| Antrim Grammar School | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Tolerance and Development |
| Established | 1974 |
| Type | Grammar school |
| Principal | Mr Stephen Black |
| Students | 750 |
| Location | Antrim, Northern Ireland |
| Website | www.antrimgrammar.org |
Antrim Grammar School is the newest grammar school in Northern Ireland. It is situated in County Antrim, within the North Eastern Education and Library Board (NEELB) area.
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Antrim Grammar School was founded in 1974 to address the growing need of an increasing population in the Antrim area.
The school was accredited as an International School by the British Council [1]. Four schools in Northern Ireland were accredited in 2006 although a number of other NI schools had already been accredited over the previous several years. This award is presented to schools for their work in promoting international awareness among students and staff. Previously the school has won numerous awards including the CICA award in 1994.
The school regularly has Language Weeks where pupils from various cultures teach the rest of the pupils their chosen language. They also take many trips, including school visits to America, Iceland, Rome, Paris, Poland, Bolivia and South Africa. This work and its continuation helped to secure Antrim Grammar International School accreditation.
In recent years, Antrim Grammar has had contact with World Challenge , a company specialising in taking young people on treks throughout the world. The first expedition from Antrim Grammar, was a 4 week trek in Bolivia during July/August 2006. There are plans for another trip, this time heading to Vietnam in 2009.
In 2008, The Sunday Times named Antrim Grammar School as the number one post-primary school in Northern Ireland . It was voted the best state school of the year 2009.
In September 2001, after several years of planning and preparation, a £7.5 million refurbishment and rebuilding programme commenced at Antrim Grammar School. The program was completed in January 2004. There were several phases to the work undertaken by the NEELB, McCombe Brothers, Samuel Stevenson & Sons; and Williams & Shaw. Thanks to this upgrade, every department now has access to Interactive whiteboards and Information Technology cluster areas , which make the learning experience a lot more enjoyable.
The school now has a new multi-purpose Learning Resource Centre, with its computing and library facilities. The Lecture Theatre, English and Maths classrooms are equipped with interactive whiteboards and computers. Home Economics and Art enjoy spacious, specialist teaching areas with extra study areas for Sixth Form.
The original building has been refurbished and modernised. The music department has its own recording studio with specialist equipment and resources. The Science rooms have been upgraded and computer access is available in every classroom.
The Sports Centre has opened in Autumn 2003, with its sports hall and a multi-gym.
The school's playing fields include three rugby union pitches, two cricket squares, three all-weather hockey pitches, a 400-metre running track and four tennis courts, the school also has a new sports hall facility.
Antrim Grammar has built up a reputation as a sporting school. Summer 2007 saw the first rugby tour to South Africa, where members of senior teams were able to play matches with South African schools. There have been other rugby tours to Rome, Italy and to Scotland and they are planning a joint rugby and hockey trip, again to South Africa. Girls rugby has been recently introduced to the school, to much success. The girls team reached the final of the Schools Trophy, playing their match at Ravenhill, prior to an Ulster match.
The school has a number of values and aims[2] it intends to uphold;
Educating for life (valuing learning)
Developing a sense of community (valuing others)