The Wallace High School is an 11–18
co-educational
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...
voluntary
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 school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
and
sixth form
In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...
in
Lisburn
Lisburn (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland. It is southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with ...
,
County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...
, Northern Ireland.
History
It was founded in 1880 by a bequest from the estate of
Sir Richard Wallace
Sir Richard Wallace, 1st Baronet (21 June 1818 – 20 July 1890), of Sudbourne, Sudbourne Hall in Suffolk, Hertford House in London, and of the Château de Bagatelle in Paris, was a British art collector and Francophile.
Origins and youth
Ric ...
, local landowner, Unionist
MP and philanthropist, and was originally named Lisburn Intermediate and University School. It was built on a site fronting the Antrim Road. A board of trustees took charge in 1900 to oversee the development of the growing school and, when they renamed it in 1942 in memory of its founder, they adopted the word ''Esperance (Hope)'' as the school's motto from the Wallace coat of arms.
The post-war years witnessed rapid growth in pupil numbers and consequent accommodation provision. Land was purchased at Clonevin Park, initially for playing fields, and when the Antrim Road site proved inadequate, the decision was taken to build a new school in these extensive grounds.
Pupils and staff moved to the new building in 1976, and today the school has expanded to 1160 pupils in the grammar school and 200 in the
preparatory department.
School enhancement
The Wallace High School underwent construction on a new school expansion project. This included construction of a new two storey extension which includes the subjects of Art, Home Economics, and Moving Image Arts which was finish by the end of December 2017 and officially unveiled on 4 October 2018 . There is a fitness suite which was also unveiled on 4 October which included four power racks, a free weights area with weight-lifting platforms, a blue astro-turf track for conditioning and warm-ups, plate loaded resistance machines and cardio equipment. It also included new changing rooms, new showers and hairdryers. A technology extension is also completed, beginning in February 2018 and concluding in August 2018.
Existing 'mobile' classrooms, of which there are four, have been relocated to allow space for the expansion project. These mobile classrooms include the subjects of English, Maths, Modern Languages, Religious Education, among others.
Sport
Rugby
Wallace is well known in the Northern Irish schools’ rugby scene, despite having never won the
Ulster Schools Cup
The Ulster Schools' Challenge Cup is an annual competition involving schools affiliated to the Ulster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union. The Schools' Cup has the distinction of being the world's second-oldest rugby competition, having bee ...
. They have reached the final 5 times, (most recently in 2015) and they are one of eight schools who enters in the fourth round of the cup along with
Ballyclare High School
Ballyclare High School is a co-educational, non-denominational grammar school in Ballyclare, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. There are approximately 1,200 pupils at the school, taught by around 80 teachers.
History
The school was opened in th ...
,
Ballymena Academy
Ballymena Academy is a mixed gender grammar school in the market town of Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1828 as a small provincial school for children in the town and surrounding agricultural hinterland.
Admissi ...
,
Campbell College
Campbell College located in Belfast, Northern Ireland and founded in 1894 comprises a preparatory school department (junior age) and a senior Northern Ireland 'Voluntary Grammar' school, the latter meaning, in terms of provision of education, a ...
,
Enniskillen Royal Grammar School
Enniskillen Royal Grammar School, located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, is an academically selective, co-educational, non-denominational voluntary grammar school. The school opened its doors on 1 September 2016. Two former ...
,
Methodist College Belfast
God with us
, established = 1865
, type = Voluntary grammar
, religion = Interdenominational
, principal = Jenny Lendrum
, chair_label = Chairwoman
, chair = Revd. Dr Janet Unsworth
, founder ...
,
Royal Belfast Academical Institution
The Royal Belfast Academical Institution is an independent grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. With the support of Belfast's leading reformers and democrats, it opened its doors in 1814. Until 1849, when it was superseded by what today is ...
and
The Royal School, Armagh
The Royal School, Armagh is a co-educational voluntary grammar school, founded in the 17th century, in the city of Armagh in Northern Ireland. It has a boarding department with an international intake. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Hea ...
.
Hockey
Wallace High School is noted for men's
hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
with wins in the
Burney Cup
The Burney Cup (Ulster Schoolboys' Senior Hockey Cup) is an annual competition involving the strongest schools affiliated to the Ulster Hockey Union, Ulster Branch of the Irish Hockey Association. The competition is held in the spring term of eac ...
,
McCullough Cup
The McCullough Cup is a hockey competition. It is an annual tournament played for by schools affiliated to the Ulster Branch of the Irish Hockey Association. The competition is held in the winter term of each school year, with the older Burney ...
and a single win in the
All Ireland Championship in 1987-88. In 2011 the hockey girls created history by reaching the final of the
Ulster Senior Schoolgirls' Cup
The Ulster Senior Schoolgirls' Cup is an annual competition competed for by schools affiliated to the Ulster Hockey Association, a branch of the Irish Hockey Association. The competition has been in existence since 1907 and is currently sponsored ...
for the first time, only to lose on penalties.
Notable alumni
*
Shauna Lowry
Shauna Lowry (born 6 July 1970) is a television presenter from Belfast, Northern Ireland.(4 July 2008)What's in a mane? ''Belfast Telegraph'' ("Northern Ireland-born TV presenter Shauna Lowry (37), who has just finished filming a new series of '' ...
, TV personality
* The Rt. Hon.
Brian Maginess
William Brian Maginess, QC (10 July 1901 – 16 April 1967), was a member of the Government of Northern Ireland, who was widely seen as a possible successor to The 1st Viscount Brookeborough as Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.
Life
He was ...
(1901–1967), government minister in the
Stormont Parliament
The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended because of its inability to restore ord ...
*
Drew Nelson (1956-2016), Grand Secretary of the
Orange Order
The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants, particularly those of Ulster Scots heritage. It also ...
*
Edwin Poots
Edwin Poots (born 27 April 1965) is a British politician in Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from May to June 2021. He was first elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in 1998, and was ...
, current minister in the
Northern Ireland Executive
The Northern Ireland Executive is the devolved government of Northern Ireland, an administrative branch of the legislature – the Northern Ireland Assembly. It is answerable to the assembly and was initially established according to the ter ...
*
Blu Hydrangea
Blu Hydrangea is the stage name of Joshua Cargill (born 15 February 1996), a Northern Irish drag queen from Belfast who is known for competing on the first series of ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK'' (2019) and later winning the first season of '' RuPa ...
, winner of
RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs the World
Sport
Rugby
*
Chris Henry, professional rugby player for Ulster and Ireland
*
Nevin Spence
Nevin Spence (26 April 199015 September 2012) was a Northern Ireland-born Irish rugby union player for Ulster in the Pro12. He played as a Centre, but could also play Wing. He was educated firstly at Dromore High School, where he was introduced ...
(1990-2012), professional rugby player for Ulster
*
Jacob Stockdale
Jacob Stockdale (born 3 April 1996) is an Irish professional rugby union player who currently plays for Ulster and for Ireland. He plays on the wing or at fullback. He holds the record for tries scored in a single Six Nations Championship, scori ...
, professional rugby player for Ulster and Ireland
*
Nathan Doak
Nathan Doak (born 17 December 2001) is an Irish rugby union player who plays scrum-half for Ulster in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup.
The son of the former Ulster scrum-half and head coach Neil Doak, he wa ...
, professional rugby player for Ulster
*
Ian Whitten
Ian Whitten (born 5 June 1987) is an Irish rugby union player for Exeter in Premiership Rugby. He was capped by Ireland on their 2009 tour to North America when he lined out against Canada on 23 May 2009. He plays as a centre.
Ulster
A former ...
, professional rugby player for AVIVA Premiership Club
Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
, formerly Ulster
Cricket
*
Neil Doak
Neil George Doak (born 21 June 1972) is a Northern Irish former cricketer and rugby union player. He currently works as a rugby union coach, and has served as attack and backs coach with English club side Worcester Warriors, and Georgia during t ...
, Irish cricketer and Irish rugby squad member
*
Raymond Hunter
William Raymond Hunter (3 April 1938 – 9 December 2020) was a Northern Irish cricketer and rugby union player. He played for Ireland in both sports. In cricket he won 28 international caps and played in 11 first-class matches. In rugby he ...
, Irish cricketer, Irish rugby and British & Irish Lions
*
Thomas Martin Thomas or Tom Martin may refer to:
Born 16th century
*Thomas Martin (politician, died 1583) (1530–1583), MP for Dorchester
*Thomas Martin (lawyer) (1521–1593), MP for Ludgershall, Saltash and Hindon
Born 17th century
*Thomas Martin of Pal ...
(1911-1937), cricketer
*
Jack Simpson (1920-1997), cricketer
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Lisburn
Grammar schools in County Antrim
Educational institutions established in 1880
1880 establishments in Ireland