St Patrick's High School is a Roman Catholic non-selective, all ablity and all inclusive secondary school situated outside Armagh City. It does away with the outdated separation of pupils at 11+ and teaches boys and girls of all abilities, from the high academic achiever to the child with learning difficulties. The school recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. The school was established in 1970 to serve the young people of Derrynoose

Derrynoose

Derrynoose is a village in south County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is within the Armagh City and District Council area.-Demography:Derrynoose is classed as Rural according to the Statistical Classification and Delineation of Settlements Report 2005....

, Keady

Keady

Keady is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is situated south of Armagh city and very close to the border with the Republic of Ireland. The town had a population of 2,960 people in the 2001 Census....

, Madden

Madden

Madden may refer to:People* Madudan mac Gadhra Mór ancestor of the Madden family of County Galway* Benji and Joel Madden of the pop-punk band Good Charlotte* Bill Madden , columnist for the New York Daily News...

, Ballymacnab

Ballymacnab

Ballymacnab is a townland and village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is within the Parish of Cill Chluana, 7 miles south of the City of Armagh on the road towards Newtownhamilton...

, Granemore

Granemore

Granemore is a small townland located in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, about seven miles from Armagh and three miles from Keady...

, Clady and Middletown

Middletown, County Armagh

Middletown is a small village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It lies two miles from Tynan and close to the border with County Monaghan. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 240 people...

. St Patrick's now also has students from Armagh

Armagh

Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...

 and Monaghan

Monaghan

Monaghan is the county town of County Monaghan in Ireland. Its population at the 2006 census stood at 7,811 . The town is located on the main road, the N2 road, from Dublin north to both Derry and Letterkenny.-Toponym:...

.

The school aims to provide children with a secure, caring, Christian and happy environment where high standards of learning, discipline and personal integrity can be achieved, and where all pupils are given opportunities to develop their mental and physical, oral and social ability.

The school has grown dramatically since 1970 when it had 450 pupils and 22 teachers to its present enrolment of 1045 pupils (including 240 Sixth Form pupils) and 68 teachers. In September 1999 we moved into a completely new purpose-built school with the most up-to-date facilities in Ireland which include a 500 square assembly hall and sports hall, sixth for suite, pavilions for Careers, Music and Drama, Lecture Theatre, Oratory and purpose-built accommodation for all Areas of Study and excellent outdoor facilities. These have been further enhanced with the completion of the Keady Recreation Centre. As part of this innovative ‘Dual Use Scheme’ with Armagh City and District Council, the school now has use of a state-of-the-art synthetic pitch with oodlighting, a new four changing room pavilion with meeting room, a new grass pitch and a two floor fitness suite.

Principals

Mr Patrick McAleavey retired in September 2010 after over forty years of outstanding services to St Patrick's. Ten of those years Mr McAleavy was a teacher and for the further thirty years he was principal, transforming it from a small rural secondary school to one of the top five all-ablity secondary schools in Northern Ireland. Mr McAleavy was there when the school was first formed in 1970 and he has laid the foundations for future generations.

The current principal is Ms Pat McGuckian. She was appointed as new principal in April 2011. Ms McGuckian was previously the vice-principal of St Malachy's College Belfast. Ms McGuckian wants to continue the outstanding excellence of St Patrick's. She also wants to celebrate the past and current successful achievements of St Patrick's. Ms McGuickan is focused on 'Excellence everyday for every child'.

Sports

St Patrick's has always succeeded in the sporting field from all sports and from all different age ranges, including;

• Athelics
• Cross Country
• Gaelic Football
• Hurling
• Camogie
• Golf
• Netball

Subjects

Students at Key Stage Three in St Patrick's are offered a wide range of subjects including, English, Maths, Science, Religion, Geography, History, Irish, French, Technology and Design, Art and Design, Physical Education (P.E.), I.C.T., Music, Drama, Citizenship, Employability, Home Economics, Personal Health and Social Education (PSHE). In addition to the subjects above students in Key Stage Four are also offered, English Language and English Literature, Road Traffic Studies (R.T.S.), Learning for Work and Life (L.L.W.), Double Award Art and Design, Single and Double Award Science, Health and Social Care, Child Development, Business Stuides, Exam P.E., Construction, Business and Communication Systems, Sociology and Occupational Studies (VEP). Finally at A-level St Patrick's also offers on top of the above subjects; Applied Business Studies, Double Award Applied Business Studies, Biology, Chemstry, Physics, Travel and Tourism, Moving Image Art, Economics, Key Skills (Communication, Application of Number and ICT) and Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (COPE).