History
Founded in 1774 on the basis of a bequest from John Handcock, a Quaker linen trader, when twenty acres were purchased at Prospect Hill from the Earl of Hertford. In 1774 the first Headmaster, John Gough, took up his post. The school was known as the Ulster Provincial School, and in 1794 became the responsibility of the Ulster Quarterly Meeting, the body representing the Religious Society of Friends in Ulster.
It is the only Quaker school in Northern Ireland (Newtown School, Waterford being in the Republic of Ireland); it is, however, one of nine in the United Kingdom. Friends' still embraces the Quaker ethos inherent within Quaker schools across the United Kingdom, as well as this, members of the Religious Society of Friends still have seats on the Board of Governors. The school emphasises strongly the need for people of all races and religions to come together in a spirit of community and friendship. It originally only accepted pupils from Quaker families and could have been described as a public school, this term has, however, lost its meaning in Northern Ireland with the introduction of Grammar Schools. A period of silence is still observed in morning Assemblies, this is used for reflection and silent worship.
In 2011 the school was named by the Sunday Times as the best in Northern Ireland.
Read more about this topic: Friends' School, Lisburn
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