Dominican College is a Catholic grammar all-girls school in Fortwilliam Park, north Belfast, Northern Ireland.
History
The school was established in 1930 by the Dominican Sisters. It was initially established as a Catholic commercial college for Belfast, alongside a second-level school. In 2006, the management of the school passed from the Dominican Sisters to lay management. The school is now under the trusteeship of the Cabra Dominican Sisters, with a board of governors whose membership also includes parents, a teacher and appointees of the Education Authority.[1]
In 2005 it underwent a major £13.1 million redevelopment.[2]
The school chapel has been listed as a building of special architectural merit.[3]
In 2017, the total student population was just over 1000, a quarter of it the sixth form.[4]
Academics
In 2019 the school was ranked 5th out of 159 secondary schools in Northern Ireland with 91.7% of its A-level students who sat the exams in 2017/18 being awarded three A*-C grades.[5]
In 2018 it was ranked joint ninth in Northern Ireland for its GCSE performance with 99.3% of its entrants receiving five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C, including the core subjects English and Maths.[6]
Facilities
The modernist design of the chapel, which was built in 1964, was influenced by Le Corbusier's chapel at Ronchamp in France.[7]
Alumnae
- Eileen Bell CBE (born 1943) – politician, Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for North Down from 1998 to 2007
- Marianne Elliott OBE (born 1948) – academic historian.[8]
- Medbh McGuckian (born 1950) – poet
- Katie Melua (born 1984) – Georgian-born popular singer[9]
- Nuala McAllister (born 1989) – politician; Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for North Belfast from 2022[10]
References
- 1."Dominican Sisters". 7 February 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
- 2."Dominican College". Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- 3."New listed buildings". Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- 4."school Board of Governors Report 2017-2018" (PDF). Retrieved 11 November 2019.
- 5."Belfast Telegraph A-Level: Northern Ireland School League Tables 2019". Belfasttelegraph.co.uk. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- 6."Belfast Telegraph GCSE 2018". Belfasttelegraph.co.uk. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
- 7."Belfast buildings: Cyprus Avenue properties among those granted listed status". BBC News. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- 8."A perspective on Irish Studies". The Irish Times. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- 9."Katie Melua katie melua Call Off The Search pictures, katie melua gallery lyrics pictures video music". www.katie-melua.com. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
- 10."Belfast mayor Nuala McAllister: 'People would have underestimated me in the past'". The Irish News. Belfast. 23 September 2017.