Victoria College, Belfast is a voluntary non-denominational independent

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

in Cranmore Park, Belfast,

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. In 2022, the college's stated enrolment was 870. Victoria College was awarded

specialist school Specialist schools, also known as specialised schools or specialized schools, are schools which specialise in a certain area or field of curriculum. In some countries, for example New Zealand, the term is used exclusively for schools specialis ...

status in

science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

in September 2009. The college also specialises in other STEM-related areas (Science,

Technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

Engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

and Maths.)

History

Founded by Mrs Margaret Byers (1832–1912) – an important pioneer of women's education in Ireland – in 1859, and first located in Belfast city centre at Wellington Place, the school was then known as The Ladies' Collegiate School, Belfast. In 1888,

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

's Jubilee Year, the name of the school was changed by Royal Command to Victoria College and School. A century later, Victoria College amalgamated with Richmond Lodge School, a neighbouring girls' school of similar ethos. Richmond Lodge had opened in 1889 by the Misses Hardy on the Stranmillis Road. It moved to the

Malone Road The Malone Road () is a radial road in Belfast, Northern Ireland, leading from the university quarter southwards to the affluent suburbs of Malone and Upper Malone, each a separate electoral ward. The road runs parallel to the Lisburn Road and i ...

in 1913 and soon acquired full academic recognition. Richmond Lodge past pupils continue their association with the school through the Arellian Association. From 1947 to 1970, the art department at Victoria College was headed by

Mercy Hunter Mercy Hunter ''HRUA PPRUA ARCA MBE'' (22 January 1910 – 20 July 1989) was a Northern Irish artist, calligrapher and teacher. Hunter was a founding member of the Ulster Society of Women Artists, where she was later to become president and she w ...

, a notable calligrapher and influential teacher. Over the past 150 years, Victoria College (as it is now called) has relocated four times. Former Belfast locations include Howard Street, Pakenham Place and Lower Crescent before the current school was established at Cranmore in the 1970s. School house names reflect the past locations.

Location

The school has two campuses: the Richmond Campus (for Forms 1 & 2) and the Cranmore Campus (for Forms 3-U6). In addition, a girls only Preparatory Department is located on the Cranmore Campus. The whole school is situated within extensive mature grounds in South Belfast, between the

Lisburn Road Lisburn Road is a main arterial route linking Belfast and Lisburn, Northern Ireland. The Lisburn Road is now an extension of the "Golden Mile (Belfast), Golden Mile" with many shops, boutiques, wine bars, restaurants and coffee houses. The road ...

and the

, two main arterial routes making it convenient to city, town and country bus routes and the local railway network. It is also within walking distance of the

Queen's University Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...

and the

Ulster Museum The Ulster Museum, located in the Botanic Gardens in Belfast, has around 8,000 square metres (90,000 sq. ft.) of public display space, featuring material from the collections of fine art and applied art, archaeology, ethnography, treasures ...

and many local art galleries and theatres.

Staff

The school is staffed by 82 full- and part-time teachers and 30 support staff.

Boarding

Drumglass House was built in 1820 and serves as the Boarding Department for girls of all ages and all backgrounds. It is located within the grounds of the Cranmore Campus. The Boarding Department caters for up to 60 boarders, many from Europe or East Asia. Due to the covid-19 pandemic, Drumglass closed its doors in 2020, and has not reopened since.

STEM related achievements

In 2010, a team of pupils from the College won their regional heat of the Faraday Challenge and subsequently took first prize at the National Finals held in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

Exam results

GCSE and A-level results in the college are consistently high every year. The exam boards offered to students are Edexcel, AQA, OCR, CCEA, WJEC. The % pass rate at grades A* to C (exams at age 16 – GCSE or equivalent) is 97%; the % pass rate (exams at age 18 – 'A' Level or equivalent) is 100%.

Uniform

Winter uniform

*Grey blazer *Regulation knitted scarf (1st & 2nd Forms) *Optional fleece scarf (3-U6th Forms) *Maroon skirt. *White shirt. *School tie. *Regulation grey pullover – available in either wool or courtelle with stripes at V-neck. *Regulation grey cardigan, striped at edges – Sixth Form only *Grey knee-length socks or tights. *Plain black, flat, laced, shoes.

Summer uniform

*Grey blazer. *A regulation grey and blue striped dress to be worn May, June and September. (Prep) *A regulation white and maroon striped open necked shirt to be worn May, June and September. (1st & 2nd Forms) *A regulation white open necked shirt to be worn May, June and September. (3rd-U6th Forms) *Regulation grey pullover. *Plain grey knee length socks or grey tights. *Plain shoes, slight heel (laces or straps)

Notable alumnae

References

External links

Victoria College website
{{authority control Grammar schools in Belfast Girls' schools in Northern Ireland Boarding schools in Northern Ireland Boarding schools in Ireland Educational institutions established in 1859 1859 establishments in Ireland Specialist colleges in Northern Ireland