Assumption Grammar School
Description of Assumption Grammar School
- Location: Ballinahinch, Northern Ireland,
- Year of foundation: 1933,
- Number of students: more than 900,
- Language of instruction: English,
- Type: only girls.
Assumption Grammar School (AGS) is a Catholic grammar school for girls, offering programs from grades 8 to 14.
Founded by missionary sisters in 1933, the school has been approved by the Ministry of Education since 1936. The institution is the only such school in Ireland. Now AGS has a specialization: music and physical education - two disciplines that are the main focus of the curriculum.
Programs and prices, tuition fees in Assumption Grammar School
Key Stage 3
- Age – from 13 years
- The period is 3 years.
The Key Stage 3 program involves the education of students in grades 8-10. The curriculum is designed in such a way that each student develops as a member of society and an individual, knows how to interact with society and takes care of the environment.
In the first year, girls learn three modern languages, two of which continue to study in grades 9-10. Over the course of three years, many different disciplines have been studied, including:
- Art
- Artistic design,
- Music
- Theatrical art,
- Language and literacy,
- English language
- Mathematics
- Environment and societies,
- Geography
- History
- Science and technology,
- Relationships, sex education,
- Personal development,
- Local, global citizenship,
- Religious education.
In Grade 10, students choose subjects to prepare for GCSE at a later stage.
Key Stage 4
- Age – from 15 years
- The training period is 2 years.
The program of grades 11-12 implies diligent and effective preparation for the GCSE. The main subjects required for passing are English language and literature, religious studies, mathematics, one modern language (French, Irish or Spanish) and one of the natural sciences. In addition, students must choose four more disciplines from a large-scale list, which includes the following subjects:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Art
- Business research,
- Advanced Mathematics,
- Geography
- History
- Food and nutrition,
- Health and social support,
- Digital technologies: multimedia,
- Digital technologies: programming,
- Journalism.
Sixth Form
- Age – 16-18 years
- The period is 2 years.
After successfully passing the GCSE, the girls move on to studying in the 13th grade. Sixth Form offers a wide range of 28 subjects to prepare and pass A-Level. From the list it is necessary to choose 3-4 disciplines that will be studied in depth:
- Art
- Biology
- Business research,
- Chemistry
- Informatics
- English literature,
- French
- Advanced Mathematics,
- Geography
- History
- Nutrition and food science,
- Health and social support,
- Journalism
- Government and politics,
- Physical education,
- Religious education,
- Technology and design.
All students in grades 12-13 go through two compulsory periods of study: religious education and career studies.
Accommodation, meals, prices
Meals are provided in the restaurant "Windmill". The menu includes a variety of dishes prepared with fresh products: meat, vegetables, cereals, milk and protein; a list of potential allergens contained in each serving is indicated.
Activities Assumption Grammar School
The school's art department provides students with a wide range of ways to develop their interests:
- Fine arts,
- 3D-design,
- Theatrical art,
- Chorus
- Playing musical instruments, etc.
Extracurricular activities include master classes and practical exercises from leading artists and designers, participation in competitions, creative trips to European cities.
The institution also has:
- A science club where students can do a variety of research: from growing vegetables and fruits to chemical experiments and creating environmental projects. Club members annually participate in the Chemistry Festival, which is held at Queen's University Belfast.
- Technology Club – development of products such as watches, T-shaped lights, laser devices.
- Public speaking courses – development of self-confidence, debate skills. Students attend various competitions, including the International Soroptimist Association.
- Spanish Club – students in grades 9 and 10 have the opportunity to learn Spanish through songs, games, competitions, days of Spanish cuisine and culture.
- French club – open to students in grades 8-10. One of the regular events is a lunch meeting, where schoolgirls share new knowledge in the culture of the country through photographs, presentations, music.
- Irish society.
- Political Society – designed for high school students. A team of female students is involved in a number of initiatives, such as the European Youth Parliament of the British Council, which takes place in Stormont.
- Children's Book Club – students discuss all kinds of books, read and analyze together.
- Ski club - about 40-50 girls travel to different cities in Europe and the USA for skiing and cross-country skiing.
Sport is one of the two main directions of the school. Pupils of the institution have the opportunity to participate in team games, representing AGS in competitions. Sports areas opened at the school:
- Netball
- Basketball
- Dancing
- Fitness
- Tennis
- Kamogi,
- Swimming
- Athletics
- Cross-country running,
- Yoga
- Pilates.
Every year in July, AGS students visit India as part of the Saphara Project, where girls team up with students from other schools and work with children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Trips are also organized to South Africa, France and Spain, China and Nepal.
Advantages
- School uniform,
- Collaboration with a school in South Africa, Pembroke College and Corpus Christi Colleges,
- Outstanding GCSE exam results.
Facilities and equipment at Assumption Grammar School
The school's campus is located on the outskirts of ballinahinch Market Town in County Down, a 25-minute drive from the city centre. The educational building is a modern building of 2012, which is equipped with:
- Lecture classes,
- Multi-purpose halls,
- Restaurant "Windmill",
- Library
- Theatre Arts Studios,
- Computer labs,
- Music studios,
- Gym, games room with basketball, netball and badminton courts,
- Football field with artificial turf.
Admission dates and extra charges
The academic year lasts from August to June, during the year several weeks of holidays are organized, weekends in honor of the holidays. Classes are held from Monday to Friday, extracurricular activities - after classes and on Saturdays.
Additional costs:
- Accommodation off-campus, meals in the dining room,
- School uniform,
- Books, consumables as needed,
- The annual fee is £ 60 per child from the family, £ 20 for the education of two or more children,
- Personal spending.
Enrolment process
Each future student must pass an entrance test, which is invited after filling out the application. Based on the results of the test, students are selected for admission to a suitable class.
Enrolment statistics
Every year, from 130 to 150 new students are admitted to the school. The average number of applications is 200.
Perspectives
About 90% of high school students enter the best universities in the world, including Oxbridge, Nottingham and King's College London.
Entry requirements, how to apply, what is required to enrol
To enter the school, applicants must provide scorecards for the last two years of study at another institution and pass entrance tests.
Admission is made at the beginning of each semester.
Institution on the map
Residence permits, citizenship and other services
- Guardianship services during the studies
- Student supervision
Review about Assumption Grammar School
Recommendations on when to apply
| Language courses, schools and children's language camps | Primary and secondary education - private schools | Preparation programmes for entering universities - higher education | Higher education (after completing accredited programs A-level, IB, High School) - Bachelor, Master, MBA |
| - we recommend to apply 6-9 months before the start of the course (some camps and schools offer discounts for early booking or for lengthy study programs) - there are some very popular and high demand children's camps, where the applications need to be submitted 1 year in advance (in particular Switzerland , Great Britain , USA , Canada , Austria) | - we recommend to apply one year before the start of the training program, - some schools have a specific time frame (September-November - please specify an individual school) - some schools require tests in several stages (UKISET, internal tests of the school: English, mathematics, logics, subjects, interview, some require a personal visit) | - we recommend to apply one year before the start of the program, - for Foundation and Pathway programs, IELTS and TOEFL certificates are usually required, respectively | - recommended submission one year before the start of the program, - the deadline normally closes in January, for TOP HEIs and, as a rule, in March in other universities - for a bachelor, a Foundation or Pathway preparatory program a completed A-level, IB, High School + IELTS / TOEFL are required - for Masters you need a graduated higher education, in some cases you need a pre-Masters program - MBA requires completed higher education, work experience preferably at least 2-3 years, etc. |
