Belfast Royal Academy is situated on Cliftonville Road, just off the Antrim Road which is a short…read morefive minutes walk from Belfast city centre. B.R.A. is a large co-educational, non-denominational grammar school which mainly focuses its interests on academic, sporting, and musical talents. There are currently around 1400 pupils at the grammar school which also has a Preparatory Department called Ben Madigan, which has 165 pupils. In stead of the 11+ the school now requires pupils to sit a 'Common Entrance Assessment' in which pupils need to score 95+ (based on last years figures) B.R.A. was founded in 1785 by Rev. Dr. James Crombie and was originally located near St. Anne's Cathedral on Academy Street. It moved to the Cliftonville Road in 1880, when the current building was erected. For the first hundred years the school was known simply as Belfast Academy however in 1888 Queen Victoria granted permission for the school to name itself Belfast Royal Academy. The school motto is 'per vias sapientiae' which translates from Latin as "by the ways of wisdom". The School Crest is made up of a rose, thistle and shamrock, with the Royal Arms, the Belfast Arms and the Ulster Arms incorporated in to it. The three significant dates surrounding the design commemorate the foundation of the school in 1785, the transfer to the present site in 1880 and the Royal designation of Belfast Royal Academy in 1888. The school boasts a number of high quality facilities including an impressive sports hall which is used for a number of sports such as netball, basketball, badminton, football, indoor athletics, cricket, hockey and volleyball. The hall is also used for rugby training, and has a full- size tennis court. Upstairs in the hall there's a new state-of-the-art fitness suite; which includes running machines, aerobics machines, cross-trainers, step-machines and bike-trainers. There's also a 25-metre indoor heated Swimming Pool which is used by pupils from B.R.A. and Ben Madigan as well as local community groups and swimming clubs. Continuing with the sports theme B.R.A. own the playing fields at Roughfort Sports Grounds where there are a number of pitches for rugby, cricket and hockey. The school also has a lease with Cavehill Tennis Courts allowing them to play freely on the courts. As you can see, sports are very much encouraged at B.R.A. though they also have a thriving music club and drama club which hold annual concerts regarded in high merit. Pupils can also participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme from 3rd year onwards. B.R.A. is a great school with a great teaching staff. I attended this school from 1999 - 2006 (Seems likes aeons ago now!) and I had a brilliant time here. I scored well in my GCSEs, AS & A Levels and this was all down to the commitment and quality of the staff here, I couldn't have done it without them. Although I wasn't the sporty type the school still encouraged and promoted my own individual talents, which is a very important quality. I would recommend this school highly to any parent who is indecisive about where to send their child. I have many, many fond memories of this school and the times I spent here.

Academy till i dieeeeee!!!!! B B B R A , we are the bestt hooooo raaaaaaaa , atid, best school…read moreeverrrrr ay ay ayyyyy

Newtownabbey High is a secondary school in the Rathcoole / Whitehouse area of Newtownabbey. The…read moreschool was founded in 1994 and has since been running to provide local children the chance to educate and learn in a local environment. The school teaches a range of subjects including; Art, Careers, English, Home Economics, Humanities, I.C.T. , Mathematics, Media Studies, Modern Languages, Music, Personal Development, Physical Education, Science, Special Education Needs, Technology. The school also runs a number of after school clubs including; Art Club, Choir, Craft Club, Educational trips to Europe, Environmental Club and Scripture Union. The schools sports activities include; Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Fitness Training, Football (Girls and Boys), Hockey, Netball, Rugby, and Swimming. A supervised Homework Club also operates, and there are many after school GCSE classes. The school recently joined with Whitehouse Primary School after an arson attack burnt the school (Whitehouse) down. The High School very generously allowed Whitehouse to use a number of their teaching classrooms to allow the primary to continue teaching until the school is rebuilt. The acting principal is Mr. R. M. Holmes. Senior teachers are; Mr Lewis, Vice Principal, (Media Studies) Mr Thompson (senior teacher) (mathematics), Mrs Shingleton (senior teacher) (mathematics) and Mrs Lewis Special Education Needs. The school website notes their aims as; to encourage and motivate pupils to focus on academic achievement and progress, teach rich and purposeful work within the classroom, expect high expectations of pupil conduct and progress, have a productive, positive partnerships between parents, pupils and the school and provide varied opportunities for extra-curricular activities. The school motto is; 'Excellence For All'

If you are creative this is a good place to be. There is an award-winning music department and the…read moreboys rugby/hockey teams are one of the strongest around. Girls sports is maybe not the strongest in the older years though it appears to be improving. Principals here are always pretentious and often refer to the pupils as 'the cream of Belfast'. the 6th form centre is crampt but the school is currently being rebuilt so hopefully this will be greatly improved. the completion date is still unknownsupposedly it was 'meant' to be finished this year but really building has only just started and is a pain for pupils trying to concentrate as its quite noisy in classrooms close to the construction site. The majority of teachers are excellent and teach to a very high standard, and as much as I dislike the upcoming system and changes to education I would recommend this school to prospective students.

a great school, believed by many to be the best in Belfast, always turns out great students,…read morecontrary to popular belief however it is not known as controlled . as it isnt controlled . though its social structure bears a strange resmblence to any dictatorship, with the headmaster, his trusted advisors (in the form of VPs) and secret police (prefects) to control the masses of uneducated (play along with it) pupils

Really good primary school, relatively new but just keeps getting bigger and bigger via mobile…read moreclassrooms, they have 4 primary 1 class so that shows u the size of the school, they get good score and ratings from the arthorities, good school that is in my opinion busting at the seems!

This is a leading primary school in education. Ran by Mrs Sinead Beare a visionary in her…read morefield..the staff give over and above what is expected of them. The children from the offset learn in a fun and encouraging manner...every child is important and every child has a voice. Forward thinking for our adults of tomorrow.

An excellent, community school in the heart of Rathenraw Estate…read more For ages 4-11, incorporating a Learning Support Unit for children with learning difficulties. This school is an integrated primary school, educating children from all religious and ethnic/cultural backgrounds. Well worth a visit if you've kids of that age

This is a brilliant, sport-mad, musical school and its exam results speak for themselves. The staff…read moreare great people, committed to their pupils' learning and to combatting bullying. I'll be very sad to leave Inst!

Whitehouse Primary school was destroyed last July (2009) in an arson attack. This stunned local…read moremembers of the community and left many shell shocked. The 350 pupils of the Primary School have been attending temporary classes in nearby Newtownabbey Community High School. In May 2010, The Department of Education approved £3.6m funding to rebuild the school. It is unclear when building work will be finished. In a news report, a stunned Mr McConkey (the schools headmaster) said that current arrangements for his pupils sharing facilities in a high school means they have cramped classrooms, not enough toilets, no access for hot meals for many pupils, limited space outside and no assembly hall. This school was my own Primary School and is one of the best in the area. I will provide updates regarding the school as and when they occur. I hope all involved with the school know that they have the support and best wishes from the community around them.

in my opinion it is the best primary school I could ever send my child to, it has the overall best…read morestaff who are always very welcoming no matter the day and the teaching staff are the best I've ever seen, the school has many activities and unique rooms for the students that I have not seen in many other primary schools across NI and you can just tell how much effort and work they put into this school by just the look of it, they also offer many after school activities that I have not seen in many primary schools, overall the school is amongst the best i have ever seen and is very well kept, clean and overall the best primary school I've seen in NI, so if you are struggling to find the best fitting primary school for your child this year I would definitely recommend sending them to sacred heart, trust me you won't regret it!