Principal proud to report that results rank 'among the best in the history of the school'

GUESTS at Carrick Grammar School's annual prize-giving have been told of a year of unprecedented acamedic achievement by students.

However, in his address on Tuesday evening Principal Kieran Mulvenna stressed there was much more to life at North Road than passing exams.

He said: “As a father of four I am always acutely aware of the fact that schools deal in human capital – with the lives of other parents’ children, that we are here for the sole purpose of improving life-chances, and that each of our pupils has only one chance at life. It is essential, therefore, that our teaching and pupils’ learning, is our permanent top priority.

“Every year, without fail, on the days that A-level and GCSE results are published, the importance of this becomes very, very clear. So as I happily stand here and speak of our 2010 examination results I do so in full knowledge that these statistics are less about figures and more about futures. Our A-level results this year ranked amongst the best in the history of the school, with 23 of our 24 subjects achieving a 100% pass-rate.

“Despite much scare mongering by the national media, here in BT38 7RA we enjoyed a 98% success rate in placing our A-level students in university courses of their choice, which as usual ran the full gamut of the alphabet from accounting through to zoology. With an E grade being a pass at A-level 93% of our grades were far, far above this ranging from A* down only as far as C, indeed 16% of the year group achieved three or more A grades with 10% attaining the new platinum standard A* grade. “

It was a similar story at GCSE with “over one third of our Science Grades, 40% of our Additional Mathematics grades, and almost half of our Modern Language grades were A or A*, with 14 pupils achieving 8 or more of these top grades”.

The headmaster hit out at those responsible for putting additional pressure on young people as they move into sixth form and find themselves only months from examination again in the form of AS. “This is a classic example of how those in political power believe that making pupils do more tests is a certain way to improve their education, which has much the same logic as a medical doctor telling you that if you take your temperature every half-hour you will actually improve your health.

“This year, thanks to the joint input of Mr Stephen Martin and Miss Pamela Maxwell, we are striving to ensure that the sixth form experience is not reduced to mere academic button-pressing as these colleagues oversee, respectively, the coordination of the sixth form enrichment programme, which includes everything from involvement with the Special Olympics to Horticulture, and the introduction of a recognised Certificate of Personal Effectiveness, or CoPE as it’s called, for all Year 13 students who are not taking 4 A level subjects. I look forward to the growing success of both as antidotes to the government’s fixation with narrowing the sixth form experience rather than enhancing it.”

Greeting parents, children, teachers and governors, Mr Mulvenna had a special word of welcome for Shane McCurdy, the new Chief Executive of the NEELB and the Mayoress of Carrick, Councillor Lynn McClurg. Introducing the guest of honour, he noted: “As the current Vice President and General Manager of Bombardier Aerospace Dr Michael Ryan CBE holds one of the most, if not the most influential position in the whole of Northern Ireland’s Private Sector. As a Specialist School for Science which is actively promoting STEM subjects – that’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics- we could have no better man in front of us.”

Paying tribute to colleagues who had moved to other challenges or retired, including Stephen Cooke who was appointed to the History Department in September 1977, Mr Mulvenna extended sincere thanks to everyone at school community who have helped “me survive my first year in post”.

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