Friends' School, Lisburn

Coordinates: 54°31′05″N 6°02′42″W / 54.518°N 6.045°W / 54.518; -6.045

Friends' School, Lisburn

Quae sursum sunt quaerite - seek the things that are above
Location
Lisburn, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Information
Type Voluntary grammar with preparatory department
Established 1774
Principal Mr Stephen Moore
Enrollment 950
Colours

Green, Red and Yellow

              
Age Range 4 to 18
Denomination Quaker
Website www.friendsschoollisburn.org.uk/

Friends' School, Lisburn is a Quaker voluntary grammar school in the city of Lisburn, Northern Ireland, founded in 1774.

History

Friends School, Lisburn was founded - as The Ulster Provincial School- on the basis of a bequest in 1764 of a prosperous linen merchant, John Hancock, who left £1,000 for the purchase of land in or near Lisburn on which to build a school for the children of Quakers. Twenty acres were purchased at Prospect Hill from the Earl of Hertford. In 1774, the first headmaster, John Gough, took up his post. In 1794 The Ulster provincial School became the responsibility of the Ulster Quarterly Meeting, the body representing the Religious Society of Friends in Ulster.

Pupils going to school in the c. 1920s.

Friends' is one of two Quaker schools in Ireland, the other being Newtown School, Waterford. There are nine in the United Kingdom.

In 2011 the school was named by the Sunday Times as the best in Northern Ireland.

Composition

The school consists of a fee-paying preparatory department, Prospect House, and a grammar school, the latter of which, until recently had a boarding department attracting pupils from abroad (mostly Hong Kong) due to its reputation. Friends' now only accepts day pupils, of around 140 a year contributing to a full enrollment of 970 for the grammar school.

The latest addition to the school was a playground, opened in 2009. It stands in the place of the old swimming pool, beside Harding House. The swimming pool was reputed to be the oldest heated one in Ireland (1901)..

Sport

The school offers a wide range of sports, including rugby union, hockey, badminton, netball and cricket. Friends' has won the Burney Cup a total of 15 times, sharing it on 4 occasions.

Notable former pupils

See also

References

    External links

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