Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School

Last updated

Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School
Aquinas Grammar School Logo.jpg
Address
Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School
518 Ravenhill Road

,
BT6 OBY

Information
TypeGrammar School
MottoVeritas Liberabit
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic
Established1993
ClosedJuly - August
Local authority Education Authority (Belfast)
PrincipalMarie Dowling
ChaplainColin Grant
Staff~100
Gender Coeducational
Age11to 18
Enrolment770
Colour(s)   
Sports Basketball, Gaelic football, hockey, netball, rugby, soccer, swimming, tennis
School YearsYear 8 - Year 14
Website http://aquinasgrammar.com/

Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School is a co-educational Catholic Maintained grammar school situated on the Ravenhill Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It teaches a range of subjects. Its main education board of choice is CCEA, but the school also uses AQA and Edexcel for certain subjects. [1]

Contents

History

Aquinas was established by the Diocese of Down and Connor as a co-educational voluntary Grammar School. It admitted the first 110 pupils in September 1993. The current building for which the school occupies finished construction in January 2003. [2]

Motto and crest

The school's motto is Veritas Liberabit which is Latin for "The truth will set you free". The school crest is a circle half-surrounded by a 'mane' (representing the Evangelist Mark), and inside the circle in one half there is half of an ox (symbolising St Thomas Aquinas) and the symbol of the lamb and the keys.

Academics

It teaches a range of subjects. Its main education board of choice is CCEA, but the school also uses AQA and Edexcel for certain subjects.

In 2018 it was ranked joint first in Northern Ireland for its GCSE performance with 100% of its entrants receiving five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C, including the core subjects English and Maths. [3]

In 2019 the school was ranked 11th out of 159 secondary schools in Northern Ireland with 88.4% of its A-level students who entered the exams in 2017/18 being awarded three A*-C grades. [4]

In 2022 the school was ranked 2nd out of the top 10 performing schools in Northern Ireland and ranked 35th state and independent school in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in Parent Power, The Sunday Times Schools Guide 2023. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GCSE</span> British public examinations, generally taken aged 15-16

The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. However private schools in Scotland often choose to follow the English GCSE system.

The Advanced Extension Awards are a type of school-leaving qualification in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, usually taken in the final year of schooling, and designed to allow students to "demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills to the full". Currently, it is only available for Mathematics and offered by the exam board Edexcel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment</span> Educational body in Northern Ireland

The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment (CCEA) is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) of the Department of Education. Its function and purpose is described in Part VIII of the Education (NI) Order 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International General Certificate of Secondary Education</span> English language based academic qualification

The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is an English language based secondary qualification similar to the GCSE and is recognised in the United Kingdom as being equivalent to the GCSE for the purposes of recognising prior attainment. It was developed by Cambridge Assessment International Education. The examination boards Edexcel, Learning Resource Network (LRN), and Oxford AQA also offer their own versions of International GCSEs. Students normally begin studying the syllabus at the beginning of Year 10 and take the test at the end of Year 11. However, in some international schools, students can begin studying the syllabus at the beginning of Year 9 and take the test at the end of Year 10.

St Dominic's Grammar School for Girls, formerly St Dominic's High School, is a Catholic grammar school for girls aged 11–18, in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Dominican College a Catholic grammar all-girls school in Fortwilliam Park, north Belfast, Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Priory Integrated College</span> Integrated secondary school in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland

Priory Integrated College or more commonly known as Priory College or simply Priory is a secondary school located on My Lady's Mile, in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A-level</span> British educational certification

The A-level is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational authorities of British Crown dependencies to students completing secondary or pre-university education. They were introduced in England and Wales in 1951 to replace the Higher School Certificate. The A-level permits students to have potential access to a chosen university they applied to with UCAS points. They could be accepted into it should they meet the requirements of the university.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lumen Christi College, Derry</span> Grammar school in Derry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland

Lumen Christi College is a co-educational Catholic grammar school in Bishop Street, Derry, Northern Ireland. The school was founded in September 1997 and is located at the site of the old St Columb's College. The school is made up of just over 840 students and 50 teachers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady and St Patrick's College, Knock</span> Grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Our Lady and St Patrick's College, Knock, known locally as Knock or OLSPCK, is a Catholic diocesan grammar school in Knock in the east of Belfast in Northern Ireland. The school, with an expanding enrolment, announced in late 2019 it anticipated future enrolment of 1,330.

Saint Catherine's College Armagh is an all level Catholic school in Armagh, Northern Ireland. It caters for the 11-18 age group and is associated with the international group of schools served by the Society of the Sacred Heart.

Examination boards in the United Kingdom are the examination boards responsible for setting and awarding secondary education level qualifications, such as GCSEs, Standard Grades, A Levels, Highers and vocational qualifications, to students in the United Kingdom.

The General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level, or A level, is a main school leaving qualification in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It is available as an alternative qualification in other countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loreto Grammar School, Omagh</span> Grammar school in Northern Ireland

Loreto Grammar School is a convent grammar school for girls in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The teaching age range is 11–18

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Louis Grammar School, Kilkeel</span> Voluntary grammar school in Kilkeel, County Down, Northern Ireland

St Louis Grammar School, Kilkeel is a Roman Catholic secondary school located in Kilkeel, County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a co-educational school for pupils aged 11 to 18, with about 700 pupils enrolled.

The Entry Level Certificate (ELC) is a qualification offered in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It lies at Entry Level of the National Qualifications Framework, pitching it just below GCSE level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loreto College, Coleraine</span> Grammar school in Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland

Loreto College is a Roman Catholic grammar school situated in the Castlerock Road area of Coleraine, County Londonderry, on the north coast of Northern Ireland. Loreto College educates both girls and boys between the age of 11 and 18.

Additional Mathematics is a qualification in mathematics, commonly taken by students in high-school. It features a range of problems set out in a different format and wider content to the standard Mathematics at the same level.

St Louis Grammar School is a school in Ballymena, Northern Ireland.

Cross & Passion College, Ballycastle is a co-educational secondary school in Ballycastle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It contains over 750 pupils and over 50 members of staff. It has about 45 classrooms a cafeteria a sports hall a gym and an assembly hall. It also has a handball area, tennis courts, a gravel pitch and a grass pitch. They have a hurling team, camogie team, football team and a netball team

References

  1. "Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School". Education Authority. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  2. "Project profile: Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School" (PDF). Michael Nugent mechanical & electrical services.
  3. "Belfast Telegraph GCSE 2018". Belfasttelegraph. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  4. "Belfast Telegraph A-Level: Northern Ireland School League Tables 2019". Belfasttelegraph. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  5. "St Mary's Magherafelt tops Sunday Times' school table". Belfasttelegraph.co.uk.

54°34′38.32″N6°05′16.66″W / 54.5773111°N 6.0879611°W / 54.5773111; -6.0879611