Royal School Dungannon

The Royal School Dungannon is a co-educational Voluntary Grammar School and Boarding School established by Royal Charter in 1608. The aim of the School is to provide pupils with an opportunity to study a broad curriculum and to develop a life-long love of learning; and to foster an environment within which pupils may seek and fulfil their personal development. There is an expectation that every pupil will always give of his or her best and seek excellence. There is an equal expectation that in seeking excellence each pupil will do so with integrity. The School has a broad Christian ethos and this provides a moral compass for our work but no denomination is favoured and all pupils, from whatever background, are warmly welcomed.

The School’s motto is ‘Perseverando’ which might best be thought of as ‘achieving excellence through perseverance’. More broadly the School is committed to the following Aims.

• To strive for excellence in all that we do.
• To provide a secure, stimulating and happy environment where life-long learning and academic rigour flourish.
• To foster intellectual curiosity, a spirit of enquiry and a belief in the value of learning as an on-going process.
• To develop well balanced individuals with the intellectual courage to question and to reflect upon life and their learning.
• To nurture each pupil in our care so that he or she feels valued and able to develop into a confident, caring and socially responsible individual.
• To make pupils aware of social and moral problems and of the cultural and spiritual aspects of life.
• To develop a mutually supportive community in which respect, integrity and tolerance inform our thinking and actions.
• To provide opportunities for pupils to acquire skills and interests that will enable them to use their leisure time purposefully, in the present and long-term.
• To ensure that each pupil is known and valued as a person in his or her own right but conscious of their place in a corporate body, where teamwork and competition can thrive together.
• To encourage pupils to embrace opportunities, challenges and change.
• To foster a sense of public service so that the School contributes fully to its broader community.

RSD has been helping boys and girls to fulfil their potential for over 400 years. Traditions are cherished but we are also a school committed to looking forward and embracing new opportunities. The personal development of young people is our focus and we encourage each boy and girl to learn about their favourite subjects, to find out about the world around them and to learn something about themselves. RSD is a caring community, underpinned by shared values, strong relationships and excellent pastoral care.

We are passionate about helping every girl and boy to enjoy school and to reach their potential. Opportunities to lead, take on responsibility and to operate as part of a team resonate throughout school life outside the classroom and in the wider community. Pupils are encouraged to be the best that they can be with a sense of resilience and integrity. The values of an RSD education will stay with our pupils for the rest of their lives.

The Royal Charter to establish a free school for boys in County Tyrone was laid down by King James I in 1608. In 1614 the Royal School Dungannon came into being at the village of Mountjoy near Lough Neagh. Sometime later, the school relocated to Dungannon, finally coming to rest at its present site in 1789 with the erection of the building we now know as the ‘Old Grey Mother’ by the Archbishop of Armagh, Richard Robinson, and the then Headmaster, Rev Dr William Murray.

The 1789 building acquired the nickname of the Old Grey Mother after the red sandstone with which it was built was rendered with cement sometime in the 19th Century. New windows and doors were required but the Board of Governors had insufficient funds for sandstone blocks and instead used handmade brick. To preserve a unified appearance, the building was covered with cement. For the generations of boys who lived and learned under its roof that old grey building must have been an object of great affection.

Throughout the 19^th and 20^th centuries the school grew and new facilities, such as the ball alley, cloisters and assembly hall, were added. Amalgamation with Dungannon High School for Girls in 1986 and the subsequent refurbishment and new build of 1999-2003 gave us the school we know today. Classrooms are large and well resourced. There are specialist teaching facilities in the Sciences, Design & Technology, Music and Food Technology as well as extensive computer provision, and sporting facilities such as a modern sports hall and multi-gym and a floodlit astro-turf pitch to complement rugby and hockey pitches and tennis courts. RSD’s facilities make it a school for the 21^st century.