Departmental Facilities and Resources
Information Technology
Costing more than £10 million to build, our new school building is 'state-of-the-art'. Along with an ultra-modern design, the building comes equipped with cutting-edge building technologies and more importantly the latest equipment and technologies to promote effective teaching and learning. In total the school has invested around £500,000 in IT with each department investing in a range of technologies to further engage students in their learning.
Every classroom comes equipped with an Interactive Whiteboard and a desktop computer. There are nine computer labs available for teachers to book their classes into. The school also has several class sets of iPads and Microsoft's latest tablet offering, the "Surface". The vast majority of the school has "Wi-Fi" access and this combined with these tablet technologies enable every classroom to be an IT classroom. The school will also shortly introduce a "Bring your own Device" policy which will further increase the capacity of the school to harness the power of technology in the classroom.
Magherafelt High School proudly boasts the highest* desktop computer-to-student ratio of any post-primary school in Northern Ireland. Every classroom is equipped with the latest Promethean dual-touch Interactive Whiteboard. These resources include:
| Number of devices |
Device type |
Location |
| 203 | Dell Windows-based Desktop computers | Various locations around the school; |
| 50 | Dell laptops computers | Science, 6th form centre, SEN; |
| 44 | Apple iMac computers | Art [10], Technology [21], Music [10]; |
| 17 | Microsoft 'Surface 2' Tablets* | ICT Department; |
| 70 | iPads (Mixture 2nd/3rd/4th G models) | ICT Department- 33, English- 10, Various locations- 27; |
| 2 | High-definition Polycom video-conferecning units | ICT Department; |
| 3 | High-definition Digital Signage TVs | Main foyer, ICT, PE; |
| 1 | 70" 3D High-definition LED TV | ICT; |
| 1 | 70" High-definition TV for Digital Signage | Canteen; |
| 34 | Wall-mounted Promethean Interactive Whiteboards | Every classroom; |
| 2 | Mobile Interactive whiteboards | PE, Library; |
| 2 | Class sets of Promethean Voting buttons | ICT, Maths; |
* Source: Northgate (30th September 2012)
Sports
The school has a excellent range of sporting facilities, providing students with access to a greater range of sports both during class time and also through the extra-curricular sporting provision within the school.
These facilities include:
- an all-weather hockey pitch;
- 2 x sports hall;
- fully-equipped gymnasium;
- 3 x tennis courts;
- Football/rugby pitch;
- Indoor bowling nets;
These first-class facilities coupled with a strong sporting tradition and a dedicated PE department ensure that Magherafelt High School students are given every opportunity to developing their sporting talents.
Drama
Students interested in developing their Drama skills have access to a fully-equipped stage, 'green' room and props room. The drama room itself has an integrated sound and lighting system for pupils to practice their technical as well as their performance skills.