The Royal School Armagh

Since 2018, Graham Montgomery. Previously principal of Cookstown High School, a position he’d have gladly have remained in for years were it not for this role – which he considers the ultimate coup – coming up. Growing up just 10 miles away, he has

At 11+, 100 places up for grabs. At least 85 are snapped up by day pupils who are selected via Common Entrance Assessment (similar to the English 11+). They come from the school’s own prep school (around six or seven a year) and 33 feeder primary

About five per cent leave after GCSEs. At 18, large numbers to Queen’s University Belfast (Russell Group), the University of Ulster and Stranmillis University College, but increasingly to England and some to Scotland and Wales. Durham, Liverpool and

In 2024, 60 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 35 per cent A*/A at A level (60 per cent A*-B).

‘Good qualifications will get you the interview and good character will get you the job’ is school’s mantra and pupils are constantly reminded they go hand in hand. Patience is also a strong point, with teachers often taking significant chunks of

Head of SEN is supported by a team of classroom assistants including experts in dyslexia and ASD. Support mainly in the classroom via differentiated learning, breaking down barriers to learning, embedding coping mechanisms and extra support, eg

All staff are involved in clubs and societies, with every pupil encouraged to do at least one a week (no problem there – school admits to struggling to fit them all in). Everything from chess to modern dance and from Scripture Union to debating

One compulsory two-hour sports session a week with the rest extracurricular. Two-term rugby and hockey school and ‘rugby is almost a religion,’ said a pupil, although another insisted that ‘you don’t feel excluded if it is not your thing’. Pupils

Boarding is always oversubscribed – they could fill it twice over though they always leave space for the occasional ad hoc boarder in an emergency. About half hail from Northern Ireland, the rest from overseas – Hong Kong represents biggest group

Carol Dweck’s growth mindset is the framework here, encouraging students to view challenges and setbacks as a tool for learning. The pastoral team meets regularly and all pupils have a weekly meeting with their tutors, while heads of year run monthly

A clear mobile phone policy is a really important part of modern schooling. This school has provided us with their policy.

Parents are a broad church, cutting right across the social spectrum – some rural, others urban and sophisticated; some wealthy, others struggling to make ends meet. Some Ulster expats want their children to have what they had and so send them back

Tuition is free for residents of Northern Ireland. The boarding fee is much lower than anywhere in England or Scotland – too cheap, say some parents (of day children). The annual fee for day pupils who pass the 11+ is a paltry £400 – pays for

A compassionate and caring school where the ‘holistic approach runs through the school like a stick of rock’ and where the development of character is equally as important as academic achievement.