Enniskillen Royal Grammar School

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Coordinates: 54°21′05″N 7°39′16″W / 54.351297°N 7.654477°W / 54.351297; -7.654477

Enniskillen Royal Grammar School
Enniskillen Royal Grammar School Logo.png
Address
Lough Shore Site - 1 Lough Shore Road, BT74 5HD
Cooper Crescent Site - 1 Cooper Crescent, BT74, 6DQ

Enniskillen

Northern Ireland
Information
TypeGrammar School
MottoLatin: Perstare et Praestare
(Persevere and Excel)
Established1 September 2016; 5 years ago (1 September 2016)
PrincipalElizabeth Armstrong
Vice PrincipalPhil Beddard
Teaching staffRoughly 80
EnrollmentRoughly 900
Colour(s)Red, gold and navy blue      
NicknameERGS, the Royal
Websiteenniskillenroyalgs.com

Enniskillen Royal Grammar School, located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, is an academically selective, co-educational, non-denominational voluntary grammar school. The school opened its doors on 1 September 2016. Two former Enniskillen grammar schools (Portora Royal School and the Enniskillen Collegiate Grammar School) were amalgamated to form the school. It is located on two sites (The former site of Portora Royal School and the former site of Enniskillen Collegiate Grammar School).

History[]

History of Portora Royal School[]

Portora Royal School was one of the public schools founded by the Royal Charter in 1608, by James I, making it one of the oldest schools in Ireland at the time of its closure.[1][2] Originally called Enniskillen Royal School, the school was established some ten years after the Royal Decree, in 1618, 15 miles outside Enniskillen at Ballybalfour, before moving to Enniskillen in 1661. It was not until 1778 that the school moved to its final location on Portora Hill, Enniskillen, where the nucleus of the later all-boys school was built.[3] The school admitted a mixture of boarders and day pupils for much of its history, but became a day school in the 1990s.

History of Enniskillen Collegiate Grammar School[]

Enniskillen Collegiate Grammar School was founded under the name the "Enniskillen Royal School for Girls" in 1916. The name changed when the school was taken over by the Fermanagh Regional Education Committee in 1925. The school opened at its former east Enniskillen location in October 1931. It originally catered for eighty-eight pupils, with only four classrooms. It was the first grammar school in the province to be erected by a public body. Pupils were originally admitted using the 11+, however this was abolished in 2009 and replaced with Common Entrance Assessments. Over the years, many extensions were made to the original building and in September 2006 to June 2007 the school celebrated seventy-five years on the site. At its closure approximately 500 females, aged between 11 and 18 years old, attended the school and the principal was Elizabeth Armstrong, who later went on to become the principal of ERGS.

Formation of Enniskillen Royal Grammar School[]

A proposal by the Department of Education to merge Portora Royal School with the Enniskillen Collegiate Grammar School to form "Enniskillen Royal Grammar School" was approved by the Minister of Education, John O'Dowd, in June 2015, but the matter was taken to the High Court in October 2015 due to local opposition. However, the High Court bid to stop the amalgamation of the two Enniskillen grammar schools failed.[4]

Subsequently, Portora Royal School and the Enniskillen Collegiate Grammar School closed at the end of the 2015/2016 school year. Enniskillen Royal Grammar School then opened on 1 September 2016.[5] Initially, the school is operating on two sites. However, there are plans to build a single new school at the current Lough Shore site.[6]

Curriculum[]

The school day lasts from 09:00 to 15:30. It is split into periods, which mostly last 35 minutes.[7]

Period Length Usage
1 35 minutes Classes
2 35 minutes Classes
3 35 minutes Classes
FTA (Form Time A) 15 minutes Assembly, break or form time (depends on day, time and which year one belongs to)
FTB (Form Time B) 15 minutes Assembly, break or form time (depends on day, time and which year one belongs to)
4 35 minutes Classes
5 35 minutes Classes
6a 40 minutes Classes or lunch (depends on time and which year one belongs to)
6b 40 minutes Classes or lunch (depends on time and which year one belongs to)
7 35 minutes Classes
8 35 minutes Classes
9 35 minutes Classes

Key Stage 3[]

In year 8, pupils study Art and Design, Drama, English, French, Games, Geography, History, Home Economics, IT, Mathematics, Music, Personal Development, Physical Education, Religious Education, Science, and Technology and Design.
In year 9, pupils study the above, but also choose between German and Spanish.
In year 10, pupils study the same subjects as year 9, but with Biology, Chemistry and Physics instead of Science.[8]

Key Stage 4[]

Pupils must study eight or nine GCSEs, all offered from CCEA.
Pupils are required to study GCSE English Language, GCSE Mathematics, GCSE Science (Double Award), and either GCSE Learning for Life and Work, or GCSE Religious Studies.
Pupils must choose four GCSEs from the following: GCSE Art and Design, GCSE Business Studies, GCSE Digital Technology - Programming, GCSE Drama, GCSE English Literature, GCSE French, GCSE Geography, GCSE German, GCSE History, GCSE Home Economics: Food and Nutrition, GCSE Moving Image Arts, GCSE Music (requires a pass at Grade 5 or above in a musical instrument or in musical theory), GCSE Physical Education, GCSE Spanish, and GCSE Technology and Design.
Pupils who can use mathematics to a very high standard are offered GCSE Further Mathematics.[9]

Post-16[]

Enniskillen Royal Grammar School offers AS and A2 Levels as post-16 qualifications. Options include: Art, Biology, Chemistry, Digital Technology, Economics, English Literature, Further Mathematics, French, Geography, German, Government and Politics, Health and Social Care, History, Life and Health Sciences, Mathematics, Moving Image Arts, Music, Nutrition and Food Science, Performing Arts, Physics, Religious Studies, Spanish, Sports Science and the Active Leisure Industry, and Technology and Design.
A BTEC in Engineering is also offered.[10]

Sports[]

Rowing and rugby are the biggest sports at Enniskillen Royal Grammar School.

The school’s rowing club has established itself as one of the top rowing clubs in all of the UK and Ireland.[11] The club is based at the grounds of the school’s Lough Shore site, at the Portora Boat House. Students from all schools in the local area are allowed to join the club. Around 8 volunteers, supported by the head coach, coach the club. 2 members of the coaching team, Derek Holland (Head coach) and Iain Kennedy, are former Olympians.

On Friday 22 September 2017, the outstanding level of success achieved by the boat club was recognised in an event at Enniskillen Castle Museum where the Chairman of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Stephen McCann, presented the rowing coach, Derek Holland, with a trophy to mark the occasion.[12]

Houses[]

House House Colour
Trien Green  
Culcaigh Red  
Benaughlin Blue  
Belmore Yellow  

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Andrew Gibson (1 November 2009). Samuel Beckett. Reaktion Books. pp. 26–. ISBN 978-1-86189-713-8.
  2. ^ John P. Wilson (16 December 2013). The Routledge Encyclopaedia of UK Education, Training and Employment: From the Earliest Statutes to the Present Day. Routledge. pp. 257–. ISBN 978-1-317-79652-7.
  3. ^ "Portora Royal". www.portoraroyal.co.uk.
  4. ^ "Bid to stop schools' amalgamation fails". 3 February 2016 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  5. ^ "Welcome to Enniskillen Royal Grammar School". Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  6. ^ "BREAKING: Portora site chosen for new Enniskillen Royal - The Fermanagh Herald". The Fermanagh Herald. 18 January 2017.
  7. ^ "Enniskillen Royal Grammar School Prospectus 2021/2022" (PDF). Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Enniskillen Royal Grammar School Prospectus 2021/2022" (PDF). Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Enniskillen Royal Grammar School Prospectus 2021/2022" (PDF). Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Enniskillen Royal Grammar School Sixth Form Prospectus 2021/2022" (PDF). Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Rowing - Enniskillen Royal Grammar School". Enniskillen Royal Grammar School. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  12. ^ "ERGS Boat Club recognised for unprecedented success. - Enniskillen Royal Grammar School". 25 September 2017.

External links[]

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