Based in the town of Portadown in Northern Ireland, our school teaches pupils ranging between 11 and 14 years of age. The school has earned a very good reputation for delivering high quality education in a caring atmosphere, one in which each pupil is treated as an individual with individual abilities, aptitudes and needs.
Please contact us if you have any further enquiries.

System
The Craigavon two-tier system, commonly called the Dickson Plan, was established 28 years ago because many people recognised that making crucial decisions about a child's future at 10 was inappropriate.

The central features of the system are:

selection occurs at 14, an age when both child and parent are more fully aware of the child's aptitudes and abilities
selection takes place based on continuous assessment including summative examinations on the entire range of curricular subjects.

The existence of statutory assessment at 14 (Key Stage 3) and much government discussion regarding a coherent 14-19 curriculum serve to emphasise the educational importance given to assessment and selection at 14+.

Aims

To promote the highest standards of teaching and learning
To encourage the development of each pupil's potential
To make every pupil feel an important part of the school
To ensure equality of treatment to all pupils in all areas of school life
To prepare pupils for responsible healthy and independent adulthood
To provide the requirements of the Northern Ireland Curriculum and provide many extra opportunities for a wider learning experience
To create a pleasant, stimulating and well-ordered environment
To promote caring, tolerant and responsible attitudes towards others in the community and in the wider world
To guide and prepare pupils for education at 14+
To encourage participation in a wide variety of extra curricular activities

Pastoral Care
Pastoral Care lies at the heart of the school's overall policy which seeks to provide a caring happy environment in which the young people can develop to their full potential. It aims to extend the pupils' learning skills in line with their spiritual, moral, social, personal and physical development and, thus, enable them to manage their present lives and prepare them for adult life in an ever changing society.

The key element in the school's pastoral provision lies in the Form Teacher system where daily contact enables at least one teacher to have a detailed knowledge of the needs, aspirations, interests and academic progress of each pupil. Important links are established with parents, external agencies and other members of staff to support the learning and development of the individual.

PSE
A structured programme of Personal and Social Education which is followed by all pupils enables issues of school organisation, discipline and personal development to be addressed in an atmosphere where self-reflection is encouraged and opinions valued.
In Year 10 the pupils are encouraged to become increasingly aware of their own strengths and weaknesses and have opportunities to reflect on and discuss these. Each is asked to prepare a Personal Career Action Plan and assistance is given in subject options at Key Stage 4 so that this transition point in the pupil's school career can be negotiated as comfortably as possible. Additional help is offered in career options with the aid of a career library and computer data.

Discipline
The policy of Killicomaine Junior High School is to encourage all our pupils to have a high level of self-respect and self esteem and as a consequence to develop an attitude of respect for others and for their community.
We seek to engender an attitude of self discipline in which the pupils behave because they value the education and opportunities they are receiving. We do this by providing:

high quality teaching
a comprehensive pastoral system
widespread extra-curricular activities
stimulating relevant curriculum
firm, fair and consistent application of school rules and sanctions

In those cases where the anticipated behaviour is not reached, there is a graded set of sanctions. These include a report card and withdrawal from class. In circumstances where it is considered appropriate parents will be involved by being invited to the school to discuss the matter. A separate information sheet is available from the school detailing the procedure.