great big school and I have to write a lot a so I will the support and the care the staff give your…read morechild and you the parents I went there so does my two girls and they love great teachers lovely staff and over great school the best in belfast

Fortwilliam (as it's more commonly known) was my secondary school and I have to say, I have nothing…read morebut fond memories of the place. Structurally, it's unrecognisable compared to how it was when I was a pupil. Thanks to a massive grant, the entire school was pretty much rebuilt. It was much needed though, because Fortwilliam used to be one of those schools that was about 50% mobile classrooms (some of which had been around from the 1950s! Actually.) Now, it's a thoroughly modern school with all the amenities you could expect from a grammar school. I always found that the staff at the school really cared for the pupils, and as a result there was a real sense of community about the place. I'm sure some would disagree with me, but my experience was that I made some true friends there and was supported the whole way through my years there. Aw...I'm feeling all nostalgic now...must go set up a Fortwilliam Appreciation Society on Facebook!

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!

As a parent and primary teacher , I have to completely disagree with the previous review. Both my…read morechildren go here as it was recommended to me on the strengths of excellent teaching and pastoral care. One of my children is very academic and is doing so well, she is definitely stretched and is expected to do very well at gcse and a-level. My other child has a statement of special need and is blooming as well. Neither has ever experienced bullying, of course there are loudmouths but you get that any school. The school is tied to letting you pick four gcses as the other four are compulsory (govt). I think taking 8 gcses is more than enough for any child.

Inclusive society and good chances for education. These are two things you will not receive here. A…read morelot of people don't know how to spell inclusive, they don't know what it means. There are particular groups of people who will harass you at every opportunity they can. They only let you pick 4 GCSE's and if you pick Double Award Science, only 3. Some of the rules here are nonsensical, and if you breach them, expect an awkward trip to your Year Head. The teachers are mixed. Some good, some not so much. All in all, this school is a disappointment because I would have expected more. Unfortunately, it is not the 'Best School East of Lough Neagh, it's not even the best school in Lisburn. If you don't listen to what they say and come here not expecting much, you'll be a little surprised. If you're smart and need a challenge, look elsewhere. In all likelihood, you'll be trapped in a class with loudmouths who never shut up, why? Well, because the class system is broken, too. You may be put in a class with the loudest, most annoying people ever for no apparent reason. And if you say anything, you'll be left hanging. Don't get me wrong, there are some good teachers who genuinely care about you, but, really, I would have expected more. Heed my advice, don't make this school your first choice.

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'

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

OK, let's get this out of the way first. I am a lady. With ladybits. St Malachy's is a boys'…read morecollege. For boys. But I'm going to review it anyway. There are two reasons for this. One is that no-one can live in Belfast for any amount of time and not be aware of St Malachy's. The amount of young gentlemen I have met during the course of my, em, career who are past pupils of the place has been considerable, and they have all had nothing but good things to say about it. The second reason is that back in my North Belfast News days, I interviewed the headmaster as part of a feature on the school. How pleased I was to go up that drive and into the hallowed halls of the school for a nosy. Yes, really. I'm a geek. Dr Morrin took over an hour out of his very busy day to go through the history and ethos of the college with me, and it was one of my more memorable and enjoyable interviews. I was in St Malachy's, for freak's sake! As a ladyperson! I mentioned that I had two ex boyfriends who were past pupils, and he remembered them both. Even better, although he was the soul of discretion, he clearly liked the good one and had dubious memories of the bad one. Ha. An outstanding school and a Belfast institution. I still smile going past it on the bus up the Antrim Road. Oh, and their website is pretty good too.

St. Malachy's College is where I spent the last two years of my Secondary school education. I moved…read morehere from my old school because they offered the subjects I wanted to do at A Level. The style of teaching was quite different in that it was a lot more relaxed in St Malachy's than it was in my previous school and I don't know if that was a good thing or not. More importantly, this is where I met some the most inspiring teachers (as well as complete ejits) and made friends that I still have five years on. The majority of the buildings are very old and have a great history behind them. A lot of these buildings were left unoccupied and we'd often have a wonder around them. These were the old dorms which now were left empty but still have quite a lot of the furniture in them, which made them quite creepy. The Study area's used by the 6th year students hold a lot of good memories for me. This is where a lot of students spent their free periods just chatting or more importantly (ahem) revising. A great place that I even today still have a lot of time for.

Happy memories of my time there, and a very good school in my day…read more Mr Todd was headmaster back then.

The main controlled primary in the area and the largest, my parents didnt send me here and i…read morewouldnt send my children here either. A lot of the staff have been there a long time and to be honest should have retired many years ago. theres a lack of discipline at the school and the 11 plus past rate is average at best. My advice would be to use of the the many local small country schools for a better standard od one to one education

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.