Down High School

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Down High School
Motto Floreat Dunum , Absque Labore Nihil
Type Grammar School
Headmaster Mr. W.P. Logan
Students 1080 (Approx.)
Location Mt. Crescent, BT30 6EU .[1],
Downpatrick, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Colours Green
Website www.downhighschoolni.org.uk

Contents

[edit] Down High School

Down High School is a controlled co-educational Grammar School located in Downpatrick, Co. Down, Northern Ireland. The school encompasses students from the ages of eleven to eighteen in the senior school -- of which there are, approximately, 900 pupils -- and also features a Preparatory Department of 130 students (Reception to Primary 7). There are roughly 200 pupils engaged in A-level study in the Sixth Form. KS1, KS2, 11+, KS3, GCSE and A-level results frequently place Down High School in the top 100 schools in the UK.[2]

[edit] History

The Gate House and stone walls surrounding the school were originally part of the County Gaol. The stone walls were lowered when the school was established. It was argued that removing the walls completely would allow fog from the nearby Quoile River to rise into school grounds. There were tunnels beneath the school and grounds (that now are sealed off) which were used to transport prisoners to and from the court house on English Street. Convicts sentenced to death would often be hanged in the main gateway in front of the school. The large granite gateway is a prominent feature of the Mount Crescent area, although lies unused.[3]

[edit] School Crest

The school's crest, designed by the late RWH Blackwood of Loughinisland near Downpatrick, is a reminder of another link with the past, dating back to the 12th Century. The design itself is based upon the supposed badge of John De Courcy, the Norman soldier who captured Downpatrick in 1177 and established himself as the ruler of the North East of Ireland. The colours of the crest are taken from the arms of Lady Elizabeth Cromwell (1674-1709), the daughter of Vere Essex Cromwell, 4th and last Earl of Ardglass and owner of the Downpatrick estate. She was wife of the Rt Hon Edward Southwell of King's Weston, Gloucestershire, MP for Kinsale and Principal Secretary of State for Ireland - a well known benefactor of the town.

The school's motto 'Floreat Dunum, Absque Labore Nihil' means 'May Down Flourish, nothing is achieved without effort'. 'Floreat Dunum' appears on the blazer badge of the school.[4]

[edit] School Houses

Students, upon entry into the secondary school, are placed in a specific house. They can be placed in either:
- "Down" (House colour: Purple.)
- "Lecale" (House colour: Blue)
- "Rathkelter" (House colour: Red.)
- "Mourne" (House colour: Green.)
- "Strangford." (House colour: White.)

[edit] Notable Alumni / Alumnae

[edit] Departments

The School consists of the following departments of education:[7]

Art, Business Studies, Biology, Careers, Chemistry, Drama, English, Geography, History, Home Economics, Learning for Life and Work, Maths, ICT, French, Music, Physics, PE, Politics, RS, Spanish, Technology, Sociology.

[edit] Staff

The current headmaster is Mr. W.P. Logan. The deputy headmaster is Mr. M. Smyth. The two vice-principals are Mr. Donnan (pastoral) and Mr. Thompson (curricular).[8]

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ Down High School Rugby Web Site
  2. ^ About Down High School.
  3. ^ Downpatrick Prisons.
  4. ^ History of the School Crest
  5. ^ Official 'Ash' website The author references Down Highs [sic] detention cue [sic].
  6. ^ Alister E. McGrath: Biography Second sentence.
  7. ^ Curriculum Information provided on the page 'Curriculum.'
  8. ^ Contacts Information provided on the page 'Contacts.'