‘Stunning’ results success at Ballymena Academy

BALLYMENA Academy GCSE pupils have emulated the success of their ‘A’ level counterparts at the school by achieving an excellent overall standard of GCSE results.

Principal, Ronnie Hassard, congratulated the young people and extended every best wish to them for the future. He said that overall level of achievement is ‘stunning’ and the vast majority of the pupils will be returning to take their ‘A’ levels.

Mr. Hassard said that GCE Advanced level is a challenging course of academic study and it is essential that pupils have achieved good GCSE grades before embarking on the ‘A’ level route. That has happened and the young people can now make their subject choices with well-deserved confidence and satisfaction.

the statistics are most impressive: 99% of the year group (184 pupils) achieved 5 or more GCSE grades A* - C. About 90% of the 1,644 separate G.C.S.E. grades received were at A* - B. An amazing 97% of the year group achieved 7 or more A* - C grades, including English and Mathematics.

The community of this school is delighted for the young people and the results have exceeded our very high expectations. All the young people, and their teachers, fully deserve great praise but, in terms of individual attainment, there is a very impressive list of high achievers.

eight young people had a ‘clean sweep’ of 9 A* grades – Christopher Blackwell, Naomi Boon, Hannah Cole, Jonathon Cushenan, Holly Fullerton, Anna Hayburn, Rachel Herbison and John Neilly.

Thirty-four pupils achieved a minimum of 9 A*/A grades – Timothy Agnew, Holly Aiken, Kelso Aiken, Tanya Bates, Heather Carson, Philip Cunningham, Christopher Fowler, Katie Fullerton, Ruth Gailey, Jonah Gardner, Timothy Greer, Ashleigh Howe, Scott Livingstone, Chloe Manson, Megan Marks, Melina McCaig, Shannon McKay, Kathryn S. McWhirter, Lee Millar, Sarah Mitchell, Andrew O’Neill, Caitlin Roulston, Ryan Shaw, Oliver Simpson, Shannen Smyth, Peter Steele, Jill Stewart, Alexandra Surgenor, Steven Taylor, Rebecca Thompson, Zara Thompson, Victoria Walsh, Ashlea Whann and Katie Wilson.

They were closely followed by a further 15 young people with a minimum of 8 A*/A grades – Matthew Bell, Hannah Byrne, Lydia Byrne, Samuel Cupples, Rachel Galbraith, Thomas Gaston, Claire Hoy, Niall Kennedy, Chloe Loughridge, Andrew Nesbitt, Jessica Plant, Emily Scott, Chris Spence, Victoria Thompson and Lloyd White.

Finally, 17 pupils obtained a minimum of 7 A*/A grades – Amber Bolton, Patrick Boyd, Christopher Buick, Leanne Calderwood, Jonathan Day, Brien Gillen, Emma Greer, Naomi Heatherington, Jack Johnston, Jonathan Jordan, Calvin Kernohan, Christopher Kyne, Andrew Leacock, Christina Logan, Kathryn D. McWhirter, Rosie Pearson and David Wilson.

In other words, over 40% of the year group achieved a minimum of 7 A*/A grades.

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