Belfast High School

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Voluntary grammar school in Newtownabbey, County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Belfast High School

Address

740 Shore Road, Jordanstown

Newtownabbey

County Antrim

BT37 0PX

Northern Ireland

Coordinates| 54°41′12″N 5°52′36″W﻿ / ﻿54.68678302189467°N 5.876565727605159°W﻿ / 54.68678302189467; -5.876565727605159
Information
Other name| BHS
Type| Voluntary grammar school
Established| 1854 (1854)
Founder| John Pyper
Local authority| Education Authority
Principal| Charlotte Weir[1]
Gender| Co-educational
Houses|

*   Boyd
*   Pyper
*   Storey
*   Watson

Colour(s)| Blue and Yellow
Website| www.belfasthigh.org.uk

Belfast High School (BHS) is a co-educational voluntary grammar school in Jordanstown, Newtownabbey, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.[2] It was established in 1854 and is within the North Eastern Region of the Education Authority.

In May 2007, it was awarded Specialist Status in Languages[3] and in March 2012, it has been recognised as one of only six post-primary schools in Northern Ireland to be in the top 10% for performance at both GCSE and A-level.[4]

## History

[edit]

The institution now known as Belfast High School opened in 1854. In 1874, it moved to new premises at Glenravel Street, Belfast. Since the school was founded, there have been 7 head teachers:

* (1854–1867) John Pyper, who established the school as Pyper Academy, before changing its name to the Belfast Mercantile Academy shortly thereafter.
* (1867–1917) James Pyper, the school's longest-serving headmaster. He was responsible for the building of what the Ulster Star described as "Mr Pyper's splendid new seminary"[5] in Glenravel Street.
* (1917–1937) Spring Pyper
* (1938–1966) Dr Robert Harte, who changed the school's name to its current title. Under his headship the school purchased Ardilea House, a large 19th-century villa in Jordanstown, in 1953. Between then and 1963, when the entire school re-located from Glenravel Street, its then Vice-Principal, Harry Towell, headed a small suburban campus at the site. The house now forms the administration block, containing the staff room, sick bay, and offices of the principal, her secretary, the bursar and vice-principal. Dr Harte suffered a severe stroke in 1964 and his son acted as temporary head until the appointment of Mr Dunlop in 1966. Dr Harte was a Doctor of Philosophy and an eminent classical scholar.
* (1966–1987) Samuel H Dunlop, who saw the building of a new science block (1970), the closure of Somerton House (the school's preparatory department) in 1981 and the enlargement of the school library (1980s)
* (1987–2006) Stephen R Hilditch, who saw the Harte Building opened in the 1990s to house Home Economics, Careers, Technology, ICT and a science lab, the refurbishment of the science block (2001–2003) and the refurbishment and enlargement of the Music Department
* (2006–2018) Lynn F Gormley, who saw the installation of a state-of-the-art sports and fitness building which was opened by Dame Mary Peters in 2016.
* (2018–present) Charlotte Weir, who had previously served as Acting Head Teacher and Deputy Head Teacher.

## Houses

[edit]

The school has a house system. The tie a pupil wears is blue with a thick yellow band pattern, and a thinner band pattern of an additional colour representing the pupil's house.

The houses and their colours are as follows:

* Boyd (green)
* Pyper (blue)
* Storey (red)
* Watson (yellow)

## Sports

[edit]

The four main sports at Belfast High are rugby, hockey, netball and cricket.[6]

Aside from the four main sports, Belfast High students take part in association football, gymnastics, swimming, volleyball, basketball, badminton, athletics, tennis, softball, and power walking.[7]

Two sixth-form students represent the school as Sports Ambassadors to encourage participation in sports among students.[8]

## Notable alumni

[edit]

See also: Category:People educated at Belfast High School

* Steve Aiken, Member of the Northern Irish Assembly
* George Cassidy, former Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham
* Tommy Cassidy, Northern Ireland international footballer, who played for Newcastle United and Burnley
* Edward Samuel Wesley de Cobain, MP, disgraced Conservative politician
* Fred Henderson, Socialist writer
* George MacDowell Kane, Artist and sculptor
* Alex Crawford, international footballer: Distillery and Cliftonville right-half and Captain of Ireland in 1880s and 1890s
* Jonny Evans, Manchester United and Northern Ireland international football player
* Sir Ronnie Flanagan, retired Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Northern Ireland
* Alan McNeill, professional football player
* Stephen Rea, film actor
* Mark McCrea, Ulster rugby player
* Maurice Field, former Ulster and Ireland rugby player
* Paul Stirling, Ireland cricketer
* Sinéad Morrissey, poet
* Harold Miller Church of Ireland Bishop of Down.

## See also

[edit]

* List of grammar schools in Northern Ireland

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Welcome". Belfast High School. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
2. ^ "Belfast High School Home". Belfast High School website. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
3. ^ Specialist School Status Archived September 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Belfast High School website. Retrieved 30 June 2012
4. ^ Fergus, Lindsay. "Northern Ireland schools league tables - A-Levels". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
5. ^ The Witness, 4 September 1874 http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~econnolly/twextracts/tw18740900.html
6. ^ "Belfast High School Rugby". Belfast High School website. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
7. ^ "Physical Education". Belfast High School. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
8. ^ "Highlights Issue 60 Sep 2021". Belfast High School. Retrieved 17 November 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Education in Northern Ireland

Administration|

| Departments|

* Department of Education
* Department for the Economy
* Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

|

Other government organisations|

* Education Authority
* Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment

Sector support organisations|

* Controlled Schools' Support Council
* Council for Catholic Maintained Schools
* Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education
* Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta

Institutions|

| Universities|

* Queen's University Belfast
* University of Ulster
* Open University

|

University colleges|

* St Mary's University College
* Stranmillis University College

Further education colleges|

* Belfast Metropolitan College
* Northern Regional College
* North West Regional College
* Southern Regional College
* South Eastern Regional College
* South West College

Agricultural college|

* College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise

Theological colleges|

* Belfast Bible College
* Edgehill Theological College
* Irish Baptist College
* Union Theological College
* Whitefield College of the Bible

Schools|

* Irish medium primary
* Primary
* Irish medium secondary
* Secondary
* Grammar
* Integrated

Nurseries|

* Irish medium

See also
Education in the United Kingdom

England
Scotland
Wales
Education in the Republic of Ireland
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