CBS Omagh
Encyclopedia
The Christian Brothers Grammar School Omagh (known locally as CBS Omagh, Omagh CBS, the Brothers and, to a lesser extent, CBGS Omagh) is a single sex (boys) grammar school
in Omagh
, County Tyrone
, Northern Ireland
. It is the largest school in Omagh District Council
, having 966 pupils in 2004.
District Council, generally about a 32 kilometres (19.9 mi) radius. Traditionally all of the students have been Catholics, and as such, prepared to learn about the Catholic faith upon enrolling in the school. In more recent years more students attending the school come from mixed racial and/or religious backgrounds.
The School also focuses on the teachings of the Catholic faith, making Religious Studies compulsory at GCSE, and as a subsidiary weekly lesson during A Level years.
For 'A' Levels, the school also offers a mix of liberal arts and academic subjects, as well as more vocational subjects.
In the present school year the GCSE syllabus has changed to include 2 compulsory Sciences at Triple Award Science Level.
The school offers over 20 Advanced Level Subjects and around 15 GCSE subjects in the current year.
(State-run grammar school) in these statistics.
. They won the MacRory Cup
(the highest level for Ulster schools) in 2005 and 2007, and the Hogan Cup
in 2007. and many other under-age level competitions for example Omagh CBS won the Rannafast Cup in 2009
team has been progressed far in the regional and national competitions in the last few years. The school is actively involved in the Pope John Paul 2 award, an award promoting Roman Catholic values in the modern world through community and church work. It has had several successful participants in the BBC Hard Spell
competition. The pupils produce their own weekly newsletter and annual magazine which are then published and distributed or sold. The pupils are also involved in immersion projects, currently, as of 21 October 2007, in Bolivia. Other activities take place within the music department. These include batin' drums, choir and music lessons which allow students to learn how to play numerous instruments including; Guitar, Piano, Drums, Trumpet, Flute and Clarinet. This year the school competed in the Times Spelling Bee Competition and did extremely well. There is also a lot of Extra-Curricular clubs for example Art and Design, ICT, Drama, GAA and lots lots more. The pupils also have a very poor Junior and Senior Choir as well as a Traditional Irish Music Group.
, such as Stephen O'Neill
and Joe McMahon
, the current manager, Mickey Harte
, former BBC NI
sports presenter, Jerome Quinn, World Economic Forum
representative and company CEO Aaron McCormack
, Irish Film actor, Gerard McSorley
, and Dónal Donnelly
. National swimmer & Olympic diver Liam Mallon currently attends.
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
in Omagh
Omagh
Omagh is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. The town, which is the largest in the county, had a population of 19,910 at the 2001 Census. Omagh also contains the headquarters of Omagh District Council and...
, County Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It is the largest school in Omagh District Council
Omagh District Council
Omagh District Council is a local council in County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. Its headquarters is in the town of Omagh, which is the traditional county town of Tyrone. The council area is about , making it the second largest local council area in Northern Ireland with a population of just over...
, having 966 pupils in 2004.
CBS
The catchment of the school is boys within the area of OmaghOmagh
Omagh is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. The town, which is the largest in the county, had a population of 19,910 at the 2001 Census. Omagh also contains the headquarters of Omagh District Council and...
District Council, generally about a 32 kilometres (19.9 mi) radius. Traditionally all of the students have been Catholics, and as such, prepared to learn about the Catholic faith upon enrolling in the school. In more recent years more students attending the school come from mixed racial and/or religious backgrounds.
Focus
The school's focus is on academic excellence, offering compulsory subjects of English Literature, English Language, Science (with the disciplines of Biology, Physics and Chemistry), and Mathematics until GCSE.The School also focuses on the teachings of the Catholic faith, making Religious Studies compulsory at GCSE, and as a subsidiary weekly lesson during A Level years.
For 'A' Levels, the school also offers a mix of liberal arts and academic subjects, as well as more vocational subjects.
In the present school year the GCSE syllabus has changed to include 2 compulsory Sciences at Triple Award Science Level.
The school offers over 20 Advanced Level Subjects and around 15 GCSE subjects in the current year.
Success
Academically, the school usually has 90+% of the pupils pass five or more GCSE grades A-C. The school competes with the Loreto Convent Omagh (Catholic girls grammar school), and the Omagh AcademyOmagh Academy
Omagh Academy is a grammar school in Omagh, County Tyrone, located at 21-23 Dublin Road. The school currently has approximately 700 pupils and over 40 teaching staff. The school is one of the top performing grammar schools in County Tyrone and Northern Ireland with excellent GCSE and 'A'-level...
(State-run grammar school) in these statistics.
Sporting Achievement
The school has a rich heritage of sporting achievement, particularly in Gaelic footballGaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
. They won the MacRory Cup
MacRory Cup
The MacRory Cup is an inter-college Gaelic football tournament in Ulster. It is staged every year with the stipulation that players must be under eighteen-and-a-half at the start of the tournament...
(the highest level for Ulster schools) in 2005 and 2007, and the Hogan Cup
Hogan Cup
The Hogan Cup 1946-48 & 1957-) is the cup presented to the winners of the colleges All-Ireland "A" senior football championship, the top level Gaelic football championship for secondary schools in Ireland. The competition itself is regularly referred to by reference to the trophy's name.St...
in 2007. and many other under-age level competitions for example Omagh CBS won the Rannafast Cup in 2009
Extracurricular Activity
The pupils are involved in quite a wide variety of extracurricular activity linked to the school. The Young EnterpriseYoung Enterprise
Young Enterprise is a not-for-profit business and enterprise education charity in the United Kingdom. It is made up of 12 regional organisations, each operating individually under a license agreement...
team has been progressed far in the regional and national competitions in the last few years. The school is actively involved in the Pope John Paul 2 award, an award promoting Roman Catholic values in the modern world through community and church work. It has had several successful participants in the BBC Hard Spell
Hard Spell
Hard Spell is a United Kingdom televised spelling bee programme for children between the ages of eleven and fourteen, presented by Eamonn Holmes, with Nina Hossain reading the words. It was first broadcast on BBC One in late 2004...
competition. The pupils produce their own weekly newsletter and annual magazine which are then published and distributed or sold. The pupils are also involved in immersion projects, currently, as of 21 October 2007, in Bolivia. Other activities take place within the music department. These include batin' drums, choir and music lessons which allow students to learn how to play numerous instruments including; Guitar, Piano, Drums, Trumpet, Flute and Clarinet. This year the school competed in the Times Spelling Bee Competition and did extremely well. There is also a lot of Extra-Curricular clubs for example Art and Design, ICT, Drama, GAA and lots lots more. The pupils also have a very poor Junior and Senior Choir as well as a Traditional Irish Music Group.
Notable former pupils
Among the alumni of the school are many past and present members of the Tyrone Gaelic football TeamTyrone GAA
The Tyrone County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Tyrone GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Tyrone. The county board is also responsible for the Tyrone inter-county teams....
, such as Stephen O'Neill
Stephen O'Neill
Stephen O'Neill is a Gaelic footballer from Strabane, Northern Ireland, who plays for the Tyrone Senior football team. He won three All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals, two Under 21 medals, and a Minor medal...
and Joe McMahon
Joe McMahon
Joe McMahon is a two-time All-Ireland-winning Tyrone Gaelic footballer. He started the 2005 All-Ireland Final, but had to be replaced because of injury, making him the first Omagh man to win an All-Ireland...
, the current manager, Mickey Harte
Mickey Harte
Michael "Mickey" Harte is the current manager of Tyrone Gaelic football team. He has led the team to three All-Ireland titles, three Ulster titles, one National League, and four Dr...
, former BBC NI
BBC Northern Ireland
BBC Northern Ireland is the main public service broadcaster in Northern Ireland.The organisation is one of the three national regions of the BBC, together with BBC Scotland and BBC Wales. Based at Broadcasting House, Belfast, it provides television, radio, online and interactive television content...
sports presenter, Jerome Quinn, World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
representative and company CEO Aaron McCormack
Aaron McCormack
Aaron McCormack is a former leader of the Youth Wing of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland who more recently has been a business leader and CEO in the IT sector - most notably as CEO of ....
, Irish Film actor, Gerard McSorley
Gerard McSorley
Gerard McSorley is a theatre, television and an Irish film actor.-Early life:He was born in Omagh, County Tyrone, and after attending a Christian Brothers school in his hometown he attended St. Columb's College in Derry. He then attended Queen's University, Belfast, where he was taught by among...
, and Dónal Donnelly
Dónal Donnelly
Dónal Donnelly was the only man to escape from Crumlin Road Prison, Belfast during “Operation Harvest” which was also called “The Border Campaign” from 1956–1962....
. National swimmer & Olympic diver Liam Mallon currently attends.