Lisneal old boys cream ofthe business crop in 2015

Lisneal old boy, Craig Smallwoods, was Northern Ireland’s top CCEA GCE Double Award Applied Business candidate, whilst his old schoolmate, Jordan Dunn, achieved third place.

Craig is now a freshman Accounting student at Northumbria University and Jordan is beginning a degree in Business Management at the Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh.

Both young men said they were very grateful to their old alma mater, who in business terms, taught them everything they know.

Craig said: “I decided to study A-level Double Award Applied Business Studies because of the keen interest that I have always had through GCSE and outside of school. At GCSE I achieved an A* in Applied Business and was awarded 3rd place in NI so this also contributed towards my decision.

“From my GCSE experience and the successes that the Business Studies Department has had in previous years, I knew I would be getting the best teaching experience possible to help me achieve good grades that would allow me to study Business at university, and that is why I chose Lisneal College.

“The teachers within the department work closely together to ensure that every student was catered for and that progression was made in all 12 modules.

“I thought this was great as it always helped ensure that I was not left with huge amounts of work to complete in a rush.

“The course content itself was great as it covered many business areas from Finance, Marketing, Human Resources to Global Markets, and Economics.

“I recently began studying Accounting at Northumbria University, Newcastle and have settled in quickly partly because of many of the business and finance topics I was taught during A-level Business.

“I would like to thank Lisneal College and their Business Studies Department for the amount of time and effort that they invested in me as a student. Without them I would not have achieved A*A* grades and be awarded first place in Northern Ireland.

An equally delighted Jordan said: “When making my A-Level choices, one of the courses which immediately sprung to my mind was Double Award Business Studies.

“This was due to the fact that when I looked into more depth of what the course actually entailed over the two years the information I received really appealed to me and would allow me scope to apply for various university courses.

“Over the course of two years I found the Business Studies course to be extremely interesting but at times very challenging as we were covering topics such as economics and accounting. However, no matter how difficult any task seemed to me at first, the business teachers at Lisneal worked together endlessly to ensure I was able to interpret the information I needed and then complete all tasks I was given on time and to a high quality standard. I honestly feel that without the support and teaching I received from Miss Glover, Mrs Street and Mrs Quinn, I would not have obtained the A*A* grades I got at A-Level.

“They believed in me and which gave me encouragement and the determination to succeed. I am now currently attending Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh where I am striving to achieve a BA (Hons) Degree in Business Management. Without the dedication and commitment of the staff at Lisneal College I would not be where I am today.”

Assistant Principal and Head of Business Studies, Mrs Lynne Gardiner said: “We are so pleased for Craig and Jordan and we are proud that our efforts have made such an impact on their lives.

“Craig was the third placed GCSE student in 2013 so it is amazing to see him achieve first place this time around.”

Principal of Lisneal College, Michael Allen said: “These results clearly indicate what can be achieved when pupils and teachers share high expectations and work in partnership.

“Great praise must go to the Business Studies department who are making a habit of this. We are incredibly proud of Craig and Jordan and I am confident that they will achieve everything they set their sights on. Lisneal College delivers high quality education and we continually strive to be the best”.