Dundonald High School Dundonald princeps schola | |
---|---|
![]() School badge | |
Address | |
![]() | |
764 Upper Newtownards Road, BT16 1TH , , Northern Ireland | |
Coordinates | 54°35′48″N5°47′25″W / 54.5966°N 5.7904°W |
Information | |
Other names | DHS The High School Dundonald |
Former name | Dundonald Boys' High School |
School type | Post-Primary Government Controlled Secondary School |
Motto | Absque Labore Nihil (Latin) (Nothing Without Labor) |
Religious affiliation(s) | Mixed |
Denomination | Multi |
Established | 1970s |
Status | Open |
Sister school | Dundonald Girl's High School (Merged) |
School district | Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council |
Authority |
|
School number | 4210262 |
Principal | Ken Perry |
Years | 8-12 |
Gender | Mixed |
Age range | 11 - 17 |
Enrollment | 600 (approx) |
International students | Yes |
Education system | CCEA |
Classes offered | Level 1 - Level 2 Qualifications |
Language | English |
Schedule | Monday - Friday |
Hours in school day | 6-7 |
Campuses | A, B, C + D block |
Campus size | Total distance: 1.34 km (4,390.14 ft) |
Area | Total area: 103,255.71 m² (1,111,435.16 ft² |
Campus type | Block System |
Student Union/Association | National Union of Students-Union of Students in Ireland (NUS-USI) |
Colour(s) | Black, maroon, grey |
Slogan | "A caring school at the heart of the community" |
Song | "Run" by Snow Patrol |
Athletics | Yes |
Sports | |
Newspaper | DHS Newsletter |
Key products | Community Servicing |
Endowment | Dundonald Foodbank |
Budget | Set by EA |
School fees | N/A - Government Funded / Optional School Funds by parents annually |
Communities served | Dundonald, Newtownards, Comber, Bangor, Belfast |
Website | dundonaldhigh |
Dundonald High School is a controlled co-educational secondary school [1] located in Dundonald, a suburb of Belfast in Northern Ireland. The school opened in the early-1970s and offers education to 11 to 16-year-olds. [2] [3] [4]
Students come from the Dundonald area, Bangor, Newtownards, Holywood, Comber, Gilnahirk and Belfast. [5] Students of all ethnic, religious backgrounds and country origins are welcomed, with students from countries such as Portugal, Hungary, Bangladesh and Estonia have attended the school. [6]
The school badge is similar to the County Down coat of arms with the motto "Absque Labore Nihil" which translates to "Nothing Without Labour" in Latin. [7] The school is run under the South Eastern Education and Library Board (SEELB). [8]
The school is located on the Upper Newtownards Road. The River Enler runs beside the school. [9] Dundonald High School is partnered with Presentation College Headford, in County Galway, Ireland. [10]
The school offers a wide range of subjects that include: English, mathematics, home economics, music, technology, art and design, French, Spanish, geography, history, OCN Well-being, Prince's Trust, learning for life and work, science, horticulture, business studies, physical education and information and communications technology. These subjects (excluding compulsory English, maths and science) are made available to Key Stage 4 level students to choose from. Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) is the qualification framework used. The GCSE-level or level 1 and 2 qualifications are awarded from CCEA, Edexcel, Essential Skills, Key Skills, AQA, BTEC and Open College Network (OCN) education boards. [11] [12] Extra qualification and learning events come from Young Enterprise. [13]
The high school runs an annual celebration of success programme, awarding students for their efforts and achievements throughout the school year. [14] [15] The programme exhibits a range of musical performances throughout. Parents and special guests attend, such as local primary principals, volunteers and community workers. [14]
In the 20th century, Dundonald saw two separate high schools, Dundonald girls high school and Dundonald boys high school. After many decades the two schools amalgamated into one mixed-gender school in 1990 in hopes of attracting more pupils.
In 2012, Sinn Féin member John O'Dowd made a proposal to close Dundonald High School, as well as the proposal to close Orangefield High School, due to low pupil numbers and for financial reasons. [16] [17] The community of Dundonald, students, parents and school staff fought hard for two years to keep the school open. [18] [19] UUP party leader Mike Nesbitt fought to keep Dundonald High School open. [20] In 2014, Orangefield closed permanently, with the overwhelming decision in Stormont that Dundonald High School would remain open. [21] [22] The acting principal, Ken Perry was strongly proud and thankful for the final decision. Mr. Perry was a past pupil of the school who went on to become the full-time principal of Dundonald High School. [18] His main aim was to increase the number of students within the school. [23] Enrollment numbers began to rise, with a maximum 100 pupils entering year 8 in 2016. Along with this, saw the GCSE grades rise to record-breaking heights for the school.
In 2015, the Dundonald High School Bowls team were Runners-up in the Irish Bowls Federation Competition. In November, the Senior Girls' Rugby team won the Castlereagh and Lisburn Rugby Blitz competition at Lisnagarvey playing fields. [24]
In 2016, the school was refurbished and modernised and saw the introduction of educational iPads. [25]
In 2015, the school introduced a house system where pupils were put into one of three houses, in which are named after genera of plants. [26] These have been planted at the school gates by school students along with DUP MLA's including Gavin Robinson. Students can earn points for their respective house based on strong attendance and valiant work efforts and contributions to the school. The awards include prizes and school trips. [27] The houses are represented in teams on events such as sports day and rounders day in which they collect points for their house. The three houses are:
House | House colour |
---|---|
Rowan | Green |
Willow | Red |
Juniper | Yellow |
Translink is the brand name of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHCo), a public corporation in Northern Ireland which provides the public transport in the region. NI Railways, Ulsterbus and Metro are all part of Translink. It is led by CEO Chris Conway.
Union Theological College is the theological college for the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and is situated in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is governed by the Council for Training in Ministry. It has been responsible for training people for ministry in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and also runs courses open to the wider public, including distance learning courses offered through BibleMesh.
Ulsterbus is a public transport operator in Northern Ireland and operates bus services outside Belfast. It is part of Translink, the brand name for the subsidiary operating companies of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company, which also includes Northern Ireland Railways and Metro Belfast.
Methodist College Belfast (MCB), locally known as Methody, is a co-educational voluntary grammar school in Belfast, located at the foot of the Malone Road, Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1865 by the Methodist Church in Ireland and is one of eight Northern Irish schools represented on the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. It is also a member of the Independent Schools Council and the Governing Bodies Association.
Dundonald is a large settlement and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies east of Belfast and is often considered a suburb of the city. It is home to the Ulster Hospital, Dundonald International Ice Bowl, Dundonald Omnipark, has a Park and Ride facility for the Glider, access to the Comber Greenway and several housing developments. John de Courcey established a keep including a motte-and-bailey in the 12th century. This is known as Moat Park and can be accessed from Church Green, Comber Road and the Upper Newtownards Road.
Lagan College is an integrated secondary school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It holds a total of around 1540 students. It was formed in 1981 as the first integrated school in Northern Ireland and contains students of mainly Roman Catholic and Protestant faiths, however students from other faiths also attend the school.
The Christian Brothers Grammar School, Omagh is a boys grammar school in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the largest grammar school in Omagh. It is under the trusteeship of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust (NI).
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.
Orangefield High School was a secondary school in east Belfast, Northern Ireland. Formerly Orangefield Boys' Secondary School and Orangefield Girls' Secondary School, it became coeducational before it closed in 2014.
Richard James Shannon is a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician in Northern Ireland. He has sat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom since 2010 as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Strangford. He had previously sat in the Northern Ireland Assembly from 1998 to 2010 as the Member of the Legislative Assembly of Northern Ireland (MLA) for Strangford. He is an advocate for Leave Means Leave, a pro-Brexit campaign.
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.
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.
Presentation College Headford is a secondary school for boys and girls in Headford, County Galway in Ireland. The school serves the town of Headford and its hinterland. It is partnered with Dundonald High School, Belfast, in Northern Ireland.
Movilla High School is a controlled, co-educational, secondary school with a five form entry situated on the Donaghadee Road in Newtownards, Northern Ireland. Mr Ian G Bell is principal.
Clarawood is a housing estate in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is located in the east of the city and incorporates the neighbouring Richhill development. Its name is probably derived from An Chlárach. It is located off Knock Road (A55).
Orangefield Old Boys is a Northern Irish, intermediate football club playing in Division 1A of the Northern Amateur Football League. The club is based in Belfast, and was formed in 1966 by members of the Orangefield Old Boys' Association, made up of former pupils of Orangefield High School. It shares a ground with Cregagh Cricket Club. The club plays in the Irish CupThe 2021/22 top goal scorer was Owen Getty.