Banbridge students praised for GCSE results following an ''unprecedented and extremely challenging year''

In a statement, the group said: ‘‘All of the schools in the Banbridge Area Learning Community are pleased that our students have been rewarded with GCSE grades.

‘‘The past two academic years have been unprecedented and extremely challenging for our young people, their parents and their teachers.

‘‘As school leaders we have worked closely together throughout the pandemic to ensure we continue to meet the needs of the students and communities we serve.

‘‘As schools we implemented robust systems to ensure that the Centre Determined Grades were fair and represented the true potential of our pupils.

''Today, we celebrate the success of our students as they gain the qualifications they deserve.

''We commend the students for their resilience and maturity in following the Government Guidelines. We wish our leavers every success in the next stage of their educational journey. We wish our GCSE students every success as they progress to the next stage of their educational journey.

''The excellent results achieved are due to the sustained commitment of our students, the support of their parents and the professionalism and dedication of our colleagues. Public Examinations were cancelled again this year but we are delighted that all the hard work of our pupils and teachers has ensured that our young people have been rewarded.

''Congratulations to all of our students from The Banbridge Area Learning Community.''

The Banbridge Area Learning Community is made up of: R S McLoughlin (Banbridge Academy), Mrs K Feeney (Banbridge High School), Mr I McConaghy (Dromore High School), Mrs A Anderson (New-Bridge Integrated College), Mr I Matthews (Rathriland High School) and Mrs R Woods (St Patrick’s College).