Our Vision and Values
Laurelhill has been serving and providing quality education in this community for over 40 years. The strapline for the College is 'Learning and Achieving Together'. We provide quality learning and teaching opportunities which enable our pupils to reach their full potential. It is our desire that pupils have an educational experience that is both challenging and rewarding which enables them to develop into confident, articulate and caring young people who are ready to take their place in society.
Laurelhill caters for pupils of all abilities and follows the Northern Ireland Curriculum in Key Stage 3. In Key Stage 4 the College offers a broad and balanced range of GCSE and Level 2 equivalent courses. Our Key Stage 5 curriculum enables our pupils to follow academic and/or vocational courses. We want students to be curious, to seek answers, to explore, to expand their horizons and to question the status quo. We are here to learn, we are here to achieve and we maximise learning and achievement when we work together.
The values we have agreed upon are Respect, Enjoyment, Achievement, Care and Honesty. When we enjoy something we are more likely to express ourselves, more willing to give of our best and more willing to go the extra mile. We are a caring community. We see this every single hour in school. We see young people being guided and shown kindness, we see young people reciprocating in deeds of kindness and acts of care. We support one another. No-one should feel alone because we care for one another. We value honesty that includes authenticity, genuineness and integrity. We are a self-reflective community. We must be honest in our dealings with others and true to ourselves. The daily display of our core values is indispensable to the smooth and effective running of the College. These values support learning and teaching and underpin our pastoral care provision.
Principal's Message
Laurelhill has been serving and providing quality education in this community for over 40 years. The strapline for the College is 'Learning and Achieving Together'. We provide quality learning and teaching opportunities which enable our pupils to reach their full potential.
We welcome pupils from 11 to 18 of all abilities and from all backgrounds. We are committed to creating a challenging and successful learning experience. Our strapline "learning and achieving together" sums up our focus. We aim to:
- provide the very best learning environment for all our pupils
- help every pupil achieve their very best
- develop the whole person
- offer a wide choice of subjects and extra-curricular activities
We are proud of the achievements of our pupils in Public Examinations. Laurelhill is above the Northern Ireland average for Non-selective Schools. The high quality pastoral support provides a framework for success.
I am very proud to be Principal of Laurelhill and as you navigate through the pages of our website I hope you gain insight into the excellence of our school.
J.G. Martin
Teaching Staff
Senior Leadership TeamMr J Martin Principal Mr M Dane Deputy Principal Mr J Rea Senior Teacher Mrs K Beckett Senior Teacher Ms S Cunningham Senior Teacher Mrs A Reid Senior Teacher
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Pastoral StructureMr M Dane Deputy Principal/Head of Pastoral Care Ms S Cunningham SENCo Mrs K Stewart Head of Sixth Form Mr P Hines & Miss K McNelis Head of Year 12 Mrs L Duddy & Mr R Hillis Head of Year 11 Miss E Collins & Mrs E Scott Head of Year 10 Mr M Kane Head of Year 9 Mrs K Beckett & Mrs R Rea Head of Year 8
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Subjects
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Art and Design Department Mrs P Kearney Head of Department Mrs S Haggerty
Business Studies Department Mrs J Simpson Head of Department Mrs J McWhirter
Careers Department Mrs J McWhirter Head of Department
Technology & Design Department Mr D Gray Head of Department Miss K McNelis Mr J Rea Mr G Sykes
Drama Department Mrs J Heaney Head of Department Mrs E Scott
English Department Miss L J Dyson Head of Department Miss B Faloon Mrs S Dougan Mrs J Heaney Mr P Hines Miss J McDevitt Miss K McGarry Mr E Reuss Mrs E Scott
Geography Department Mr M Kane Head of Department Mr M Dane Mr J Smyth
History Department Mrs L Duddy Head of Department Mr D Blaine Mrs J Hinds
Health and Social Care Department Mrs K Beckett Head of Department
Home Economics Department Mrs C Crawford Head of Department Mrs R Annett Mrs D Bernardi Mrs A Lea Mrs D Nesbitt
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ICT Department Ms S Kinkead Head of Department Mrs G Armstrong Ms R Brady Mrs K Thompson
Mathematics Department Mrs A Reid Head of Department Miss K Brooks Mrs L Crawford Mr S Gribbon Mrs N Han Mrs M Majury Mrs K Thompson Miss S Wilson
Modern Languages Department Mrs S Gray Head of Department Ms B Debast Miss S McCullough
Music Department Miss E Collins Head of Department Mrs R Rea
Physical Education Department Mr M Watson Head of Department Mrs G Beattie Ms S Cunningham Mr R Hillis Mrs H McCready
Religious Education Department Mrs R Cuthbertson Head of Department
Science Department Mrs R McIlwrath Head of Department Ms S Adams Mr N Hanna Mrs N McCoy Mr S Mitchell Mr M Newnham Mrs K Stewart Mr J Topping
Coaching Academy Mr L Carroll Mr M Patton
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Board of Governors
As members of the Board of Governors (BoG) we are very proud to be an integral part of the College. The effort of staff, pupils, parents and the wider community have helped to create a safe, stimulating and friendly atmosphere in which our children have the opportunity to achieve and aspire to their very best. We continue to strengthen and develop all links within the College community and look forward to raising our standards still further.
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Members of the Board of Governors
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Chairperson: Mr J Craig
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Vice-Chairperson: Mr M Glover
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Transferor Representatives: Mr G Cartmill Rev L Gibson Mr P Givan Mrs A Watters
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Parent Representatives: Mrs A Carruthers Mrs L Kempton
Teacher Representative: Miss E Collins
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Key Policies
The following school policies are available to download:
The following school policies are available from the school upon request:
- Acceptable Use of the Internet
- Anti-Bullying Policy
- Careers Education and Guidance Policy
- Charging and Remissions Policy
- Child Protection
- Critical Incident Response Policy
- First Aid Policy
- Health Education Policy
- Homework Policy
- Policy Statement on Drug Education
- RSE Education Policy
- Special Educational Needs Policy
Please contact the school if you have any queries
Parent, Teacher and Friends Association
The Parent Teacher Association (PTA) runs events and fundraisers throughout the school year. The Board of Governors of the College greatly appreciates the contribution that the PTA makes to our college community. To find out more about upcoming PTA events check out our college calendar. If you would like to get involved in the work of the PTA or find out more please email info@laurelhill.lisburn.ni.sch.uk
Staff
Kate Beckett (Chair)
Rebecca Miskelly (Secretary)
Mr J Martin (Principal)
Andy Hamill (Building Supervisor)
Parents/Friends
Nicola Prentice
Sharon Patterson
Lillian Kempton
Karen Spence
Laura Joyce
Fiona Monroe
Tahira Rahman
Paula Vance
Margaret Ross
Irene McKittrick
Exam Results
Laurelhill continues to build on its success of the last three years with school results exceeding or in line with the Northern Ireland average for similar schools at both Key Stage 4 and Key stage 5.
We offer a robust curriculum at Key Stage 4 and 5 in a range of both academic and vocational subjects alongside a varied Extra Curricular provision, to enrich the educational experience of our pupils.
In 2021 86% of pupils achieved 5 or more GCSEs at grades C or higher, many achieving an A grade. Also 47% of pupils achieved 5 or more GCSEs at grades c or higher including Mathematics and English, in line with the Northern Ireland average. Every pupil in Year 12 left the school with a GCSE qualification and all were entered for GCSE Mathematics and GCSE English Language.
The key statistics for 2021, 2020 and 2019 are noted below. Please contact the school if you would like information on previous public examination results.
Pastoral Care
Overview
Laurelhill Community College has a tradition and history of providing a caring learning environment for all of our pupils. Our pastoral care system places our pupils at the centre of everything we do. Positive relationships are developed between the pupils and the staff who care, support, develop and challenge them to achieve their full potential on a daily basis. Our pupil centred pastoral care system strives to break down the barriers to learning by putting in place programmes and support to develop your child's social and emotional needs.
Pastoral Care Structure
The Pastoral Care structure in Laurelhill is overseen by the Deputy Principal for Child Centred Learning. Year 8 pastoral needs are looked after by a team of Form Tutors who report to the Head of Transition. In Middle and Senior College, pupils pastoral needs and academic barriers are addressed by the Form Tutor who is supported by both a Head of College and a Learning Support Co-ordinator. The College has a designated Safeguarding team who respond to all aspects of Child Protection in support of our young people.
Reward Scheme
Encouragement, praise and reward are an essential part of promoting positive behaviour at Laurelhill Community College. To reinforce this we invest in a whole school reward scheme using a pupil passport where good standards of attendance, punctuality, behaviour and academic progress are recognised through assemblies, the Celebration of Success evening and reward trips ranging from swimming at the Lisburn Leisureplex to bowling at Lisburn Bowl.
Counselling Service
Our in house Counselling Service provided by Familyworks is an integral part of the pastoral system within Laurelhill. The levels of trust and relationships built up through having a professional counselling presence in school ensures that our pupils are able to access the support they need in dealing with problems and concerns which impact on their home and school life.
Special Educational Needs
We believe that all children, regardless of their ability, are entitled to experience a broad and balanced curriculum. For this reason the needs of most children at Laurelhill will be met in the normal classroom setting. Our whole-school approach means that all subject teachers are made aware of pupils' individual needs as early as possible in the first term and can employ a range of appropriate learning and teaching strategies to enable them to make progress. We aim to promote a sense of collective responsibility throughout the College for pupils with Special Educational Needs. Consequently, each subject has its own SEN Link teacher who meets with the core SEN Co-ordinator to review the progress of pupils with special needs, contribute to the setting of their targets and to discuss suitable support strategies.
Depending on a pupil's individual needs other provision may be made available such as:
- Placement in a smaller class group catering for a maximum of 16 pupils
- Additional teaching support
- Specialised support from agencies outside the College such as peripatetic support for pupils with Autism
- Classroom assistance
Again depending on need, a number of pupils in Year 8 will have the opportunity to benefit from one-to- one reading support, either through the Reading Partnership programme, or from our Sixth Form Reading Mentor Scheme.
Assemblies
The Assembly programme is delivered weekly and is based around a thematic approach to communicate key messages to develop our pupils moral understanding and social awareness. Whole College topics such as road traffic safety, anti-bullying and attendance are examples of these themes. We also promote the College's core values of respect, enjoyment, achievement, care and communication and honesty.
Student Voice
Student Voice is led by the Student Voice Leadership Team (SVLT), which is made up of elected sixth form representatives. The SVLT team lead the Student Council meetings, that are made up of representatives from every class with a total of approximately sixty students on the council.
The student voice representatives meet once per term. During these meetings students will have the opportunity to raise whole school issues to be addressed and then discussed with the Senior Leaders of the college. They will also take on fundraising projects throughout the year, as voted for by the student representatives. The Aims and Objectives of Student Voice are:
- To establish an effective pupil voice within the college across all year groups that will be engaging, fun and energetic for the pupils involved.
- To grow the community feel, level of fun and enjoyment and a sense of belonging and ownership for our pupils in Laurelhill.
- To see two members of each form class elected as representatives on student voice (one male and one female)
- The students will continue to play an active role in shaping the future of the Laurelhill Community College.
Student Mentoring
At Laurelhill Community College we have a mentoring programme which aims to identify students who are not fulfilling their potential. Pupils are supported by Senior teaching staff to overcome their individual barriers to learning.
Transition Programme
The School's transition programme is run in conjunction with our Youth Service and helps our young people make the change from Primary education to Secondary. The programme allows the pupils to develop sound peer relations even before they have started the College in September and includes team building and personal development elements. The Youth Service continues to support the work of the College through a range of tailored programmes at both individual and group level.
