Dominican College

Dominican College Fortwilliam is an all girls’ grammar school situated in the north of the city. The school was founded by the Dominican Sisters in 1930 and is committed to promoting Christian values which are reflected in the everyday life of the school. Providing a curriculum which reflects the needs and aspirations of our pupils is a key priority in order to maintain the very high standards achieved by pupils in the past few years.

Sport, music and drama play and important role and pupils are encouraged to become involved in a wide range of extra-curricular activities. In addition, through the programmes of the St Vincent de Paul Society, the Pope John Paul II Award, Saphara, Trocaire, the Kosova Support Group and our links with the Northern Ireland Hospice pupils are made aware of the ripple effects our actions have on local and global communities. As a Catholic school, the Christian ethos of Dominican College permeates the life and work of the school and is reflected in its aims:

We appreciate the fundamental dignity of each person and aim to promote respect for self, for others, the school, the wider community and the environment. We aim to create a safe, stable and harmonious atmosphere within which the values of truth, freedom, trust and responsibility are honoured. Within the context of a purposeful learning community, and recognising the uniqueness of each individual, we aim to offer a curriculum which enables every student to reach her full potential: spiritually, academically, morally, socially and aesthetically.

We aim to promote the School’s traditional appreciation of culture and the arts. We endeavour to equip all our pupils with the self-confidence and skills, which will enable them to make informed and responsible choices in life and appreciate the value of the contribution they can made to society.

We encourage parental support in promoting the ethos and aims of the school and in building up the life of the school community. The Board of Governors believes that these general aims provide a framework which indicates what the school believes in, what it aims to do for our pupils and the values we hope they will espouse. The whole curriculum, taught in the classroom and beyond, is designed to achieve these ends.