Grosvenor Grammar School
Encyclopedia
Grosvenor Grammar School is a co-educational
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...

 controlled Grammar School
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...

 in Belfast
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...

. This inter-denominational school, with an increasingly multi-cultural population and outlook, has a staff of 73 full-time teachers.

Grosvenor Grammar School was founded (as Grosvenor High School) in 1945 by the Belfast Corporation
Belfast City Council
Belfast City Council is the local authority with responsibility for the city of Belfast, the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. The Council serves an estimated population of , the largest of any district council in Northern Ireland, while also being the fourth smallest by area...

 to cope with the increase in demand for Grammar School
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...

 education in the area. It was sited in Roden Street, off the Grosvenor Road, and remained there until 1958, when the school moved to Cameronian Drive in the east of the city. In 2010, the school moved to Marina Park where it is at present.

Its headmasters have been William Moles (1945–1972), Ken Reid (1972–1993), John Lockett (1993–2008) and Robin McLoughlin (2008-present). The school usually sends several pupils to Oxbridge
Oxbridge
Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England, and the term is now used to refer to them collectively, often with implications of perceived superior social status...

 every year.

The area from which the school draws its pupils has expanded enormously over the years, to include greater Belfast and north and mid-Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...

. In order to avoid confusion with non-grammar 'high schools', the school changed its name in 1993 to Grosvenor Grammar School.

In rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

, the school has won the Ulster Schools Cup
Ulster Schools Cup
The Ulster Schools' Challenge Cup is an annual competition involving schools affiliated to the Ulster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union. The Schools' Cup has the distinction of being the world's second-oldest rugby competition, having been competed for every year since 1876...

 once (in 1983).

Democratic Unionist
Democratic Unionist Party
The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...

 politician Sammy Wilson
Sammy Wilson
Samuel Wilson is a politician from Northern Ireland who is a Member of Parliament and a Member of the Legislative Assembly for East Antrim. He served as Lord Mayor of Belfast in 1986 – 1987; and again from June 2000 to June 2001. He was the first person from the Democratic Unionist Party ...

 MP MLA is a former economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

 teacher at the school. Michelle McIlveen
Michelle McIlveen
Michelle McIlveen, MLA is a politician from Northern Ireland. She was elected in 2007 to the Northern Ireland Assembly as a Democratic Unionist Party member for Strangford....

 MLA, also a Democratic Unionist, taught history and politics at the school. Willie Anderson (former Ireland rugby international) is a former P.E. teacher at Grosvenor.

Grosvenor also has two Irish cricket players working in the school, namely Kyle McCallan
Kyle McCallan
William Kyle McCallan, MBE , usually known as Kyle McCallan, is an Irish cricketer. A right-handed batsman and off spin bowler, he has played more times for the Ireland cricket team than any other player, more than 40 caps ahead of the next player in the table, the retired Peter Gillespie...

 and Andrew White
Andrew White (cricketer)
Andrew Roland White is an Irish cricketer, who played in the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies, where Ireland reached the Super 8 stage. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off-break bowler. He has played with Northamptonshire since 2005, and with Ireland since 2002...

. Kyle took a job at Grosvenor just before he had to leave for the 2006 cricket world cup. Andrew joined the school in September 2007.

Another "cricketing celebrity" belonging to Grosvenor is Mark Vincent, currently in 3rd form. In June 2009, playing away against Parkhall, Antrim and in his first ever match, Mark achieved the staggering feat of taking 7 wickets in 7 consecutive deliveries. This has only been bettered by 7 players worldwide and at all levels of the game since records began in 1878. What makes this achievement even more special is that he did it with the last ball of his 1st over and then his entire 2nd over, resulting in him finishing with truly breathtaking figures of 2-2-0-7.
This event was well publicised in the local press and online on some of Europe's most recognised cricketing websites, and Mark was presented with a trophy to commemorate the event.
Espn Cricinfo Records
CricketEurope article

Awards

Miss Anabel Samperiz-Corvinos from Grosvenor Grammar School was awarded the 2006 Guardian Teaching Award for Teacher of the Year in a Secondary School in Northern Ireland at a ceremony on 15 June 2006 at the Waterfront Hall
Waterfront Hall
The Waterfront Hall is a multi-purpose facility, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by local architects' firm Robinson McIlwaine. Practice partner Peter McGukin was the project architect....

 in Belfast
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...

. Mrs. Orla Young gained second place in the "New teacher of the Year 2007" category while Mrs. Amanda Salt gained first in "Teacher of the Year 2007" and will go on to represent Northern Ireland in England. Mr. Reg Magowan, The Head of the Board of Governors was awarded the "Governor of the Year 2007" award. Mrs. Heather Reid was awarded second place in "Secondary School Teacher of the Year 2008". Mr. John Lockett, the school's principal, received second place in "Head Teacher of the Year 2008."

In 2006 Mr. Richard Cowan (Head of Technology) was awarded an MBE for 'Services to Education' by Her Majesty The Queen.

The school usually admits several pupils to Oxbridge every year and prides itself on being one of the few controlled grammar schools to do so.

Rugby

Grosvenor Won the Ulster Schools Cup once in 1983. In 2008 the School reached the quarter-finals, where they were knocked out by Ballymena Academy
Ballymena Academy
Ballymena Academy is a mixed grammar school located in the market town of Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was founded in the early nineteenth century as a small provincial school for children in the town and surrounding agricultural hinterland.-Admissions:The school currently has...

.

Association Football

The First IX won the Belfast District School's league this year after beating C.B.S on penalty kicks after the play-off had finished 3-3 after extra time. The U16's also reached the semi final of the Belfast Cup.

Notable former pupils

  • Football player George Best
    George Best
    George Best was a professional footballer from Northern Ireland, who played for Manchester United and the Northern Ireland national team. He was a winger whose game combined pace, acceleration, balance, two-footedness, goalscoring and the ability to beat defenders...

     attended the school while it was located on the Grosvenor Road. However he moved from the school, as football was not played at the school.
  • Robert McCartney
    Robert McCartney (politician)
    Robert Law McCartney QC is a Northern Ireland barrister and former leader of the UK Unionist Party.He was initially a member of the Ulster Unionist Party but was expelled in June 1987 when he refused to withdraw from the general election of that year...

     QC, often known as Bob, is a Northern Irish Barrister, Unionist politician, and leader of the UK Unionist Party, and was previously the only UKUP member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
    Northern Ireland Assembly
    The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...

    .
  • Ivan Little
    Ivan Little
    -Journalism career:Little began his career as a journalist working for The Portadown News and the Belfast Telegraph. He moved into broadcasting by joining Downtown Radio....

     Media Reporter for UTV
    UTV
    UTV is a television channel based in the UK region of Northern Ireland. The channel is the Channel 3 or Independent Television licensee for Northern Ireland and is operated by UTV Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of UTV Media.- Terrestrial :* Analogue: Normally tuned to 3 * Freeview : 3...

  • Colin Coates
    Colin Coates (footballer)
    Colin Coates is a footballer from Northern Ireland who plays as a centre-back and is captain of IFA Premiership club Crusaders.-Club:...

     - Crusaders FC captain.
  • Richard Mackenzie (Civil Servant). District Electoral Areas Commissioner and Local Government Boundaries Commissioner for Northern Ireland. Member of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland. Appointed a Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, by H.M. the Queen in 2002.
  • William James Poole, Chief Executive, Joint Business Council, Irish Business and Employers Confederation-Confederation of British Industries, appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
    Order of the British Empire
    The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

     in 2008.
  • Nathan Connolly
    Nathan Connolly
    Nathan Connolly is a Northern Irish musician, who is best known as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for alternative rock band Snow Patrol.-Early life:...

    , lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the band Snow Patrol
    Snow Patrol
    Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...


External links

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