Portadown College
| Portadown College | |
|---|---|
Grammar School | |
| Motto | Fortiter et Humaniter (With Courage and Courtesy) |
| Established | 1924 |
| Chairman | P. H. Aiken |
| Headmistress | G. Gibb |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Age | 14 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 780 |
| Houses | Shillington Seale MacCallum |
| Colour(s) | Black, Blue |
| Website | http://www.portadowncollege.com/ |
Portadown College is an academically selective,
.History
Preparatory Department
Portadown College Preparatory Department was founded in 1921 as the Carleton Collegiate School in St Mark's former Parochial Hall in Carleton Street, Portadown. The founding headmaster, Mr W J Warren, was previously the joint principal of Banbridge Academy before serving in World War I in 1914-18.[1] The Prep was located in Bann House until 1949, when it moved to a second and larger site on the Killicomain Road. The Preparatory Department closed in 2006[2] and the old building now houses the Art department of the college.
Bann House (1924 - 1962)
The new school grew rapidly and required larger premises. In October 1924, a house on the Edenderry bank of the
Killicomain Road (1962 - Present)
In 1962 the college moved to a new purpose-built site on the Killicomain Road, beside the Preparatory Department.
The college has made a major contribution to the current 'two-tier' system of secondary education in the Craigavon area, known as the Dickson Plan.
Head teachers
| # | Name | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | W. J. Warren | 1924-1946 |
| 2 | Donald Woodman BEM | 1946-1973 |
| 3 | Harry Armstrong | 1973-1993 |
| 4 | Tom Flannagan [4] | 1993-2006 |
| 5 | Deborah O'Hare | 2006-2009 |
| 6 | Simon Harper | 2009-2019 |
| 7 | Gillian Gibb | 2020–present |
House system
The school's pupils are divided into historical houses. The three houses are Shillington, Seale, and MacCallum (yellow). The house structure provides the basis for a wide range of inter-house competitions, including sports, music and debating.
The houses are named after the following:
- MacCallum is named after Gp Capt John Evelyn Matier MacCallum, a former pupil and rugby captain. He was killed in action in 1943, during World War II.
- Seale is named after brothers RAF Sqn Ldr W. T. C. Seale and Lt. Theophilus John Seale of the Royal Irish Fusiliers. The two brothers were killed in action during World War II in 1941 and 1944 respectively.
- Shillington is named after three individuals. They are Great Warin 1916.
Sport
Portadown College has been officially recognised in the field of sporting excellence and has been awarded the status of a Sportsmark School.[5] Representative teams participate in Rugby, Boys and Girls Hockey, Netball, Football, Volleyball, Golf, Tennis, Cricket, Rowing and Athletics.
The School Rugby teams compete annually in the
Girls'
The Under 18 Boys Volleyball team are current Northern Ireland and All Ireland Champions and the under 16 Boys Volleyball team are current Northern Ireland and All Ireland Champions. The Under 18 Boys Hockey Team are the current Great British Champions after beating
School facilities
Subjects such as geography, home economics and ICT have miscellaneous classrooms throughout the school. There are over 20 subjects taught at the school, which are served by approximately 50 classrooms, subject study rooms and technicians. The school's science department is one of the largest and best-funded science departments in Northern Ireland.
Sports facilities include three rugby pitches, two all-weather pitches, two outdoor basketball courts, two tennis courts, a synthetic cricket pitch, two long jump sand pits and a concrete throwing circle for discus and shot put events. There is also a dedicated sports hall with gym and a second indoor sports hall. Although sport plays a key role in the school's extracurricular activities, there are a number of other societies that include: drama, debating, Duke Of Edinburgh Award expedition and charity group.
Until Late 2019, 814 (Portadown College) Squadron of NI Wing, Air Training Corps was Headquartered at the school. The 814 No. Remains in service in the town with the new 814 (Portadown) Squadron.
Academic selection
Like many grammar schools in Northern Ireland, academic selection is at the heart of admission to Portadown College. The college became a selective grammar school in 1969, accepting students to the Senior School at 14 after transferring from local Junior High Schools. The school usually accepts 200 students to study GCSEs each year. After this, students who achieve at least 5 B-grades and 3 C-grades at GCSE are accepted to study A-levels. Portadown College consistently produces GCSE results above Northern Ireland averages. In 2017 93.7% of GCSE results from the school were A*-C grades, compared to a Northern Ireland average of 80.9% in the same year.[13] The school also has one of the largest Sixth Forms in Northern Ireland.
Notable former pupils
 | This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. (April 2022) |
- Rory Best, Ulster and Ireland rugby union player and captain
- Simon Best, Ulster and Ireland rugby union player
- Lord Lieutenantof Belfast and Olympic Gold Medallist
- Gloria Hunniford, BBC Television Personality
- satirist who founded the Portadown News
- Waldo Maguire, BBC broadcaster, WW2 codebreaker
- Tom McGurk, Journalist, television presenter
- Biblical scholar and Provost of Oriel College, Oxford
- Mark Russell, Chief Executive of The Children’s Society
- Auto Racer
- Emma Pengelly, MP for South Belfast
- MBE, Senior British ArmyOfficer
|
References
- ^ "Portadown College in the Past". www.craigavonhistoricalsociety.org.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ "Question marks over future of College Prep".
- ^ "Portadown Town Trail" (PDF). Craigavon Historical Society. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ "The DNA of Clan Flannagan runs deep within the College timeline". www.portadowntimes.co.uk. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ "Portadown College Newbuild". Northern Ireland Assembly Hansard. 24 March 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ "Portadown College secure shield success". Portadown Times. 23 March 1990. p. 52.
- ^ "Academy fall to shield defeat". Ballymena Times. 19 March 1997. p. 40.
- ^ "Schools Cup ties rushed forward". Belfasttelegraph.co.uk. Belfast Telegraph. 23 February 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ "Cambridge House set to be stripped of rugby title?". Ballymena Times. 9 March 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ Belfast Newsletter. 2 April 1963. p. 9.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Belfast Newsletter. 24 March 1964. p. 10.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Belfast Newsletter. 7 March 1996. p. 34.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "'Exam results' page on Portadown College website".
- ^ "Portadown College". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
Feeder Schools
- Clounagh Junior High School
- Killicomaine Junior High School
- Tandragee Junior High School