Antrim Grammar open day for P7 pupils

The school will be open from 9.15am to 12.15pm with presentations by the Principal, Mr Black, at 9.30am and 11am.

Tours of the school’s excellent facilities will be available lasting 45 minutes to an hour.

During Open Day, there will be opportunities to take part in practical sessions across sciences, languages and humanities demonstrating the school’s full range of subjects and learning opportunities. A wide range of extra-curricular activities will also be on show, from hockey and rugby to public speaking and dance to name just a few.

Mr Black is enthusiastic about all that Antrim Grammar School has to offer potential pupils from Antrim and the Greater Antrim Area. The school has a deserved reputation for academic excellence and the quality of work going on in the school has been recognised in recent years through its selection by The Sunday Times as the Northern Ireland Post Primary School of the Year for 2007 and by the Education and Training Inspectorate during a standard inspection of the school in October 2008. This report highlighted the high standards achieved by pupils and the quality of teaching within the school concluding that “in the areas inspected, the quality of education provided by this organisation is very good”. Further recognition for Antrim Grammar School has come this year in its designation as a Specialist School for Mathematics and Computing, in the face of considerable competition across the Province.

The newly refurbished school, with interactive whiteboards in every classroom, provides all pupils with a modern, inviting and stimulating school environment. This environment is to be further enhanced through the creation of a Digital Creativity Suite, a state of the art ICT facility, which is currently under construction.

The school has a strong academic ethos yet offers a modern curriculum geared to the interests and abilities of its students and to the demands of the 21st Century. A wide range of subjects is offered at GCSE and at A Llevel both in school and in collaboration with NRC. Students regularly receive top three places in Northern Ireland in external examinations and are successful in gaining places in highly competitive courses at respected universities including Oxford and Cambridge.

Antrim Grammar School also seeks to broaden its pupils’ horizons. The School was recently re-awarded the prestigious British Council’s International School Award (ISA). This recognises the extensive international links the school has cultivated, taking part in over 30 projects which have an international dimension and establishing links with schools and other organisations throughout the world.

The commitment to excellence is also evident in the pastoral care of pupils. The school values relationships and provides a safe, caring and creative environment, in which education can be enjoyed and young people can achieve their potential. This was also noted by the inspection team who highlighted “the outstanding provision for pastoral care”. One important aspect of this provision is the well established “Buddy” system in which older pupils support younger pupils, particularly during their transition from primary to post-primary education.

Excellent relationships which exist between staff, pupils, parents and the greater community are central to the success of Antrim Grammar School. It is this strong sense of community and the emphasis on academic excellence that strikes many visitors to the school.

The Principal, staff, pupils, parents and Board of Governors of Antrim Grammar School look forward to seeing you on Saturday, January 23 and are confident that you will see a successful, progressive grammar school committed to equipping our young people to meet the needs of an ever-changing society.