sullivan upper preparatory department
9EP,
Sullivan Upper is a co-educational, inter-denominational, voluntary grammar
school. The school was founded in 1877 and, since 1939, has occupied extensive
grounds on the edge of Holywood. The school’s aims remain very much as they
originally were: to provide the best possible education for all pupils,
regardless of race, sex, background or religious denomination. Pupils come to
Sullivan from a large catchment area, covering North Down, Ards and East
Belfast. We provide for all our pupils as broad and balanced a curriculum as
possible; we support it (as our motto lamh foisdineach an uachtar ‘the gentle
hand foremost’ suggests) with a much-praised pastoral care system; and we extend
it through a tremendous range of games, clubs, societies and other
extracurricular activities. A truly dedicated team of teaching and non-teaching
staff helps all of our pupils to develop their talents to the full and to
prepare themselves effectively for the challenges and responsibilities of adult
life. Our emphasis is strongly academic and we place a high value on academic
achievement. Pupils entering the school at age 11 begin a 5-year course of study
leading to GCSE examinations, in which they will be expected to enter for at
least 9 subjects, and it is anticipated that the vast majority of those who take
GCSE examinations will remain at school for a further 2 years to take GCE AS and
Advanced Level courses before heading off to universities at home or across the
water, including Oxford and Cambridge. Our proud record of tremendous results in
public examinations shows that all pupils are empowered to realise their
potential.
