Sullivan Upper Preparatory Department

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. ​