Sport
Bangor Grammar School has long been recognised for the very high standard of provision for Physical Education and Sport.
In Physical Education we aim to provide an enjoyable and satisfying programme, with opportunities for every pupil to develop physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively. The Physical Education Curriculum offers a comprehensive range of learning experiences to meet the needs of individual pupils and encourages active involvement by all as performers, observers and officials.
A large number of dedicated staff provide expert and enthusiastic teaching in a wide variety of sports. The facilities in the school include a gymnasium, fitness suite, sports hall, four high-specification grass pitches, an all-weather astroturf hockey pitch, four tennis courts and a practice court. Use is also made of Bangor Rugby and Cricket Club, the Aurora Leisure Centre and local Golf Clubs.
Sports offered in the extra-curriculum programme include Athletics, Badminton, Cricket, Cross-Country, Golf, Hockey, Rugby, Soccer, Swimming, Table-Tennis and Tennis.
Whilst talented boys are encouraged to aim for the highest peak of achievement the overriding aim is that boys should enjoy their sport and benefit from it.
Extra-Curricular Activities
The school complements the academic curriculum with a wide range of other activities catering for the cultural, leisure and adventure interests of boys throughout the school.
The Dramatic Societies and the Music Department provide experience of the performing arts. The annual school play frequently involves both boys from this school and girls from other local schools, while many junior pupils have the opportunity of participating in the annual House Junior Drama Festival. Large numbers of boys take instrumental tuition and participate in the orchestra, concert band, choirs and instrumental ensembles, playing and singing at concerts and services in school and at various prestigious venues.
The school encourages its pupils to be involved in the local and wider communities. Meeting the needs of others is the goal of the Community Action Team which fosters close links with local charities. Boys also work with local primary schools throughout the year, acting as mentors and assisting with literacy, numeracy, drama, music and sports. We also have a close relationship with Clifton Special School.
The School Charity Committee coordinates fundraising in support of a wide range of causes. During the course of the academic year, thousands of pounds are regularly raised by way of special events, non-uniform days and concerts given by the Concert Band, especially at Christmas. In addition, regular collections in kind, such as old mobile phones, football shirts, toiletries and non-perishable foodstuffs have been undertaken in aid of 20 different charities including Action Cancer, the Simon Community, Storehouse, Trocaire and Abaana. As part of the school’s celebration of its 150th anniversary, a party of pupils and staff travelled to Uganda during the summer of 2007 to construct a new primary school. The wider Bangor Grammar School community raised over £30,000 to fund the building of the new school. In 2015, again in association with Abaana we raised over £80,000 to build another primary school in Northern Uganda, with boys and staff working on the site in Gulu in the summer of that year. The project was in grateful recognition of the public money used to build our new school on Gransha Road. A group of pupils and members of staff travelled to Uganda in 2018 to build a nursery school on the site at Gulu.
The Combined Cadet Force and the Duke of Edinburgh organisations aim to enhance the self-confidence of those young people seeking an adventure activity. The two sections of the CCF, namely the Army and Royal Navy, involve girls from Glenlola Collegiate School, and the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme provides training and access to the Bronze, Silver and Gold Award levels.
We encourage boys to pursue their interests outside of school, and are delighted that our current pupils and recent alumni include a champion bowler, diver, piper, motocross rider, karters, judo player, a Northern Ireland Schools’ footballer and three professional rugby players including one international.