Principal addresses pupils' uncertainty at open nights

Mr Ronnie Hassard made his comments ahead of the Galgorm Road school’s annual open nights.

Mr Hassard said: “The Entrance Assessment was conducted successfully and many parents of children sitting the Assessment have commented on the care and quality of the planning involved.

“Now the key focus for the families is on researching suitable post-primary schools in which the child can flourish and enjoy her or his education.”

Ballymena Academy admits 176 pupils each year and all P.7 pupils are eligible to transfer to this school. They do not have to have taken the Entrance Assessment specified by the School (GL Assessment, English and Mathematics).

However, if there are more than 176 applications, which means the School is oversubscribed, preference will be given to those who did take the Entrance Assessment (whether they sat the Assessment in Ballymena Academy or in another school using the GL Assessment).

Then, if there are still more applications than places available the Combined Standardised Score obtained in the Entrance Assessment will be used, with higher scores having precedence.

If two or more children have the same score and there are fewer places than children on that score, the subsidiary criteria are applied with preference going to those with brother(s) or sister(s) currently enrolled at Ballymena Academy and those who are the eldest or only children in their families.

Full details of the admissions procedure, including making a claim for Special Circumstances or Special Provision, are available from the school, on request, or from the website www.ballymenaacademy.org.uk, which is also a very important source of further information about the school.

In February 2009 the school received an extremely positive report from the Inspectorate, as part of an Area Inspection carried out in the Ballymena Borough Council Area. Amongst the comments were:

• The outstanding educational provision provided for the pupils which promotes high standards and appropriate levels of motivation, engagement and interest;

• The outstanding culture of self-evaluation that guides and supports the development work of the school and action to promote improvement.

That culture is also to be seen in the extensive independent survey commissioned by the school and conducted with pupils, parents, governors and staff.

The survey was carried out, analysed and reported by Kirkland Rowell, an organisation with extensive experience throughout the United Kingdom. The report is overwhelmingly positive, pointing to real academic and pastoral strengths.

“Even more importantly, however, it has helped to focus awareness on ways to make a very good school even better and to equip it with the capacity to deal with change and challenge more effectively in an increasingly uncertain future,” added Mr Hassard.