves.
[edit] Facilities
For decades, the school got by with too few classrooms. The construction phases of the 1930s, 1950s and 1960s added new facilities but did not keep up with the growth in the numbers of students. Temporary buildings ("The Huts"), borrowed premises, and repurposed gymnasiums (with multiple classes in the same hall) were used for classroom instruction for many years.
However, since the 1980s, major construction and renovation have taken place, greatly expanding the available space and upgrading the infrastructure.
In the last number of years, the school has gone through a number of technological and architectural changes. A new sixth form resource centre has recently been opened, as has a completely revamped version of the school's Williams Library. Ballyclare High has a number of extensive computer suites, that can either be booked by teachers for classes or used - at break, lunch, or during sixth formers' free periods - for private, independent learning and recreation. The High School also piloted Northern Ireland's paperless exams, demonstrating its commitment to technological development. In March 2006, its application for funding to be a specialist school in information technology was accepted by the Department for Employment and Learning[citation needed]. The school has had Smart Boards installed in every classroom (except several small rooms). This enables teachers and pupils to display and interact with a computer. This could be a game, a quiz or a DVD.
[edit] Past Pupils
| Name | Career | Years of Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| Andy Cairns | Lead vocalist and guitarist in rock band Therapy?. | |
| Stephen Boyd[4] | Hollywood actor (attended under birth name Billy Millar). | 1940s |
| Gary Longwell | Ulster rugby player, second row. | |
| Colin Fleming | Principal flautist with the Ulster Orchestra and former conductor of the Ballyclare Victoria Flute Band. | 1970s |
| Michael Broers[5] | An historian specialising in France and Italy in the Napoleonic period | 1969 - 1973 |
| Dick Strawbridge | TV presenter, inventor, retired Army officer, and owner of one of the world's most distinctive moustaches. | 1970s |
| Kristyn Getty | Christian singer-song writer. | |
| Stafford Houston | root | |
| Thomas Chesney Hawkes[6] | An academic who has published reports on Wikipedia's reliability (see Wikipedia:Wikipedia in academic studies) |
[edit] School Leadership
Principals:
- 1902-1923 Catherine Aiken
- 1923-1939 Arthur Fowweather
- 1939-1966 Mr Russell
- 1966-1970 Joseph Williams
- 1970-1971 Herbert Mudd (acting)
- 1971-1990 Mr G C G Millar
- 1990-2000 Robert FitzPatrick
- 2000-pres. David Knox
The current (2007) principal is David Knox, who has had a long and respected career as an English teacher, including a tenure at Ballymena's Cambridge House Grammar School. Knox took up his post as Headmaster of Ballyclare High in 2000. Vice principals are Maureen Stewart (who teaches History and provides careers advice) and Wilbert Hollinger (who is a Biology teacher, involved with the school's branch of the Boy Scouts and Young Enterprise). Both of these individuals have taught at the school for many years.
Richard Wallace, another Vice Principal who taught IT and who has positions in industry and examining boards, has recently retired.
[edit] Sources
- ^ Delni.gov.uk 2006 investors in people awards. Retrieved on 2007-09-14.
- ^ The Times Top 500 Schools at GCSE. Retrieved on 2007-09-14.
- ^ The Times Top 500 Schools at A-Level. Retrieved on 2007-09-14.
- ^ Stephen Boyd Biography. Retrieved on 2007-05-18.
- ^ Michael Broers Profile. Retrieved on 2007-05-18.
- ^ Nottingham University Business School staff. Retrieved on 2007-08-06.
