Facilities

The Geography department is located on one first floor corridor in school. This is one of the most attractive areas of the school as the walls are adorned with murals painted by former pupils Peter Glasgow, Glenn Kennedy, Hannah Hamill and Helen McKinstry depicting four of the earth’s major biomes.

There are six Geography classrooms, five of which are large enough for junior classes and one smaller room which can accommodate 22 pupils and is ideal for GCSE and A level classes. All classrooms have interactive whiteboards boards and engaging wall displays. Access to computer rooms and the Learning Centre enables whole classes to undertake ICT based research or some of our GIS activities.

The Geography corridor overlooks the award-winning Millennium Garden which is used as a resource in Geography teaching. It is equipped with an outdoor classroom and our Year 9 pupils, for example, can investigate the signs of weathering there, while Year 8s enjoy collecting weather data from the department’s weather station. The Eco Club also makes excellent use of this facility and we have been awarded the Best Kept Post-Primary School in the North Eastern Region for four years in a row. The Best Kept School Award is the latest in a long line of accolades won by the Eco Club. Over the last few years Ballyclare High School has been awarded Fairtrade School Status and the Green Flag Award.

Frequently changing displays on the many notice boards in the corridor celebrate pupils’ work and provide information on careers and Higher Education courses relevant to Geography.