1
Location of AGS
WE ARE HERE
Antrim Grammar School is situated in a town called Antrim in Northern
Ireland. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom alongside Wales, England
and Scotland. Antrim is located about 10 miles north-west of the capital which is
Belfast.
Antrim is well known across Northern Ireland as it has the only Retail Outlet
centre in the country: it is called ‘Junction One’. In Antrim we also have a Sports
Centre which is very popular with the locals. The Forum, as it is called is located
very close to our school so we can use it.
Antrim’s main historical attraction is the Round Tower and the surrounding
Castle Grounds. When it is a lovely day, it is brilliant to walk round the area and top
up on your tan. At night you could visit the theatre, known as the Clotworthy Arts
Centre and watch one of the many plays.
Antrim Grammar School is the only Grammar school in the Antrim area. We
go to primary school until we are eleven and then we sit a test which determines
whether we go to a grammar school or a secondary school.
Antrim Sports
Centre
2
THE HISTORY OF ANTRIM
In Antrim we have a lot of history. We are going to tell you about a few
exciting stories.
THE LEGEND OF THE ROUND TOWER
The Round Tower has many mysteries and legends. One of them is about
a witch called An Trim. She tried to climb the seventy foot tower and
steal the monks’ treasures. Unfortunately, she fell out of a window and
landed on a large stone. Her elbow and head left a mark on the stone
which is still visible today.
This is a picture of the Witch Stone
This is a picture of the
Round Tower
The tower stands at 90ft. The Tower was probably built 900A.D and is all
that remains of an important sixth century Monastery, abandoned in 1147.
3
ANTRIM CASTLE
Lady Massereene was out walking in the Castle Grounds when she was
attacked by wolves. She fled and fell into The Six Mile Water, a river. As
she was about to drown, an Irish wolfhound rescued her and pulled her
ashore. The same dog became a hero when he pulled people out of the
Castle fire.
This was the Castle that was destroyed by fire on the 28th October 1922
during a Grand Ball.
This is the Castle Grounds. This
is where Lady Massereene was chased by the wolves.
4
About Antrim Grammar School
Antrim Grammar School was established in 1974. The Principal is Mr. Black
who became our Principal during the last school year. Our school colours are blue and
yellow.
AGS (Antrim Grammar School) is a mixed school. We take two sets of major
external examinations. At the end of each school year, in June, we have internal
exams to test us on the year’s work.
Our school is spilt into two sections: junior school, years 8, 9 and 10, and
senior school, years 11, 12, 13 and 14. There are about seven hundred and fifty pupils
in our school. Our class is in our final year of junior school.
We begin Antrim Grammar school at the age of eleven and finish at the age of
eighteen. Our school day begins at 8.45am in the morning and ends at 3.10pm in the
afternoon. We have many after school clubs which are over at about four thirty, and
you can join some clubs during break time and lunch time. We have two breaks in our
teaching day; break time from 10.00am until 10.20am and lunch time from 12.25pm
until 01.00pm.
We have seven year groups in our school, years 8 – 14. Each year group is
split up into four classes. There are about 26 to 30 pupils in each class.
Before we came to Antrim Grammar School, each pupil spent seven years at a
primary school and then sat an examination called ‘The Eleven Plus.
Classes for GCSE and A Level
After our third year at the school we will go to a special choices day at the school. At
this event we will choose what subjects we would like to do for GCSE and possibly A
Level. We will choose different subjects, some which you would also do. These new
subjects include Politics, Philosophy, Business Studies, Additional Maths, English
Literature, English Drama, English Journalism, Technology and Design, Horse Care
and Horticulture. GCSE and A Level exams are external exams taken by students
across the United Kingdom.
School Facilities
In Antrim Grammar School there are many excellent facilities such as the rugby,
hockey and all weather pitches. We also have laboratories for Biology, Chemistry and
Physics. There is also a Technology block where the assembling of projects takes
place. There are also six computer suites, and they are very hi-tech. For older pupils
there is ‘the Quad’ where Biology is taught, there is a greenhouse and a pond. There is
also the Peace Garden; this is where pupils can relax.
The school has started an Environmental Club which cleans up the school. This
also means our school gets a better reputation for being more environmentally
friendly. Finally, there is the Sports Hall which has a gym for pupils and staff.
Sometimes, we also use the Assembly Hall which has fantastic gymnastic and sports
equipment including volleyball and netball nets. The school’s facilities are very
modern and helpful for all pupils.
5
A Day In The Life Of Year 10
Uniform
In our school it is compulsory to wear a uniform. For the girls the uniform is a
grey skirt, (a straight skirt for the juniors and a pleated skirt for the seniors) a white
shirt, a blue and yellow tie, a blue blazer, grey socks and black shoes. For the boys the
uniform consists of grey trousers, (black for the seniors) a white shirt, a blue and
yellow tie, a blue blazer, grey socks and black shoes.
For the P.E uniform, the girls are required to wear a navy skirt or navy tracksuit
bottoms, a white polo shirt, white socks and trainers. The boys wear navy tracksuit
bottoms (or shorts), a white polo shirt or a yellow and navy rugby shirt.
Our day
Our school day starts at eight forty-five and finishes at ten past three. We start
the day with registration and classes start at ten to nine. Each lesson is thirty to thirtyfive minutes long and we have double lessons that are one hour long. Sciences are
always double lessons; other lessons can be single or double. Break is at ten o’clock
to ten fifteen, when we can access our lockers. Lunch starts at twenty five past twelve
until one o’clock.
Library
In our school we have a library with a wide selection of both fiction and nonfiction books. The librarian is very helpful and friendly and encourages us to read lots
of books. In the library we also have access to computers and the internet.
Students are welcome at all times to read study or catch up on homework. The library
is open at all times including after school, except on Fridays.
In the junior school, once a week in English classes, we are allowed to read a book
in the library for half an hour. This is a good chance to read a book if you don’t have
much time at home and we all really enjoy this time!
6
Our Class
Our class is called 10E. We are one of four classes in our year. The other three classes
are S, T and P We are in our 3rd year at Antrim Grammar. There are twenty-six people
in our class, sixteen boys and ten girls. We are all between the age of thirteen and
fourteen. We generally get on well together.
Most of our class enjoys playing sports: some include hockey rugby cricket
badminton and various others. We are a very energetic class and always like to have
fun.
In English class last year, Alan Gibbons who is an author, came and talked to
us about how to write stories. We learnt a lot from him and found it very interesting.
A poet also came to talk to us called Chelly McClean. We have read many class
novels such as Tag, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry and in first year we read Feather
Boy and 18th Emergency.
In Antrim Grammar school it is compulsorily to do English up to fifth year for
our GCSE examination.
Our English teacher is called Mrs Hughes and at the minute we are working on
this Project. We hope we give you a good impression of our class, and are looking
forward to hearing about your class.
Our Favourite Things
Our class is a very close class so we tend to like the same subjects. Most of us
enjoy the subjects like P.E, Technology and Games. In Games, the boys play rugby in
the winter and cricket in the summer. The girls play hockey in the winter and then
tennis in the summer. We like these subjects because it is a break from writing and
working. We can get some fresh air and stretch our legs. In games we join up with
the rest of the year instead of being with our class sets. Our favourite teacher is Dr
Finlay who teaches us Geography.
7
Antrim Grammar School:
Sports and Activities.
Antrim Grammar School takes pride in the range of different after school
clubs and activities available in the school. These include:
 Chess
 Tennis
 Rugby
 Orchestra
 Warhammer
 Public speaking
 Drama
Antrim Grammar School has had many sporting achievements this year. This is due to
hard training and the different range of sports we have at Antrim Grammar School.
Some of the sports we practise include
 Tennis
 Cricket
 Rugby
 Badminton
 Hockey
 Netball
NETBALL
The Netball Club meets every Tuesday from 3.15 to 4.15pm in the Sports Hall. The
fast and exciting game of netball proves very popular with the girls at Antrim
Grammar and the best entertainment is when the boys play matches against the girls!
As a recreational sport, the emphasis is on having fun, while the girls learn to develop
their basic skills, improve their principles of play and increase their knowledge of the
game.
Warhammer
The AGS Warhammer Club has been running for 6 years now, and we have built up a
dedicated member base, but just like every club in AGS, we are always welcoming
new members interested in learning the game. Warhammer is a turn based strategy
board game played using miniature soldiers. There are many different games within
Warhammer which are set in either a fantasy world or in the future. There is also a
Lord of the Rings version.
We meet on Wednesdays after school in the Technology block, and it is thanks to Mr
Cullen’s supervision and enthusiasm for modelling, that the club still meets every
week.
All in all, Antrim Grammar has had many sporting achievements and we are proud of
the many great wins we have achieved.
8
BOYS’ HOCKEY
In Antrim Grammar we are starting to take boys’ hockey a lot more seriously. Our
training is on a Friday after school from 3:10 until 4:30. Our first team had an
amazing start winning a 10-0 victory over Ballyclare in the first game of the Prior
Shield. We also won against Regent House, Methodist College and we had a 3-3
draw with Sullivan Upper. The final game of the group was a great win against
Portadown. We eventually got into the quarter finals but we were defeated 4-1.
However, an invitation to the Burney Cup was given to the team thanks to the great
progress that they made.
At the moment we only have two teams; they are senior and junior but we would like
to divide it into different year groups. This is something that we hope to do in the near
future.
ATHLETICS
Antrim Grammar's Athletics Club starts in the summer term and welcomes any pupil
who enjoys a variety of athletic events. Every week pupils eagerly turn out to try to
improve their fitness level by sprint or middle distance training. Many others develop
their throwing technique or jumping distance.
Lots of our serious athletes train for the N.E.B.S.S.A. and District Championships and
over the year we have had many medal winners and Ulster Representatives
Sports
day 2007
9
8
After-School Clubs
Badminton
Badminton is a great sport to play, it is a very fast game which requires good reflexes
and hand eye coordination. It is on a Monday afternoon after school and it runs from
September until April. We play badminton in our school Sports Hall so it leaves us
with enough room for three badminton courts. Before the badminton club ends we
have a tournament, for all participants.
Tennis
The tennis club starts in April and is on every Monday. We have all the facilities we
need to hold the club with three tennis courts, tennis rackets for those who do not
have their own, and many tennis balls in case any get lost. We hold double and single
tournaments before the end of the year.
Scripture Union
Scripture Union is a club where pupils come to learn about God. It’s on every
Thursday and continues through the year; at the start of the year we go to
Castlewellan, a castle near the sea, for a weekend to have fun and worship.
Some weeks we have guests who come in to talk about their experience helping
with poverty in other countries or about troubles in their life that God had helped
them through. It is an exciting and encouraging club, which makes learning about
God fun.
Rugby
Rugby is a sport played around the world. It is played by two teams with fifteen
players on each team. The object of the game is to try and score in the opposite end of
the pitch with the ball, while the other team tries to tackle them and win the ball back
and do the same on the other side.
Rugby in our school is taken very seriously. We train twice a week; once during
school and once after school. We play our matches every Saturday, either at home or
away. At the moment our pitches are being re-laid and are getting a drainage system
put underneath it. This should help insure we play much better.
Within our school we have eleven coaches to teach us the tricks and the trades of
rugby. Last year we were taken on a tour to Scotland where over one hundred and
twenty players travelled. Unfortunately, we lost by six points and the younger team
also lost. Hopefully, in a couple of years’ time we will be going to Canada, Argentina
or South Africa. This year our team have got off to a flying start winning our first
game by 39-0.
Cricket
Cricket is one of the many sports we play here in Antrim Grammar School. At first
cricket used to be a popular sport in our school, but this year Antrim Grammar School
has linked up with Muckamore Cricket Club in an attempt to restore its popularity.
This means that we will be able to play a lot more matches and have a lot more
training sessions, so hopefully we will have more success.
The cricket season starts in April after the rugby in school and goes on until the
end of September. Our cricket team is made up of eleven players. We play local
schools such as Parkhall College and Wellington College. At the moment, our cricket
pitch is also being re-laid so we won’t be able to play until September 2008, but we
can play in a neighbouring school’s pitch.
10
Exams
The end of school exams are quite intimidating for all students doing them as this a
large part of our end of school report. It is especially intimidating in first year as it is
your first year doing exams so you might get very nervous. This is because you might
not get a high as score as you thought.
Revision is a large part of preparing for exams. You might think that revision is
unimportant in getting a good score in your exams but it is actually one of the most
important things you could possibly think about when you are preparing.
Our Maths exams are split into two parts; calculator and non-calculator papers. Some
people think that the non-calculator papers would be harder because you don’t have a
calculator with you to assist you so you would take a lot longer but actually they are
completely different papers and the calculator paper is a lot harder.
The English exams are split into three parts: one is comprehension in which you have
to read a passage and answer detailed questions giving detailed answers; the second
part is an essay where you are given a title and you have to write a story about it; the
third part is a grammar exercise.
Our school has a high pass rate for A-level examinations. Northern Ireland has the
highest mark in the UK’s exam results.
11
Charity events
Our school does a lot of charity events.
Here are examples of them…
Introduction
We do fundraisers to raise money for different charities of our choice. The charity
events are always good fun and a good laugh. Here are some examples of the charity
events we have done in the past.
Non-uniform days
Non-uniform days are when we don’t wear our school uniform for a day. On that day
everyone has to bring in a pound coin and that money goes to a charity.
Barbeque for South Africa Rugby Tour
This was a day when the 6th formers of the school had a barbeque to raise money to
go towards their South Africa rugby tour.
Wednesday charity collection
Every Wednesday we have a charity collection where we give in as much money as
we want. Each week the charity is different. All the classes in the school do this, so a
lot of money is raised every time.
Reading for life
This was when everyone in the class had to read as many books of their choice as they
want in a certain amount of time. People you know, like friends and family, sponsor
you for each book you read and at the end all the money went to a leukaemia charity
and each participant got a certificate and a book mark.
Raffle
Everybody brought in something to go in the raffle and it was 20p to buy a ticket.
Each person pulls a ticket out of a hat and the number on the ticket matches with the
ticket on a prize in the raffle, and you win it!
Name the Teddy Bear
This is when we asked everyone to pay 20p to name the teddy bear. Whoever guessed
the name correctly won the teddy bear. A teacher ended up winning it this year!
12
Fundraisers
Our school has lots of different fundraisers.
Here are some of them…
School Discos
We have school discos to raise money for different things in the school. For example,
the last disco raised money help fund the ski trip to America and the rugby tour to
South Africa.
20p collection
Last year all of the classes in our year collected 20pence coins and laid them across
the assembly hall to see which class had collected the most. Our class won and we
chose to support the Chest, Heart and Stroke charity.
Tin collection
At Christmas, the school collected tins of food for the old people who have to spend
Christmas alone. This helped to make their Christmas dinner easier for them. Every
pupil had to bring in at least 2 tins of food. The old people were very happy with what
we brought them!
Shoeboxes
At Christmas the school also collects shoeboxes to send to the children in Africa who
get nothing at Christmas. Each shoebox is filled with nice things and basic items, such
as toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, socks, pencils and a small treat.
Catch Phrases
Each pupil gets 20 catch phrase sheets to sell. Catch phrases are types of puzzles. The
money that is collected goes to a charity but last year we used the money to buy a new
mini-bus for the school.
13
Second Year Competition
Our school is really involved in giving money to charities. During the year some charities we
have given to are: Abuse of Children, Habitat for Humanity- we built houses for
underprivileged families in Africa and Britain, N.S.P.C.C, Save the Children- we give the
money towards food and school supplies, Macmillan Cancer Research, Dogs for the Blind,
R.S.P.C.A- shelters for animals, Dogs Trust and Animals for Africa Families.
Recently, our year group was involved in a competition. It had three sections; Charity, general
Knowledge and Sports sections.
In the sport section, each class had a relay team, which participated in Sports Day, a team of
boys and a team of girls. Then they raced to see who was the best.
Or class won the charity competition. We collected over £300, which is a large amount of
money for one class. This amount of money is about €429. Altogether the classes collected
over £600, which is about €860. Our class decided to give the donation to a local charity, in
Antrim called Chest, Heart, and Stroke Foundation.
.
14
School Trips
Our school went on many trips over the years
Here are a few of them:
Ski Trip to America
Many pupils from our year and about ten from year nine are going on a skiing trip to Boston,
in America, near the end of February for a week. We will spend two days travelling, four
days skiing and one day at Harvard University.
Synagogue Trip
In year nine our year went to the Synagogue in Belfast. All of the boys who went had to wear
beanies to cover their heads. The rabbi told us all about Judaism and the Synagogue.
Aquarium trip
In year nine we also went to the Aquarium in Portrush. It was a Biology trip and we saw
many marine animals such as fish, rays, crabs, starfish and sharks. We also saw injured baby
seals that had been rescued from around the coast. We all had a great time.
Year 9 Rugby trip to Scotland
Last year some boys from our year went to Scotland to play a rugby match against a Scottish
school. The boys had a great time and came home having made many new friends.
Unfortunately, we lost. The final score was 43 to 38.
School Trips.
In first year, we went on a few school trips. The first trip we went on was to Ganaway
Residential Centre. The main reason for going was to make friends. We did different activities
such as zip lining, archery, wall climbing, and canoeing. Everyone in our class really enjoyed
our stay.
Another trip we went on was to the Giants Causeway. The Giants Causeway is on the
north coast of Northern Ireland. This school trip was in first year and we had great fun. We
saw the different rocks and different shapes of rocks which was interesting. It was a nice day
and everyone enjoyed themselves.
In second year, we also went to the cinema at Christmas to see a newly released film.
It was called ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.’
These are a few pictures of the Giants Causeway where we went in first year.
15