"I wish I was in Carrickfergus"

Standing proudly at the top of North Road on a sixty-acre site, Carrickfergus Grammar enjoys a panoramic view of Belfast Lough, the historic castle and surrounding hinterland. One of the youngest controlled Grammar schools in Northern Ireland, it opened in 1962 with 60 pupils and 4 teachers. It now boasts 800 pupils drawn from 25 feeder schools stretching from Islandmagee and Ballynure to the suburbs of Belfast. What has made the school distinctive since its inception almost 40 years ago? The school took its first tentative steps in the relatively calm educational world of the 1960's. It has grown up through more turbulent times both educationally and politically.

The 1st Headmaster Mr J. McK Grainger, a much-loved paternalistic figure, guided the school through the first two decades with a considerable degree of success. By 1977, when Mr Grainger retired, the school had grown to over 600 pupils. Mr Hugh Jamison, the 2nd Headmaster and one of life's gentlemen, steered the school through the Thatcherite Eighties, proudly overseeing the building of a new extension in 1983 to cope with the growing numbers. The school's blossoming reputation was exemplified by the winning of such awards as "Young Scientists of the Year" and "Young Engineer for Britain" in 1983 and 1985 respectively. By this stage "The Grammar" had become an integral part of Carrickfergus community life.

The advent of a new, young and innovative Principal Mr Kenneth Irwin in 1990 heralded a period of unprecedented change and rapid expansion. The new dynamic was epitomised by the replacing of the old school motto with a single aim- "Praestantia" (loosely translated "striving for excellence"). This striving for excellence is reflected in every aspect of school life - academic, cultural, physical and spiritual...In 1999, Carrickfergus became the 1st Grammar school in Northern Ireland to be presented with the "Investors in People" Award and, in recognition of the depth and breadth of its sporting achievements, the school was awarded the Sports’ Council Goldmark.

The excellent staff/pupil relationships are reflected in a Charter of Rights and Responsibilities drawn up jointly by teachers and pupils. An external assessor summarising the ethos commented that "the school is epitomised by a culture of trust and value".Academically pupils of the school have thrived. Examination results at GCSE and A-Level have been enhanced by the drive towards excellence with GCSE, AS and A2 results maintaining a high level of performance. Regularly 95% of our pupils go on to Universities, mainly in Northern Ireland and GB (including Oxford and Cambridge), and many have excelled in their chosen careers and professions.

Recently Carrickfergus Grammar was a driving force in the formation of the Carrickfergus Learning Community through which pupils of the four post-Primary schools in the town can access a broader range of post-16 courses thereby enhancing their career prospects.Many of our pupils have distinguished themselves on the sporting field. The school has produced a number of Ulster and Irish School’s rugby players and in 2009 the 1st XV won the Ulster School’s Trophy. There are currently seven rugby teams in school playing across the province every Saturday morning. In 2009, the school was represented in both the Ulster U16 and U18 Ulster and Irish sides and in the same year the 1st XI won the Ulster Schools Shield and the South Antrim Schools League. There are currently nine teams playing in school fixtures every Saturday morning. There has also been notable success in Football with the girls and boys teams winning their respective leagues. Two girls have gone on to represent their country at U19 level. We continue to produce successful athletes and currently we have three Ulster Champions and had six representatives at the Irish Schools Athletics Championships. Our pupils have achieved success in other school sports, notably Gymnastics, Trampolining and Boxing. In 2009, the PE Department has welcomed the arrival of an up to date Strength and Conditioning Suite. The N Ireland Sports Council has presented the school with its prestigious ‘Goldmark’ Award given only to schools which have achieved a high standard in the breadth and quality of their physical education. We pride ourselves in offering a broad and balanced PE programme and have produced excellent academic results since the inception of examination PE.

Carrickfergus Grammar School has a vibrantly active Music Society led by Mr E Craig, Mrs K Withers and a committee of motivated Sixth Formers. It is made up of over 100 pupils who gather to engage in a variety of musical activities throughout the week including instrumental ensembles, orchestras and of course choirs. They take part in festivals and concerts inside and outside school as well as going on tours and making regular broadcasts on television and radio.The School Choir has become one of the Province's leading school choirs and have won awards at festivals including the Bangor International Choral Festival. They have staged a variety of concerts for the school and community and have recently raised £1000 for the Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust. Flying the flag for this part of East Antrim, they have gone on tours of Liverpool, Chester, Cambridge, London, Ely, Bury St Edmunds, Paris and Dublin where they have sung in some magnificent cathedrals. They have released a CD of Christmas Music called "Nowell … a sequence of carols". Recently they were successful in getting as far as the National Stage of the BBC Choir of the Year 2008 and were regional finalists in the RTE Choir of the Year 2009.Bi-annually, the Music Society stage a full production of a West-End Musical. These have included Hello Dolly, My Fair Lady, Oklahoma and most recently presented the Northern Ireland premiere of Leonard Bernstein’s “Wonderful Town”.With a strong team of instrumental tutors, our young musicians are given every opportunity to learn, perform, attend concerts and generally have an incredible time enjoying the whole world of music. Indeed, many of our previous students have gone on to make music a main focus of their lives with further study at universities and college including LIPA (Liverpool) and the Royal College of Music as well as the two local universities.

The striving for excellence has been enhanced by strong links with the local Community. Business awareness has been developed via a programme including interview skills as well as local Business sponsorship and involvement in team-teaching. Donations are given to local charities through the generosity of pupils and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme provides the opportunity for many young people to serve the Community.International links expand the horizons for many pupils. Aware of the increasingly interdependent nature of Learning Establishments, we have established and actively promoted the International dimension of the school curriculum with educational links across the globe- throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the United States of America. In recognition of our outstanding commitment to promote Internationalism we were awarded the Gold level International School Award in 2009.The Department of Education’s Education and Training Inspectorate made explicit mention of the strengths of the school in their 2005 report. They made glowing reference to clear and effective leadership, the promotion of Teaching and Learning, the high standards of achievement, the quality of teaching, the excellent quality of the pastoral care system and, importantly, the welcoming, outgoing, happy and pleasant pupils. These findings were affirmed in 2009 by a subsequent inspection by the ETI in which the school scored well above the Northern Ireland average in every area of consultation with its major stakeholders.The new Principal, Mr Kieran Mulvenna, ably supported by his Senior Management Team and a committed Board of Governors, is leading the school into the second decade of the 21st Century aiming towards, as the Mission Statement says “further excellence from present strengths.”