St Patrick's Grammar School, Downpatrick
Coordinates: 54°19′55″N 5°42′32″W / 54.332°N 5.709°W
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| Motto | Signum Fidei ("Sign of faith") |
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| Established | 1934 |
| Type | Grammar |
| Headmaster | Sean Sloan |
| Location | Saul Street Downpatrick Co. Down BT30 6NJ Northern Ireland |
| Students | 725 |
| Houses | Down, Killard, Lecale, Quoile |
| Colours | Maroon, yellow |
| Publication | Pulse |
| Website | www.spgs.org.uk |
St. Patrick's Grammar School is located in Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a grammar school owned by the De La Salle Brothers. It has an enrollment of around 725 students, with girls admitted at sixth form level. Pupils come from all over the East Down area. Working to support the ideals of this Lasallian School is a staff of 75 lay teachers. Recently, the school has been awarded the Investor In People award,[1] and has been named a specialist school in humanities by the Department of Education. [2]
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[edit] History
St Patrick's Grammar School was founded in 1934 and moved to its present site in 1937. Recently, the school celebrated its 75th anniversary. A new school building was built and opened in April 2011. The new building contains state of the art facilities including, a large music department and sports facilities that most professional clubs would be jealous of. The PE department includes a modern gym, two indoor sports halls and a 3rd genratio floodlit outdoor pitch which is useful for an outdoor sport.
[edit] School and community
The school, and its students, are closely involved in the local community with events such as the Advent Appeal, where both students and staff raise money and collect Christmas hampers for the local charity, St. Vincent de Paul. There is also a Lenten appeal which is normally for a specific project in India and other Third World countries.
The school is involved in many local, county, and national leagues in sports such as football, gaelic football, hurling and athletics.
[edit] School Houses
Upon entry to the school, students are placed in one of four houses. These are:
- Down (D)
- Killard(K)
- Lecale(L)
- Quoile(Q)
(Saul was a house, however it has been abolished in the junior school as a form class. Saul is now used as a class for Creative & Expressive studies in the junior school, and as the GCSE Performing Arts class in the Senior School.)
[edit] New School Building
After years of planning, the construction of the new school building commenced in the summer of 2009. The school is being consturcted on the "junior" playing fields, which can be seen on he Downpatrick skyline. Once completed, the previous school building will be demolished and the site converted into playing fields. The new school campus opened in April 2011.
[edit] Notable former pupils and staff
- Patrick Kielty, comedian[3]
- Maurice Hayes,the former Northern Ireland Ombudsman, Chairman of the Ireland Funds and Taoiseach-appointed Senator in Seanad Éireann, He served as town clerk of Downpatrick in the 1960s and was awarded European Person of the Year 2003[4]
- Eddie McGrady, MP and MLA
- Rigsy, (real name David O'Reilly), TV/radio broadcaster with the BBC and DJ.
- Gerry Kelly (broadcaster) TV and radio broadcaster
[edit] References
- ^ Minister encourages business improvement | Department for Employment and Learning
- ^ St Patrick's Grammar School, Downpatrick - Specialist Schools Award
- ^ "Paddy Kielty". Downpatrick Manchester United Supporters' Club. http://www.downpatrickmusc.co.uk/?page_id=37. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
- ^ "Board". Northern Ireland Screen. http://www.northernirelandscreen.co.uk/sections/52/board.aspx. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
[edit] External links
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