District’s students celebrate their A level exam successes

The A-level results obtained in 2014 are among the best ever obtained in Banbridge Academy.

The pass rate is 99.5% with 44.4% of all entries achieving Grade A*/A, which when combined with the 31.6 % of entries gaining a grade B, yields an impressive total of Grades A*- B of 76 %.

Principal, Mr Raymond Pollock said: “Out of the 178 young people who entered these examinations 47 gained a minimum of 3 A Grades with 11 obtaining 4 A* and As.

“These excellent performances are spread right across the year group with 147 pupils, 82.6%, attaining A*-C in a minimum of 3 A-Levels, revealing considerable strength in depth.

“Once again we warmly congratulate all our pupils on their magnificent achievements.

“These results would not have been obtained, however, without the dedication and commitment of the teaching staff of the Academy whose consistent and diligent professional approach has undoubtedly laid the foundation for this success.

“The education of our young people involves a partnership and I want to pay tribute to my colleagues in our primary schools who have laid the foundation for the success our pupils enjoy today.

“Parents too will be thrilled at the success of our young people and they too must be congratulated for the vital role they have played.

He added: “The AS grades with a 98.6% pass rate are among the best ever achieved by our Year 13 pupils and provide an excellent foundation on which to build for A-Level success in 2015. “

Mrs Anne Mallon, Principal at Saint Patrick’s College said: “Our students are very happy today.

“The vast majority have achieved A, B, and C grades and have been successfully placed in their first choice for next year. Some of our pupils have benefitted from the collaborative courses on offer within the Banbridge Area Learning Community. These proved very successful and we are thankful to our neighbouring schools for their provision for our students.”

Banbridge High School Principal Andrew Bell said: ‘The school would like to congratulate all the young people from Banbridge High School who received their A level and A/S results.

“The set of results which these young people have gained are the best set of results that the school has achieved at this level.

The school is very proud of the results which these young people have achieved. It is particularly pleasing to note the 9 A*’s among these results.

“Their achievements are the outworking of two years of intensive studies with the support so essential from their families and the ongoing support and guidance of their teachers. The school is also delighted that one of its students, Sam McCready scored full marks in his A Level Art examination.

“The school would also like to acknowledge its learning partners within the Banbridge Area Learning Community, which enabled the young people the opportunity to access a wider choice of subjects and thus a more diverse career path.“Our young people can now move on with great confidence to the next stage of their studies in further education and we wish them every success in the future.’

New-Bridge Principal, Anne Adamson said it was another great year of results with 100% of pupils achieving 2+A*-E grades.

“We are delighted to see so many top grades being achieved by our pupils with over 82% achieving A*-C grades in at least two A Levels. Once again our students’ results are significantly above the NI Average for non-selective schools,” she said.

“This is a magnificent achievement and a reflection of the hard work of both students and teachers alike, working together with our supportive parents. 

“It is very rewarding to see the A* grade being achieved by our students in subjects such as English Literature and Art, as well as in Engineering, Sports Studies, Media and Performing Arts.

“We are delighted with the individual performance of all our pupils and congratulate them on their success. The collaborative courses on offer between schools in the Banbridge Area Learning have also generated top grades for our students and we will continue to develop our partnership links with the schools in the Banbridge Area Learning Community as well as SRC to expand the range of courses on offer for our young people.

As an all ability non selective school we are extremely proud of the progression routes our students have secured at Higher and Further Education. We wish them all the best with their continued studies.”

(More photos on page 30)