Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School

What Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School does

Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School is a Catholic, state-funded selective secondary school located at 518 Ravenhill Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland. The school delivers secondary education across a seven-year continuum from Year 8 through Year 14, covering Key Stage 3, GCSE, and GCE AS/A-Level qualifications for students in the Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor catchment. It is governed by a Board of Governors chaired by Mr Peter Coll, with executive leadership from Principal Dr M. Dowling supported by a Central Leadership Team of seven members including two Vice Principals and a Finance Manager. The motto 'Veritas Liberabit' (the truth shall set you free) frames the institution's child-centred, pastoral-care-led educational philosophy.

The academic programme is structured across 28 distinct subject departments, spanning sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Double Award Science, KS3 Science), humanities (History, Geography, Government & Politics, Religious Education, Sociology), modern languages (French, Irish, Spanish), creative arts (Art and Design, Drama and Theatre, Music, Moving Image Arts), and applied/vocational subjects (Business Studies, Technology and Design, Food and Nutrition, Physical Education, Psychology). Examination delivery is primarily through the Northern Ireland examinations body CCEA, with AQA used for A-Level Psychology and WJEC for A-Level Drama, Physical Education, and Sociology. Technology integrations are limited to standard education-sector vendors: School Gateway for parent communication, iPayimpact for school fee and meal payment processing, Google Calendar for scheduling, Google Sites for internal staff resources, and Google Translate for multilingual page translation. No proprietary technology platform or product surface exists beyond the school's public website (www.aquinasgrammar.com).

As a state-funded grammar school operating under the Northern Ireland education system, Aquinas does not levy tuition fees; revenue is derived from per-capita government funding, supplemented by voluntary parental contributions and ancillary payments (meals, uniform grants, trips) processed through iPayimpact. The value proposition targets three customer groups: (1) prospective and enrolled secondary-school students seeking selective Catholic grammar education, (2) parents and guardians participating in the educational partnership, and (3) prospective families evaluating admissions options. Differentiation rests on the integrated academic-pastoral-Catholic ethos, outstanding pastoral care infrastructure (Mental Health First Aiders, Safeguarding Team, Heads of Year), and an extensive extra-curricular programme including competitive sports, music ensembles with 11 peripatetic tutors, drama productions, the Cephas diocesan faith programme, and external enterprise education via Young Enterprise NI. External validation includes inclusion in The Times Best Schools League Table, ETI Inspection Report 2024, STEM.org School Award, NAACE Award, AWARE Gold Award, Childnet Digital Leaders Award, and Young Enterprise Enterprising School Award.

Name

Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School

Legal name

Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School

Website

https://aquinasgrammar.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School is a Catholic state-funded secondary school in Belfast, Northern Ireland, delivering selective education across 28 subject departments for students in Years 8-14 preparing for GCSE and A-Level qualifications under CCEA examination oversight.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC)

Keywords

• Secondary education services
• Grammar school education
• GCSE and A-Level programs
• Catholic school education
• Pastoral care services

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School is a Catholic grammar school that delivers secondary education for students from Year 8 through Year 14, following the Northern Ireland Curriculum and CCEA/AQA/WJEC examination specifications. The school provides a broad subject portfolio across sciences, humanities, languages, creative arts, and technology, with an integrated pastoral care system, leadership development through a Pupil Leadership Team, and an extensive extra-curricular programme (sports, music, drama, enterprise). It is recognized in The Times Best Schools League Table and holds AWARE NI, NAACE, STEM.org, and Digital Leaders awards.

Product overview

Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School is a Catholic secondary school offering a comprehensive educational program across three Key Stages. The school provides a unified curriculum portfolio through 28 distinct subject departments including core GCSE and A-Level programs in Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Double Award Science), Humanities (Geography, History, Government & Politics), Languages (French, Irish, Spanish), Creative Arts (Art, Drama, Music, Moving Image Arts), and Technology (Technology & Design). Additional offerings include Business Studies, Food and Nutrition, Learning for Life and Work, Psychology, Sociology, and Religious Education. The school supplements its academic curriculum with extensive extra-curricular activities including sports teams, musical ensembles, drama productions, and enterprise programs like Young Enterprise NI. Moving Image Arts represents a unique specialist program with industry partnerships and international film festival recognition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Key Stage 3 Curriculum (Years 8-10) Foundational three-year secondary education programme for Years 8-10 delivering the Northern Ireland Key Stage 3 curriculum across all subject areas, preparing students for GCSE study.
• GCSE Programme (Years 11-12) Two-year GCSE qualification programme covering 20+ subjects including core sciences, humanities, languages, and creative arts, examined primarily through the CCEA board.
• GCE AS/A-Level Programme (Years 13-14) Two-year advanced-study programme offering GCE AS and A-Level qualifications across arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences, with university-preparation CEIAG support.
• Extra-Curricular Activities Programme Extensive after-school programme including sports teams, 11 peripatetic music tutors and ensembles (orchestra, choirs), drama productions, and subject-specific enrichment opportunities complementing academic study.
• Young Enterprise NI Programme Enterprise education programme offering Year 13 Company Programme, Year 11 Industry Masterclass, and Year 10 Project Business, supporting business awareness, employability, and entrepreneurship skills.
• Cephas Programme Faith-formation enrichment programme for Year 13-14 students at Catholic schools in the Down and Connor Diocese, offering accredited outreach and faith-development opportunities.
• Moving Image Arts Programme CCEA-accredited GCSE and A-Level Moving Image Arts programme in film-making and animation, supported by industry connections with Cinemagic, Into Film, and the Nerve Centre, with student work achieving national and international film festival recognition.
• Pupil Leadership Team Student-led leadership programme providing senior prefect and leadership roles to develop responsibility, confidence, and representation of the pupil voice across the school.
• Admissions (Year 8 Entry) Selective Year 8 admissions process managed via the school's online admissions portal, supported by SEAG assessments and annual Open Days for prospective families.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• St Michael's Catholic Grammar School: Catholic selective grammar school for girls in North London, operating within state-funded grammar admissions. Comparable faith-based grammar school model and academic/pastoral positioning, though operating under English grammar-school regulation rather than NI selection.
• Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School: Catholic secondary school in West London with a strong academic reputation and faith-based ethos. Comparable in selective admissions, pastoral care emphasis, and GCSE/A-Level academic positioning, illustrating the broader UK Catholic grammar-school model.

Direct peers

• St Malachy's College: Catholic boys' grammar school in North Belfast, also under the Down and Connor Diocese. Competes with Aquinas for the same Catholic grammar-school cohort, uses CCEA specifications, and runs a similar pastoral and extracurricular programme model.
• De La Salle College: Catholic boys' grammar school in West Belfast under the same diocesan governance as Aquinas. Competes in the same Belfast post-primary transfer market with comparable curriculum and pastoral offerings.
• Rathmore Grammar School: Catholic co-educational grammar school in Finaghy, Belfast, serving a similar Years 8–14 Catholic cohort under the same Down and Connor Diocese. Operates with comparable pastoral structure, CCEA curriculum, and admissions funnel into Aquinas's competitive set.
• Our Lady and St Patrick's College, Knock: Catholic co-educational grammar school in East Belfast under the Down and Connor Diocese. Closely comparable faith-based, academically selective model with shared admissions and extracurricular framework.
• St Dominic's Grammar School: Catholic girls' grammar school in Belfast under the Down and Connor Diocese, sharing the same selective admissions context and CCEA-based curriculum. Direct competitor for Catholic family enrolments on the south side of Belfast.
• Dominican College, Fortwilliam: Catholic grammar school for girls in North Belfast with the same diocesan structure and grammar-school admissions pathway. Comparable in pastoral care emphasis, academic breadth, and extracurricular model.

Regional players

• St Columb's College, Derry: Catholic boys' grammar school in Derry/Londonderry under the Diocese of Derry, with shared faith-based ethos and CCEA grammar-school structure. Same category of institution but distinct diocese and geographic market.
• St Patrick's Academy, Dungannon: Catholic grammar school in Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, under the same CCEA examination system and Diocesan oversight but serving a different geographic catchment in the archdiocese of Armagh. Comparable model but not directly competing in Belfast.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aquinasgrammar
• Facebookfacebook.com/AquinasGrammarSchool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aquinas-diocesan-grammar-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School