Belfast Royal Academy is situated on Cliftonville Road, just off the Antrim Road which is a short five minutes walk from Belfast city centre. B.R.A. is a large co-educational, non-denominational grammar school which mainly focuses its interests on academic, sporting, and musical talents. There are currently around 1400 pupils at the grammar school which also has a Preparatory Department called Ben Madigan, which has 165 pupils. In stead of the 11+ the school now requires pupils to sit a 'Common Entrance Assessment' in which pupils need to score 95+ (based on last years figures)
B.R.A. was founded in 1785 by Rev. Dr. James Crombie and was originally located near St. Anne's Cathedral on Academy Street. It moved to the Cliftonville Road in 1880, when the current building was erected. For the first hundred years the school was known simply as Belfast Academy however in 1888 Queen Victoria granted permission for the school to name itself Belfast Royal Academy. The school motto is 'per vias sapientiae' which translates from Latin as "by the ways of wisdom". The School Crest is made up of a rose, thistle and shamrock, with the Royal Arms, the Belfast Arms and the Ulster Arms incorporated in to it. The three significant dates surrounding the design commemorate the foundation of the school in 1785, the transfer to the present site in 1880 and the Royal designation of Belfast Royal Academy in 1888.
The school boasts a number of high quality facilities including an impressive sports hall which is used for a number of sports such as netball, basketball, badminton, football, indoor athletics, cricket, hockey and volleyball. The hall is also used for rugby training, and has a full- size tennis court. Upstairs in the hall there's a new state-of-the-art fitness suite; which includes running machines, aerobics machines, cross-trainers, step-machines and bike-trainers. There's also a 25-metre indoor heated Swimming Pool which is used by pupils from B.R.A. and Ben Madigan as well as local community groups and swimming clubs. Continuing with the sports theme B.R.A. own the playing fields at Roughfort Sports Grounds where there are a number of pitches for rugby, cricket and hockey. The school also has a lease with Cavehill Tennis Courts allowing them to play freely on the courts.
As you can see, sports are very much encouraged at B.R.A. though they also have a thriving music club and drama club which hold annual concerts regarded in high merit. Pupils can also participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme from 3rd year onwards.
B.R.A. is a great school with a great teaching staff. I attended this school from 1999 - 2006 (Seems likes aeons ago now!) and I had a brilliant time here. I scored well in my GCSEs, AS & A Levels and this was all down to the commitment and quality of the staff here, I couldn't have done it without them. Although I wasn't the sporty type the school still encouraged and promoted my own individual talents, which is a very important quality. I would recommend this school highly to any parent who is indecisive about where to send their child. I have many, many fond memories of this school and the times I spent here. read more
