Antrim Grammar School
54°43′23″N 6°12′43″W / 54.723°N 6.212°W
"AGS" | |
| Motto | "Educating for Life" |
|---|---|
| Type | Grammar School |
| Established | 1974 |
| Principal | Mrs Jenny Lendrum, BA(Hons), MEd, PQH(NI), PGCE |
| Students | 750 |
| Address | Steeple Road, Antrim, Northern Ireland, BT41 1AF. , , |
| Website | www.antrimgrammar.org |
Antrim Grammar School is a grammar school in Northern Ireland. It is in County Antrim, in the North Eastern Region of the Education Authority. It is more commonly known by locals as "AGS". It has two neighboring schools, Parkhall Integrated College and the Steeple Nursery School.
History
Antrim Grammar School was founded in 1974 to address the growing need of an increasing population in the Antrim area.
In 2019 the school achieved its highest ever A-level results, an improvement on the previous year's, which were also record breaking.[1]
The school has had pupils be accepted into Oxford and Cambridge universities.[2]
Principals
| No. | Name | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mr Stanley Spence | 1974–1989 |
| 2 | Mr Jim Hunniford | 1989–2001 |
| 3 | Miss Janet Williamson | 2001–2006 |
| 4 | Mr Stephen Black | 2007–2014 |
| 5 | Mrs Hilary Woods | 2014–2017 |
| 6 | Mrs Jenny Lendrum | 2017–present |
International School
The school was accredited as an International School by the British Council.[3] Four schools in Northern Ireland were accredited in 2006; other NI schools had already been accredited over the previous several years. This award is presented to schools for their work in promoting international awareness among students and staff. Previously the school has won numerous awards including the CICA award in 1994.
The school regularly has Language Weeks where pupils from various cultures teach the rest of the pupils their chosen language. They also take many trips, including school visits to America, Iceland, Rome, Paris, Poland, Bolivia and South Africa. This work and its continuation helped to secure Antrim Grammar International School accreditation.
Modernisation
In September 2001, after several years of planning and preparation, a £7.5 million refurbishment and rebuilding programme commenced at Antrim Grammar School. The programme was completed in January 2004. There were several phases to the work undertaken by the NEELB, McCombe Brothers, Samuel Stevenson & Sons; and Williams & Shaw. After completion, every department now has access to Interactive whiteboards and Information Technology cluster areas.
The school now has a new multi-purpose Learning Resource Centre, with its computing and library facilities. The school also received a new lecture theatre.
In 2015, Parkhall College commenced construction on their new building and facilities.[4] Mainly completed in 2018, this included new pitches and a new entrance to the schools.[5] This affected Antrim Grammar and has made traffic in the school more organised, as well as providing a new car park for teachers and pupils. Antrim Grammar also shares joint access to some of the pitches.
Notable former pupils
- Mark Allen, professional snooker player, world rank no.11
- Ricky Whittle, English actor known for Hollyoaks and American Gods
References
- Janet Williamson, Head of AGS, 2004. "Rebuilding Programme" "School Ethos" Link to exam PDF results, and Prize day speech.
- ^ "Antrim Grammar School - Record Breaking A Level Results!". www.antrimgrammar.org. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
- ^ "Antrim Grammar School - Home". www.antrimgrammar.org. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ . 2016 https://michaelnugent.co.uk/2016/05/michael-nugent-secures-lucrative-school-contract/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "New year, new home for Parkhall Integrated College IEF". Integrated Education Fund. 5 January 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2019.