Belfast Royal Academy

Belfast Royal Academy is a co-educational, non-denominational independent school situated in north Belfast. It currently has approximately 1600 pupils.

Related Topics:
Independent school - Belfast

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The School was founded in 1785 by Dr. Crombie in Academy Street and is the oldest school in Belfast. Originally situated near St. Anne's Cathedral in what is now Academy Street, it moved to its current location on the Cliftonville Road in 1880. For more than a century the school was named Belfast Academy. In 1888, Queen Victoria granted permission for the school to style itself the Belfast Royal Academy. The current Headmaster is W.S.F Young.

Related Topics:
1785 - 1880 - 1888 - Queen Victoria

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The school's preparatory department, Ben Madigan, is located on the Antrim Road in the shadow of Cave Hill. Originally opened in 1829, it moved to its current site in 1965. A pre-prep was opened in 1998.

Related Topics:
Cave Hill - 1829 - 1965 - 1998

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The School Crest comprises the rose, the thistle and the shamrock, along with the Royal Arms, the Arms of the City of Belfast and those of the Province of Ulster. The three significant dates mark the foundation of the school in 1785, the transfer to the present site in 1880 and the approval by Queen Victoria of the designation Belfast Royal Academy in 1888.

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When a pupil enters the Academy they are placed into on of the houses: Shaw, Currie, Pottinger or Cairns, all named after past pupils. Each house has its own colour and pupils wear house ties.

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As a pupil progresses through the Academy they can earn honours through hard work in sport and/or in the arts. There are minor honours (which allows a pupil to wear a minor honours tie, which has blue owls on it) and major honours. If a pupil gains major honours in sports they are entitled to wear a maroon blazer with a gold school badge on it and a tie that has yellow owls on it. Pupils who receive a major honours in the arts, such as music or drama, are entitled to wear a blue blazer with a gold school badge. To get these honours pupils need to be hard-working and dedicated.

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The school operates a smart card system, so rather than pupils paying for their meals with cash, and using cash in the vending machines, they use electronic money which is read by several machines throughout the school, including cash registers, top-up machines and balance checkers.

Related Topics:
Smart card - Vending machines - Cash register

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