C.B.S. Glen Road
Encyclopedia
Christian Brothers' School, or C.B.S. as it is commonly known, is a secondary school located on the Glen Road area of west Belfast
, Northern Ireland
, and is directly facing one of its many sister schools, St Mary's Grammar School.http://www.stmaryscbgs.com C.B.S. was founded in the late 1950s by the Christian Brothers
, a religious order founded by Edmund Ignatius Rice
in the early 19th century. The main purpose of the school was to provide mainstream education to underprivileged children in West Belfast.
In 2004 however, under the direction of Gerry Scannell (former Vice princip aalnd temporary Principal until the arrival of Tom Armstrong), the option to stay at the school to study AS-levels and A-Levels was granted. The school was gradually changed to accommodate the Sixth form's educational needs and has continued to change to the present day. As of 2007, 96 Lower Sixth pupils have been accepted into the school, a record breaking number for the school. Most of the 96 pupils are returning students. However, a small minority of the 96 students come from different schools.
In 2008 CBS accepted over 117 pupils into lower sixth, and for the first time in the school's history, female students were allowed to enrol in the school.
The school continues to attract post-16 students due to the successful GCSE and GCE results,to the hard work and commitment of the teachers and to the diverse curriculum that ensures that the needs, abilities and interests of all students are met.
It was announced at the Aisling Award Ceremony and on the Aisling Awards official website http://www.belfastmedia.com that CBS had won the award for Outstanding Education Endeavour.
science course known as Step-Up to Science, or simply Step-Up.http://www.ulster.ac.uk/stepup This new course was brought to Belfast as a pilot test for the North and is currently in its 8th year in Derry
; where it originated, and as of 2007, is currently in its second year in Belfast. Step-Up is a science course provided by the University of Ulster
and all the modules in the course are provided and examined by AQA
. If students successfully complete the course with either AA, BB, CC, DD or EE, they will be awarded with UCAS points, just like the current regular A-Level courses. The course is currently accepted at the University of Ulster
and other universities accept the course as a double GCE applied course.
Taken from the University of Ulster
's summary of the Step-Up programme, from their official website.http://www.ulster.ac.uk/stepup
In 2007, the school announced that its GCSE results were the best the school had ever received with many pupils getting into the top 5% of results in Northern Ireland. As a result, the Andersonstown News
published an article on the school's success:
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, and is directly facing one of its many sister schools, St Mary's Grammar School.http://www.stmaryscbgs.com C.B.S. was founded in the late 1950s by the Christian Brothers
Congregation of Christian Brothers
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. The Christian Brothers, as they are commonly known, chiefly work for the evangelisation and education of youth, but are involved in many ministries, especially with...
, a religious order founded by Edmund Ignatius Rice
Edmund Ignatius Rice
Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice , was a Roman Catholic missionary and educationalist. Edmund was the founder of two orders of religious brothers: the Congregation of Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers....
in the early 19th century. The main purpose of the school was to provide mainstream education to underprivileged children in West Belfast.
Education
Educating the children of Belfast has always been the school's main aim, however before 2004 the school could only provide 5 years of secondary education. This was a result of the school's structure as it could not hold more than 750 pupils. The maximum year that a pupil could reach at the school was Year 12 (5th year). While in 5th year, the pupils would complete their GCSEs and await their results. After each pupil had received their GCSE results, they would then have to go in search of another school (secondary or grammar) that would accommodate their need for further education in the form of AS- Levels and A-Levels. The main choice, of course, was St Mary's Grammar School.http://www.stmaryscbgs.comIn 2004 however, under the direction of Gerry Scannell (former Vice princip aalnd temporary Principal until the arrival of Tom Armstrong), the option to stay at the school to study AS-levels and A-Levels was granted. The school was gradually changed to accommodate the Sixth form's educational needs and has continued to change to the present day. As of 2007, 96 Lower Sixth pupils have been accepted into the school, a record breaking number for the school. Most of the 96 pupils are returning students. However, a small minority of the 96 students come from different schools.
In 2008 CBS accepted over 117 pupils into lower sixth, and for the first time in the school's history, female students were allowed to enrol in the school.
The school continues to attract post-16 students due to the successful GCSE and GCE results,to the hard work and commitment of the teachers and to the diverse curriculum that ensures that the needs, abilities and interests of all students are met.
Aisling Award
In November 2007, CBS was nominated for an Aisling Award (Part of the Aisling Awards Ceremony) in the category for Outstanding Education Endeavour. According to BelfastMedia.com,http://www.belfastmedia.com CBS was "nominated for their radical transformation in the school's delivery of a broadened curriculum which now included vocational qualifications and A-Level subjects."It was announced at the Aisling Award Ceremony and on the Aisling Awards official website http://www.belfastmedia.com that CBS had won the award for Outstanding Education Endeavour.
AS / A - Levels
The new prospectus contains every AS/A-level course that the school has to offer.Science in conjunction with University of Ulster
In 2006, C.B.S. was one of the first schools in Northern Ireland to participate in a new applied GCEGeneral Certificate of Education
The General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the Commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...
science course known as Step-Up to Science, or simply Step-Up.http://www.ulster.ac.uk/stepup This new course was brought to Belfast as a pilot test for the North and is currently in its 8th year in Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
; where it originated, and as of 2007, is currently in its second year in Belfast. Step-Up is a science course provided by the University of Ulster
University of Ulster
The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
and all the modules in the course are provided and examined by AQA
Assessment and Qualifications Alliance
AQA is an Awarding Body in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It compiles specifications and holds examinations in various subjects at GCSE, AS and A Level and offers vocational qualifications. AQA is a registered charity and independent of the Government...
. If students successfully complete the course with either AA, BB, CC, DD or EE, they will be awarded with UCAS points, just like the current regular A-Level courses. The course is currently accepted at the University of Ulster
University of Ulster
The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
and other universities accept the course as a double GCE applied course.
Taken from the University of Ulster
University of Ulster
The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
's summary of the Step-Up programme, from their official website.http://www.ulster.ac.uk/stepup
The programme operates successfully in the North-West of the province and actively involves the University, schools, local industry, the local hospital and government agencies in a collaborative partnership. The partner organisations contribute to the teaching of the General Certificate of EducationGeneral Certificate of EducationThe General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the Commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...
(GCE) Applied Science formerly Advanced Vocational Certificate in Education within a highly structured programme of academic and vocational activities which are delivered in the schools and the University, and through experience in local industry and the hospital.
In 2007, the school announced that its GCSE results were the best the school had ever received with many pupils getting into the top 5% of results in Northern Ireland. As a result, the Andersonstown News
Andersonstown News
The Belfast Media Group's Andersonstown News is twice-weekly published Belfast, Northern Ireland newspaper, which focuses on news and issues, in west Belfast....
published an article on the school's success: