Methodist College Belfast (MCB), locally known as Methody, is a co-educational voluntary grammar school in Belfast, located at the foot of the Malone Road, Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1865 by the Methodist Church in Ireland and is one of eight Northern Irish schools represented on the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. It is also a member of the Independent Schools Council and the Governing Bodies Association. The college was ranked in the top 100 in the United Kingdom and the top 10 in Northern Ireland in the 2018 The Sunday Times Parent Power Best UK Schools Guide, which ranks schools based on GCSE and GCE Advanced Level examination results, truancy rates and pupil destinations. It is described by The Guardian as having "the feel and confidence of a good public school". In rugby, the college has won both the Ulster Schools Cup and the Medallion Shield a record 37 times outright. The college choirs have won Songs of Praise Choir of the Year, Sainsbury's Choir of the Year and RTÉ All-Island School Choir of the Year. The Chapel Choir has performed in Westminster Abbey and the Carnegie Hall as well as during Queen Elizabeth II's visit to the Republic of Ireland. Past pupils of the college are known as Old Collegians and the college has a former pupils' organisation that brands itself as Methody Collegians. They have branches across the world, including London, Hong Kong and Canada. The college has links with Belfast Harlequins, the successor of the former sports club for staff and past pupils, Collegians. Methodist College is a registered charity. History Foundation Methodist College Belfast was founded in 1865 by the Methodist Church in Ireland and opened three years later in 1868. In 1844, the Conference of the Methodist Church in Ireland approved a proposal to establish a Methodist school in Belfast. Shortly after, a decision was taken to relocate the site of the school to Dublin. Funds for this school were raised in 1845 and it was opened the same year, first as the Wesleyan Connexional School and later to be called Wesley College. It was only in 1855 that the idea was raised of founding a school specifically for the education of sons of ministers like the Methodist Church in England had at Kingswood School in Bath. Funds were raised with significant amounts coming from the United States and England. The original site for