Bloomfield Collegiate School Explained

Bloomfield Collegiate School is a controlled grammar school for girls in Ballyhackamore in Belfast, Northern Ireland.^[1]

History

Bloomfield was founded in 1905, one of a number of private school foundations of that era. It was originally proprietary (owned by the headmistress), co-educational, and accepted boarding students. It discontinued co-education in 1915.^[2]

House system

Bloomfield has a house system consisting of four houses named after previous headmistresses: Clarke, Curran, Spencer and Walker. The houses are each represented by four colors: blue (Clarke), red (Curran), green (Spencer), and yellow (Walker).

Notable former pupils

• Christine Bleakley,^[3] television presenter
• Gemma Garrett,^[4] Miss Great Britain 2008
• Thaddea Graham,^[5] actress
• Naomi Long,^[6] prominent politician in Northern Ireland (leader of the Alliance Party, and elected to various positions)
• Joan Lingard,^[7] novelist
• Elaine Shemilt,^[8] artist and university professor

External links

• Bloomfield Collegiate website

54.5941°N -5.8645°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: Bloomfield Collegiate School Website. 8 November 2019.
2. Web site: Bloomfield Collegiate School History . 8 November 2019.
3. News: Smith . Ryan . Which Belfast schools did these celebrities go to? . 6 July 2018 . belfastlive . 28 March 2017.
4. News: People thought Gemma Garrett looked great as Miss GB, but she was 'binge drinking, going on crash diets and so unhealthy' . 6 July 2018 . BelfastTelegraph.co.uk.
5. Web site: Young Northern Ireland actress Thaddea Graham the star of new BBC drama Us. Belfast Telegraph. Claire. McNeilly. 24 September 2020. 1 November 2020.
6. News: Graham . Seanín . Alliance Party leader Naomi Long lifts lid on illness she hid for 20 years, in hope of helping others . 6 July 2018 . The Irish News . 4 Dec 2017 . en.
7. News: Joan Lingard . 6 July 2018 . Culture Northern Ireland . 21 July 2005 . en . 26 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220126203929/https://www.culturenorthernireland.org/features/literature/joan-lingard . dead .
8. Web site: SSA . https://archive.today/20120911055132/http://www.s-s-a.org/artists/shemilt/index.htm . dead . 11 September 2012 . archive.is . 6 July 2018 . 11 September 2012.