| Motto | Signum Fidei (Sign of Faith) |
|---|---|
| Religion | Catholic |
| Principal | Ms Pat McGuckian |
| Chairman | Mr B Hughes |
| Location | Middletown Road Keady Co. Armagh BT60 3TH Northern Ireland |
| Staff | 68 |
| Students | 1045 |
| Gender | Male and Female |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Colours | Maroon and Blue |
| Website | www.stpatrickskeady.co.uk |
St Patrick's High School is a Roman Catholic non-selective, all ablity and all inclusive secondary school situated outside Armagh City.[1] It does away with the outdated separation of pupils at 11+ and teaches boys and girls of all abilities, from the high academic achiever to the child with learning difficulties. The school recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. The school was established in 1970 to serve the young people of Derrynoose, Keady, Madden, Ballymacnab, Granemore, Clady and Middletown. St Patrick's now also has students from Armagh and Monaghan.
The school aims to provide children with a secure, caring, Christian and happy environment where high standards of learning, discipline and personal integrity can be achieved, and where all pupils are given opportunities to develop their mental and physical, oral and social ability.
The school has grown dramatically since 1970 when it had 450 pupils and 22 teachers to its present enrolment of 1045 pupils (including 240 Sixth Form pupils) and 68 teachers. In September 1999 we moved into a completely new purpose-built school with the most up-to-date facilities in Ireland which include a 500 square assembly hall and sports hall, sixth form suite, pavilions for Careers, Music and Drama, Lecture Theatre, Oratory and purpose-built accommodation for all Areas of Study and excellent outdoor facilities. These have been further enhanced with the completion of the Keady Recreation Centre. As part of this innovative ‘Dual Use Scheme’ with Armagh City and District Council, the school now has use of a state-of-the-art synthetic pitch with floodlighting, a new four changing room pavilion with meeting room, a new grass pitch and a two floor fitness suite.
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Mr Patrick McAleavey[2] retired in September 2010 after over forty years of outstanding services to St Patrick's. Ten of those years Mr McAleavy was a teacher and for the further thirty years he was principal, transforming it from a small rural secondary school to one of the top five all-ablity secondary schools in Northern Ireland. Mr McAleavy was there when the school was first formed in 1970 and he has laid the foundations for future generations.
The current principal is Ms Pat McGuckian. She was appointed as new principal in April 2011. Ms McGuckian was previously the vice-principal of St Malachy's College Belfast. Ms McGuckian wants to continue the outstanding excellence of St Patrick's. She also wants to celebrate the past and current successful achievements of St Patrick's. Ms McGuickan is focused on 'Excellence everyday for every child'.
St Patrick's has always succeeded in the sporting field from all sports and from all different age ranges, including;
Students at Key Stage Three in St Patrick's are offered a wide range of subjects including, English, Maths, Science, Religion, Geography, History, Irish, French, Technology and Design, Art and Design, Physical Education (P.E.), I.C.T., Music, Drama, Citizenship, Employability, Home Economics, Personal Health and Social Education (PSHE). In addition to the subjects above students in Key Stage Four are also offered, English Language and English Literature, Road Traffic Studies (R.T.S.), Learning for Work and Life (L.L.W.), Double Award Art and Design, Single and Double Award Science, Health and Social Care, Child Development, Business Stuides, Exam P.E., Construction, Business and Communication Systems, Sociology and Occupational Studies (VEP). Finally at A-level St Patrick's also offers on top of the above subjects; Applied Business Studies, Double Award Applied Business Studies, Biology, Chemstry, Physics, Travel and Tourism, Moving Image Art, Economics, Key Skills (Communication, Application of Number and ICT) and Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (COPE).