Students celebrate GCSE results after ‘challenging year’

Students celebrate GCSE results after ‘challenging year’

26 August 2020

IT was a different GCSE results day this year for local schools and students as the need to maintain social distancing measures was a key concern.

As with the recent A-Level results, grades this year were predicted by teachers as examinations could not be held due to schools closure over the Covid-19 lockdown. 

Down High School’s principal, Mrs Maud Perry, reported that 130 students collected their results from two designated venues in Downpatrick at different times with social distancing measures in place.

Nearly 40% of all students achieved at least seven A*/A grades while six pupils — Katie Dickson, Ellen Johnston, Cameron McCaughey, Lauren McCormick, Rosa Morgan-Young and Anna Torrens — all received ten A* grades while Lucy Healy and Tori Marks secured nine A* grades each.

Mrs Perry paid tribute to the hard work of her pupils during such challenging times.

“This was a lovely year group and we congratulate them on these outcomes, which provide a firm foundation for the next stage of their education. Our pupils are academically able, but only when this is combined with consistent hard work and effort can excellence be reached,” she said.

“We relish the prospect of working with these outstanding young people as they embark upon their A-Level studies.”

Mr Joe McCann, principal of St Patrick’s Grammar School, welcomed the decision by examining bodies which upheld the GCSE grades calculated by the teachers.

Describing the decision as providing a “positive conclusion” for the school’s Year 12 students, he said: “Thankfully our Year 12 students did not have to suffer the same anxiety and stress as the Year 14 students had to last week. 

“This meant that there were no shocks or disappointments on GCSE results day with students receiving the grades they had been working hard to achieve. This has ensured a positive conclusion for our outgoing Year 12 students at the end of a difficult and challenging year.”

Year 12 students at St Mary’s High School continued the school’s upward trajectory in performance with 93% achieving five or more GCSE passes at A*-C with 84% of these also achieving passes at A*-C in English and Mathematics.

Miss Rosemary McLaughlin, principal, said: “This year’s results follow the amazing results the school achieved in 2019 when St Mary’s was ranked fourth place in Northern Ireland in the league tables for non-selective schools.  

“We would like to thank our staff for their dedication to the students and for ensuring that ‘Every Child Matters’.”

Mr Ciaran Maguire, principal of De La Salle High School in Downpatrick, congratulated his students on their achievements.

He also welcomed the change in the Minister of Education’s policy towards GCSE’s grades and the use of Centre (School) Assessment Grade as opposed to the algorithm, previously applied to AS and A-Level results.  

“Seeing so many smiles and relief across our students faces was very welcoming,” he added.

“The stress and pressure all young people have been under since the lockdown cannot be taken lightly or even ignored just because of percentages.  Every young man that came through our doors this morning has a Covid story and they are still living in it.”

The principal of The High School, Ballynahinch, Mr Paul Marks, said that while staff and students were pleased with “excellent” GCSE results, they wished it had been under better circumstances.

He remarked: “We missed saying goodbye properly to our Year 12 pupils, but we are glad that all of our pupils received the grades they worked so hard for.

“As a school we do not measure ourselves just against results alone. What is also very important to us is that we have happy children.”

St Colmcille’s High School in Crossgar reported that 95% of its students received five or more GCSEs grades A* to C.

Mr Seamus Hanna called his Year 12 students “amazing” and talked of a bright future for the school with an increase in new Year 8 students.

He said: “We are delighted that the genuine efforts of all our pupils and their parents and carers have been recognised and these results will empower our pupils to make positive life choices for their futures.” 

Mr Mark Morgan, principal of St Colman’s High and Sixth Form College in Ballynahinch, said that his students’ results were in keeping with the school’s normal trends.

“Our results were very encouraging — 98% of students received at least five A* to C grades; 92% of students received at least seven A* to C grades and 71% of students received at least five A* to C grades including English and Mathematics,” he said.

“These fabulous results are testament to the hard work and dedication of our pupils, staff and parents and all should be commended for their effort and achievement.”

The principal of St Malachy’s High School in Castlewellan described this year’s results as “outstanding” with 97% of students achieving A*-C grades in five or more subjects.

Mrs Orla McNeill said that the school’s previous high standards gained in previous years had been exceeded with many students securing several A* and A grades in a wide range of subjects. 

“Our young people have been put through a lot over the last few months and it was only fitting that they received the results that they worked hard for and that their teachers, who know them best, predicted,” she said.

Mrs O’Neill praised the students, teachers and parents, adding: “These wonderful results are very well deserved, reflecting everyone’s hard work and commitment not only after five years in St Malachy’s but also bearing in mind the excellent foundations laid in our “feeder” primary schools.”

Mr Kevin Lambe, principal of Shimna Integrated College in Newcastle, said: “The GCSE results have been a triumph in so many ways. Our students have fulfilled their potential, from those with straight As and A*s and throughout the range and combinations of grades. 

“Record numbers of students will progress to A level and others are heading off to apprenticeships and further education courses to follow their chosen career. This has been such a challenging year, and students and staff are delighted that, with safety precautions all in place, we will be able to move ahead on a sound foundation of outstanding achievement.”

Blackwater Integrated College in Downpatrick described its results as “excellent”. 

The principal, Mr Stephen Taylor, said it was a year to congratulate every student for what they attained in such “unusual and often challenging circumstances”.

He noted that the school’s outgoing head boy, Conor Phillips, and head girl, Holly Ritchie, both achieved A*-C in at least seven subjects, along with Aliesha Brown, who passed all of her subjects with A* and B grades.

He said: “The fact that students have built upon the excellent results achieved in 2019 and surpassed those highlights the hard work that was put in by every student. Over 90% of our students achieved five or more A*-C grades at GCSE which is an outstanding achievement.”