Rockport School

Rockport School is an independent day and boarding school for boys and girls from 3 years to 18 years. Situated in 25 acres of woodland on the shore of Belfast Lough in Craigavad, near Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland between Belfast and Bangor.

Contents

• Rockport school
• Notable alumni
• Houses
• References

The school was founded in 1906 by Geoffrey Bing of Rossall School and Keble College, Oxford with the original aim to 'prepare boys for the Public Schools and the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth'. Bing was 29 and had taught previously in St George's, Broadstairs and at St Andrew's School, Southborough, Tunbridge Wells. Rockport began with only four boys, an assistant master and a matron but quickly grew in size. The school now has around 200 pupils and accepts both boys and girls from the age of 3 until 18 (A Level) as day or boarding pupils. The school celebrated its centenary year in 2006 by building a new Arts Centre which was opened by local North Down Westminster MP Lady Sylvia Hermon. The school's Latin motto is "Virtus repulsae nescia sordidae" (True virtue never knows defeat). The school still sends some pupils on to study in leading UK independent schools (recently these have included Glenalmond, Gordonstoun, Fettes, Harrow, Rugby and Stowe) as well as to Grammar Schools in Northern Ireland.

The Headmaster is a member of the 16 Group of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools and the school is represented by the Independent Schools Council (ISC). In January 2014 the school became the first school in Ireland, north or south, to be granted regional membership of the international conference of Round Square Schools. Global membership of Round Square was conferred upon the school in March 2016. In September 2016 Rockport established the first school-based Golf Academy in Ireland.