Banbridge Academy’s annual Prize Day took place this afternoon in Holy Trinity Church, Banbridge.  Congratulations to all of our pupils and former pupils who received prizes this year – we all take great pride in your success.  Our guest speaker was Mr Brian Henning, Chair of Sport Northern Ireland and a former Banbridge Academy School Governor.   Following an opening welcome and prayer led by Archdeacon West, Mr Mark Orr as Chairman of the Board of Governors conducted us through the afternoon and Mr Martin McNeill proposed the Vote of Thanks at the end.  Musical interludes, presented under the direction of Mrs D Robinson and Mrs S McCurdy, were beautifully performed by the pupils.  Dr Evans, Mrs P Fallis and Mrs L McMullan are to be thanked for all their organisation skills, ensuring that everyone had a pleasant afternoon.

Mr McLoughlin’s first Prize Day speech as School Principal commending our school community’s achievements and successes is included below.

Banbridge Academy Prize Day

Headmaster’s Report 2014/15

Holy Trinity Parish Church Friday 23 October 2015

Chairman, Mr Henning, Lord Mayor Causby, Mr Butler, Archdeacon West, members of the Board of Governors, Colleagues, Parents, Ladies and Gentlemen and most importantly our Prizewinners, welcome to Prize Day – it is a privilege to present my first Annual Report.  We thank Archdeacon West and the Select Vestry of Holy Trinity for permitting us to continue to use this beautiful building, in the heart of our community, on this special day of celebration.

It is an honour to welcome our Lord Mayor, Councillor Causby, as the first citizen of the newly formed City of Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, commonly known as the Teachers’ Council – ABC.  Mr Causby, I thank you for joining us today when there were so many other invitations competing for your precious time.  I extend a special welcome to Mr Gregory Butler as our new Regional Managing Director of the Education Authority, Southern Region.

Mr Orr will later outline the leadership provided by our Guest of Honour, Mr Brian Henning, in the private and community sectors across Northern Ireland.  Brian, it is a tremendous honour for us to have such a distinguished guest and to welcome you back as a former parent and former governor and friend of the School.  Brian, you are most welcome and thank you on behalf of the pupils and everyone present for agreeing to distribute our prizes.

I am also pleased to welcome all our guests and in particular my friends, colleagues and Principals of our partner Primary Schools.  It has been a privilege to visit many of our partner schools in my first year and to witness the exceptional work you do in preparing our young people for the next stage in their career.

Prize Day is a happy and joyful occasion when we celebrate success but we cannot ignore the fact that since this time last year many in our school community have known the pain of bereavement and loss.  We thank the Patterson family for their generosity in providing The Linda Patterson Memorial Prize for Religious Studies, a fitting tribute to their daughter, who was Dean of Christchurch Cathedral, New Zealand.  Linda was an extremely gifted pupil in the Academy and finished first across the school in all of her subjects at A Level.  She continued her studies at Oxford and following a period of time as a lecturer she moved to New Zealand and occupied a number of prestigious posts in the Church and was a stalwart of the community during the tragic earthquake in Christchurch in 2011.

At the end of the academic year we lost our dear friend and colleague, Mrs Jayne Friar.  Jayne was a loving mother to Lucy, devoted wife to Paul and a highly committed teacher to countless pupils in the Academy.  Her passion, friendship and skill enriched the lives of staff and pupils alike and today we remember her with a Prize in her honour – to recognise great endeavour in Home Economics during Key Stage 3.  Can I invite you now to stand, for a moment of reflection in silent tribute to Jayne and as a gesture of support to the Friar family and I also ask that you remember in silent prayer the families of pupils, both past and present who are seriously ill and the many members of our school community who are no longer with us.

Please stand.

Thank you.

At the end of term we said farewell to Dr Pat Jeffers who retired after 26 years of distinguished service in the Biology and Science Department.  Mrs Marie-France Browne, more affectionately known as Madame Browne, retired after 34 years of distinguished service in the French and Modern Languages Department.  Dr Bill Coulter retired after 23 years of dedicated service in the Chemistry Department and in his role as Senior Teacher he performed many roles across the school with aplomb.  Pat, Marie-France and Bill instilled a love of learning in generations of our pupils and their passion ensured that countless pupils developed a love for their respective subjects.  We wish Pat, Marie-France and Bill a long and happy retirement.

Obviously at Prize Day last year we celebrated the leadership, dedication and commitment Mr Pollock gave to the Academy.  It has been a privilege for me to know Mr Pollock over the past decade as a colleague and friend on numerous forums across Northern Ireland.  Today I simply wish to convey my thanks, Raymond, for your friendship and support as a colleague over the years.  I know the entire family of the Academy joins me in wishing Joan and you a long and happy retirement.  Today, we award, for the first time, the Raymond Pollock Perpetual Award for the pupil who in the view of their peers has best upheld the values, tradition and spirit of Banbridge Academy.

Mr Kirkpatrick, a former Deputy Head Boy, re-joins the School as Head of Biology and in a temporary capacity Mrs Paolucci and Mr Murdock have joined the French and Mathematics Departments respectively.  Also in a temporary capacity Mrs Sayers has joined the office staff and Mr McRoberts has joined the Science Department as a Science Technician.

I welcome them all to the Academy and trust they enjoy working in our community.

As my colleagues have already heard me say repeatedly, high-quality outcomes are secured when leadership is dispersed and distributed effectively across an organisation and a school is no exception.  Therefore, a considerable number of internal promotions have taken place as we aim to provide whole-school leadership opportunities.  In a permanent capacity Mrs Campbell was appointed as a Senior Teacher, Mr Dawson – School Timetabler, Mrs O’Shaughnessy – Head of French, Mr Hanlon – ICT Co-ordinator (Strategy & Communication) and in a temporary capacity Mrs Duke and Mrs Morrow as Year Heads.

Mrs Gilpin successfully completed the Professional Qualification for Headship and Mrs Cartmill is currently completing Specialist Assessor training to ensure we continue to meet the needs of our pupils.

The support staff play a key role in maintaining our special ethos and they consistently demonstrate care and concern for our pupils.  I wish to place on record my gratitude and personal thanks to Mrs Johnston, my PA, who has moved in a temporary capacity to the role of Financial Administrator to help us establish the essential structures and procedures that will ensure the Academy continues to thrive in the current Educational climate.  I also thank Mrs McCurdy who has taken up the reins as my PA for the year.  Anyone who knows the Academy well understands that the team in the office, our School Nurse, Brenda, the technical and support staff, alongside Mary and Simon run the school.   I thank them and their dedicated teams, including the caretaking, dining, cleaning, and grounds maintenance staff for the crucial role they play in maintaining the smooth day to day running of the School.

A key part of our family is the work undertaken by the Banbridge Academy Association.  When I was inducted in to life at the Academy last year at the Christmas Craft Fair, I was astounded at their passion for this great school.  Not only do they provide social and educational events for our parents but they also raise very valuable sums of money for the School.   I am delighted to report that the BAA has just funded the recent installation in the School Atrium of our Prefect and Honours Boards.  These boards will provide a lasting recognition of our young men and women, as well as instilling a sense of belonging and pride across the generations of Academy pupils.  I thank Mrs Tracey McKee and the team of hardworking parents, former pupils, teachers and friends for all they do to support the School and for the number of events that enrich the life of the School, in particular this year a packed hall enjoyed a wonderful Spring evening of Food and Fashion with Jenny Bristow.  My wife and I are still enjoying the recipes and tips Jenny provided on the night.

Once again this year’s results in August reflected the tremendous hard work of pupils, staff and parents.  I firmly believe statistics do not tell the whole story about the progression of pupils through the School but they do provide a source of benchmarking information.

GCSE results were very pleasing, with 95.9%, of pupils achieving 7A* – C grades including English and Mathematics, 4% higher than the NI Grammar School average last year.  An impressive 69 pupils achieved 8 A*-A grades or better; Charlotte Hawthorne, Beth McCullagh, Megan McCully and Orla Thompson all achieved 10A* grades and a further 8 pupils achieved 9A* grades.  Remarkably, 86 pupils, almost half the year group, achieved 7 A*-A grades or better.

At AS Level, 48 pupils attained 3 A grades or better and 29 pupils attained 4 A grades or better.

At A Level the results continue to impress and 81.2% of pupils achieved 3 grades A*- C, 5% higher than the NI Grammar School average last year.  40 pupils obtained 3 grades A*-A and 7 pupils – Radhika Gupta, Andrew Cox, Emma Martin, Graeme Smyrl, Mark Turkington, Aled McCluskey and Lauren Robinson all achieved 4 grades A*-A.  The vast majority of pupils secured the university place of their choice; Radhika Gupta achieved an outstanding 4 A* grades to secure her place at Cambridge University to study Medicine and Clemi Smith and Christopher Sayers also achieved an equally outstanding 3 A* grades to secure places at Oxford University to study Languages and Engineering respectively.

I congratulate not only the pupils, but also their parents and teachers on the quality of their examination results.

I am delighted to report that we have been informed by CCEA – (Northern Ireland’s Examination Authority) – that Christopher Sayers finished first in Northern Ireland in A Level Further Mathematics with the help of his teachers Mr Dawson, Mr Irwin and Mr Farrell;  With the help of their teacher Mrs Fallis Joshua Black finished joint first in Northern Ireland in A Level Art & Design, Cameron Angus and Benjamin Carson finish joint second and joint third respectively; Andrew McBurney finished third in A Level Technology & Design with the help of his teacher Mr Winter.  At GCSE Richard Baird finished first in Technology & Design with the help of his teacher Mr Currie, and Gintare Vaiciuvenaite finished joint second with the help of her teacher Mr Winter.  In ICT GCSE Short Course Emma Doherty and Christopher Patterson finished first and second respectively with the help of their teacher Mrs Morrow.

I am also delighted to report that we have been notified that Christopher Sayers, Sarah-Jane Trimble and Zoe Harvey are all recipients of a prestigious All-Ireland Scholarship.

All of these results and awards are truly wonderful achievements for the pupils and staff concerned and I am sure you join me in congratulating them on their incredible success.

Before moving on to the wider life of the School I wish to highlight an incredible family achievement by the Herron family; Philip today follows in the footsteps of his two sisters and receives a special award for 14 years of full attendance across Abercorn Primary School and Banbridge Academy.  Mrs Herron, I can safely say that everyone in this church is wondering how you have managed to achieve such an exceptional attendance rate over the past two decades – well done and please let us know the secret of your remarkable success.

We are proud of all our young people and today we celebrate and applaud the impressive success of pupils across the school.  I have been extremely impressed with our young people and I take this opportunity to thank them for the warmth of their welcome since I joined the School and in particular I thank Emma Cartmill and Ben Knox, last year’s Head Girl and Head Boy.  I also express appreciation to parents for the support they give both to pupils and the School; please be assured that your support is never taken for granted.  It is my privilege to lead a team of dedicated professionals whom I commend for their passion, diligence and commitment which has helped produce these superb results, enabling our young people to progress to the next stage of their careers where they will make a significant contribution to our society.  I invite you to express your appreciation to the teaching staff of Banbridge Academy – applause.

Central to the Academy’s ethos is our care and concern for others and this year £14,005 was donated to a range of charities close to the hearts of our pupils.  Over the past 17 years that amounts to an amazing total of over £300,000.  I thank and praise the Charity Committee, led by Mrs Leslie, for all of their efforts.  I was delighted when Action MS presented the School with the Bronze Boot in recognition of the School raising the most money in Northern Ireland for Action MS in the previous year.  The charitable giving of our pupils continued when Mrs Morrow, in her role as Teacher Librarian, arranged a hugely successful Read-on competition for Year 8 which raised just under £700 in aid of the Cancer Fund for Children.  Many of our senior pupils continue to be greatly enriched by helping in our community, in Iveagh Nursing and Seapatrick Residential Care Homes and in the Special Unit in Edenderry.  Sign Language continues to be an extremely popular extra-curricular option with 29 senior pupils achieving nationally recognised sign qualifications which will enable them throughout their lives to continue to help those with hearing difficulties.

The international dimension of the school has always been central to our ethos and this year was no exception when our pupils celebrated the European Day of Languages with a range of cultural, food and fun events, never mind the dubious staff fashion on show!  The Junior Cooks’ Club continued to ‘cook up a storm’ throughout the year, celebrating different cuisines from across the world.  In the Future Chef of the Year competition, our very own MasterChefs, Ben Thompson and Zoe Watson, reached the Northern Ireland Regional Finals producing magnificent dishes of restaurant quality.  Both pupils mastered a stunning menu which demonstrated their considerable technical and presentational skills – having seen the menus I look forward to eating in their own restaurants soon.  The Home Economics pupils also invited local entrepreneur, Angus Wilson, from Wilson Country Foods, to judge their marketing assessment of a potato-based meal for the ready meal market.  Mr Wilson not only commended the pupils for the professional quality of their presentations but also highly praised Mrs Francey for all her work in leading such an outstanding department.

Many pupils travelled on the annual ski trip to Italy and the Exchange visits to Spain and France.  The History Department led a wonderful trip for a large number of senior History pupils to Berlin to extend and consolidate their knowledge of World War II and the Cold War.  In Junior School the knowledge of our Year 9 pupils was enhanced with visits to the Navan Centre in Armagh to experience life in a World War I trench and to discover the devastation of World War I.  For Year 8 ‘Medicine Through the Ages’ provided an opportunity to participate in gruesome experiments including tooth extraction, bloodletting and even amputation – it makes us all thankful for modern medicine.

Further trips included the Geography field trips to Newcastle, Magilligan and Murlough Nature Reserve.  Mrs Gilpin re-introduced our Oxbridge Trip for senior pupils and re-established valuable links between Banbridge Academy and these prestigious universities.

The Business Studies trip to New York allowed the pupils to see behind the scenes of many world famous businesses and Mrs Morrow’s connections proved invaluable in helping the pupils to have a once in a lifetime trip – all of the parents were exceedingly jealous.

Junior Young Enterprise (or more correctly known as the Quick Start Club) continues to provide our young Richard Bransons with the opportunity to develop essential entrepreneurial and business skills.  We are indebted to the support offered by the Ulster Bank in helping the pupils to develop, market and sell their products at our very own Dragons’ Den competition.  I am not sure if Mr Dempsey is quite as scary as Duncan Ballantyne and I wouldn’t even hazard a guess at who was Deborah Meaden.  All three of the senior Young Enterprise Groups excelled under the leadership of Miss Elliott.  ‘Snaps’, with Managing Director Megan Shannon, produced a range of high quality key rings and prints; ‘The Aroma Coffee Company’, with Managing Director Jessica Lindsay, proved how small the business world has become by importing Fair Trade Ugandan coffee and handmade Ugandan jewellery and  ‘Skyline’, with Managing Director Miriam Porter, provided a range of clothing and accessories.  All of the companies successfully traded at a range of events in our community and even traded in New York.  The pupils all graduated at the Awards ceremony in the Titanic Signature Building and ‘The Aroma Coffee Company’ won a range of awards, most notably the Award for Best Marketing.  ‘Snaps’ also won a range of awards and successfully won the Southern Region Final to proceed to the Northern Ireland Finals at a Gala Dinner hosted in Belfast City Hall.  A tremendous achievement for ‘Snaps’ and for their Managing Director, Megan Shannon, who was also short-listed for the prestigious Northern Ireland Generation Innovation Award.

The Art, ICT and Technology Departments continue to inspire creativity and the pupils have participated with distinction in a range of competitions across Northern Ireland.  Recently, Michael Patterson and Andrew McBurney were highly praised for the quality and complexity of their designs at the Sentinus Young Innovators Competition.

Senior Debating continues under the direction of Mrs Cartmill to provide a superb forum for our young people to learn the skills of presenting a coherent case in order to gain support – such an essential skill in the modern workplace.  Topics such as the death penalty, Scottish Independence and the value of homework resulted in lively and passionate debates.

The Politics and Religious Studies Departments under the guidance of Miss McClelland and Mr Brown continue to provide many opportunities for our young people to understand the importance of diversity, which is integral to our society and our school ethos.  The pupils visited Stormont; Paul Clarke from UTV came to the Academy to outline his work in the world of media, covering a range of political stories and Lord Eames was awe-inspiring as he provided our pupils with an overview of the House of Lords.  The highlight of the year was when we hosted a number of local schools for an extremely lively panel event chaired by Jim Fitzpatrick, with representatives across the political spectrum who were standing in the General Election.

Thanks to Mr Kennedy, a large number of pupils participated in the British Biology Olympiad and the British Biology Challenge.  The pupils competed against thousands of pupils from schools across the UK and won an impressive array of medals. The Music Department provided a plethora of activities for our musicians and entertainment of the highest quality for audiences during the year.  Mr Pollock’s retirement concert was a truly memorable evening and DVDs of the concert are still available from the School Office.  Many outstanding acts from over the years performed at this Gala Evening under the leadership of Mrs Robinson, with her co-presenter for the evening former pupil and BBC’s Rebecca McVeigh.  Jude Kennedy won a number of prestigious awards at the Portadown festival, including the Most Promising Pianist Award, despite only being in Year 8.  The Girls’ Choir participated in the inaugural BBC Radio Ulster School Choir of the Year competition and at the Annual Spring Concert we were treated to a wonderfully entertaining concert featuring the range of School Choirs, School Orchestra, soloists and music ensembles.  If you haven’t been, Mrs Robinson’s performance as host is worth the entrance fee on its own.  I take this opportunity to thank Mrs Robinson, Mrs McCurdy, Mrs McNeilly and the music tutors for their dedication to the pupils and for the wonderful music that I know we will all enjoy later. Junior and Senior SU continue to provide wonderful events that help support our young people in their faith and Sarah Emerson epitomises the spirit of our young people in her role this year as the leader of SU.  There was a hugely successful Junior SU trip to Shannagh-more, a Senior SU weekend to Castlewellan, a BBQ, a Games Night as well as the usual lively meetings.

Many other clubs and societies continue to thrive and the House events throughout the year encouraged healthy competition and helped pupils develop interpersonal skills and build new friendships.

Once again this year vast numbers of pupils participated in the array of sporting activities offered by the school and I will briefly outline the incredible achievements of the pupils.

In Athletics, Elizabeth Little qualified at the Ulster Championships for the Irish Championships in the Long Jump and 100m.  Rebekah Nixon and Robbie Mathers also qualified for the Irish Championships in the 800m and discus respectively.  Tom Stannage (100 and 200m), Suzy Neil (long jump), Thomas McDowell (800m) and Molly Mathers (100m) all qualified for the Ulster Championships.  Congratulations to all of the athletes and their coaches, Mrs Camblin and Mr Leslie.

In cross-country, Rebakah Nixon won the Districts and qualified for the Irish Championships, Ruby McNiff qualified for the Ulster Championships and Patrick McNiff continued to excel and won silver at the Ulster Championships and also finished 7th in the Irish Championships; it is worth noting that he was one year younger than his fellow competitors.   Patrick was also selected to run for Ireland in the Home Countries International Series and the Northern Ireland Team in the London Marathon.

The U14 cricket team reached the quarter finals of the Cup and the U15 team reached the semi-finals after very successful performances all season.  Jack Carson achieved the cricketers’ dream of a hat trick against Ballyclare High School and an unbeaten 99 innings against Coleraine Academical Institution.  Jack played for the U15 Irish Team who won the European Championships and played for Sussex U14, U15 and U16 and has now been selected for an Emerging Player Programme in Abu Dhabi.  I believe the PE department have offered to carry his bags on the trip.

The U15 football team won the South Down Football League Cup following an impressive three-nil victory in the final against a very strong Dromore High School side.  The U16 team replicated the U15s victory and also won the South Down League Cup.  Jack Chambers was selected for the Northern Ireland U16 football squad.

A large number of pupils continue to participate in school rugby and the 1st XV lost narrowly in the semi-final of the Schools’ Bowl, won the Wilson Cup (in a tournament against the Royal School Dungannon, the Royal School Armagh and Lurgan College) and won the CUS trophy.  The Medallion reached the 3rd round of the Shield and the U12 team won the Down High Trophy.  Richard McNeill was selected and played in the interprovincial series for Ulster U18 Schools and Jordan Mount was selected for the Ulster U17 squad.

Large numbers of girls participated in the weekly netball clubs and a particular thanks to Mrs Lawther for arranging two highly successful tournaments for local minor and junior teams.  Many new friendships were formed off the court, with plenty of passion for the game displayed on the court.  The Year 10 girls finished runners-up with Amy Lewis nominated Player of the Tournament.

The Girls’ Hockey Teams had an outstanding season and it was my privilege to watch a number of their excellent performances.  The U13 team won the Girls’ Mid-Ulster Cup in a tough encounter against Lurgan Junior High School.  The U14 team, under the leadership of Nadia Benallal consistently performed at the highest level and after some very tense encounters reached the semi-final of the Ulster Schools’ competition against Ballyclare High School.  Despite a spirted performance they lost by a narrow margin.  I am confident that the girls will continue to go from strength to strength.  The 2nd XI also reached the semi-final of the Ulster Schools’ narrowly losing to the 1st XI from the Royal School Dungannon.

The 1st XI Girls’ team made history by reaching the final of the Ulster Schools’ Cup for the first time ever in the 109 years history of the competition.  The girls started the season with a bang by winning the National Championships.  Despite a shaky start in the Ulster Schools’ Cup, the girls progressed through the rounds and seemed to perform better with each match.  In the quarter-finals they were simply outstanding against Ballymena Academy and won a hard fought semi-final against Ballyclare High School.  The final quite rightly created huge excitement around the school and the girls played with distinction throughout the match in front of a large crowd of enthusiastic supporters.  Unfortunately Sullivan Upper won the match 2-1, but I doubt if I will ever witness again the maturity demonstrated by all the girls and in particular the leadership demonstrated by their Captain, Emma Quinn and Vice-Captain, Chelsea Holden.  It was a very humbling experience for everyone present to listen to such a magnanimous speech from Emma immediately after the game.  The girls should be very proud of the history that they created in the life of this great School and it would be remiss of me not to convey our congratulations to the Team Coach, Mr Madeley, and Team Manager, Mrs Camblin.

Katie McKee, following on from her success as the player of the match in the Ulster Schools’ Cup Final, represented NI alongside her teammate Orla Thompson at the UK School Games and the team returned home with a bronze medal.

It has been my pleasure to come along and support the boys at the many hockey fixtures and to witness elite athletes perform at the highest level, which is a tribute to Mr Cordner and the other coaches.  The 1st XI following an impressive run of performances won the Ulster McCullough Cup beating Wallace High School in the final, 2 -1.  The team reached the final of the Ulster Schools’ Burney Cup but on this occasion they lost to Wallace, 2-1, in the cruellest possible manner, in the last few minutes of the game.  The boys progressed to the Irish Schools’ semi-final and yet again played Wallace High School and unfortunately the same score line of 2-1 went against the Academy.  However, the boys won the KES International U18 event in Birmingham beating the English Schools’ U18 Cup winners in the process – quite a remarkable feat.

At the inaugural Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Council Awards the achievements of the 1st XI Boys’ Hockey Team were recognised by being awarded the School Team of the Year.  The evening was extra special as the presentation of the award was made by one of our former pupils and now European Bronze medal winner – Eugene Magee.

Over the past two days I have had the pleasure of watching the boys compete in the Irish Schools’ Championships.  I am delighted to report that following tremendous performances in their pool matches the boys reached the semi-finals and this morning they played unbelievably well to defeat Brandon Grammar School 2-0.  Andrew Bennington and the boys deserve immense credit and I know that a number of our senior pupils will not be present this afternoon as they will be watching the final at Shawsbridge while I am speaking.  We wish Mr Cordner, Mr Walker and the boys well and hopefully we will hear good news before the end of proceedings this afternoon.

The 2nd XI had a tremendous season and retained the Ulster Schools’ Dowdall Cup with a very impressive 4-0 victory over Sullivan Upper at Lisnagarvey.   The U15 team reached the semi-final of the Richardson Cup while the U14 team reached the quarter-final of the Ferris Cup and won the Oxford Hockey Club U14 South of England Title to crown a tremendous year.  The U13 team reached the quarter-final of the Bannister Bowl and the U12 team finished runners-up in the Oxford Schools’ Tournament.

There were many national and international honours for the boys.  Johnny McKee, 1st XI Captain, was capped at Senior Irish Level last weekend in the fixture against Argentina, no one mention the Rugby World Cup!  This followed on from representing Ireland at U21 level earlier in November against Holland and Germany.  Timothy Watt represented Ireland U18 and Matthew Hurst, Joshua Rowe, Sam Farson, Timothy Watt and Aaron Reid all represented Ulster U18.

Jake Rowe and Luke Roleston represented Irish U16 and in the Ulster U16 team, Luke Roleston, Jake Rowe (Captain), Sam McMurray and Charlie Norris won Gold in the interprovincial series.  Further International caps followed for Mark Barlow and Scott Dale who played against Scotland in the Home Nations in June in Glasgow.  Jake Rowe, Luke Roleston and Luke Marshall also won the UK School Games with the NI squad.

Matthew McClimonds won the U12 Ulster Schools’ Table Tennis Championships.

Our minor, junior, intermediate and senior tennis teams all continued to perform well in their fixtures.

Swimming continues to go from strength to strength.  At the Ulster Secondary Schools’ Championships in the 17 and over section, the Senior Team of Katie Hayes, Lauren Robinson, Allyce Nixon and Megan McKenna won two bronze medals in the 200m medley and freestyle relays, Megan also won a bronze medal in the 100m freestyle.  In the 11-14 section, Kate Allenby won bronze in the 100m butterfly and Ellie Purdy won bronze in both the 100m freestyle and the 200m individual medley.  The Junior Team also won silver in the 200m medley and won the 200m freestyle relay to become the Ulster Junior Champions.  Ellie Purdy and Kate Allenby were both selected for an amazing warm weather training camp in Tenerife.

At the Ulster Grammar Schools’ Championships, Ellie Purdy won double gold in the 11-14 section in the 50m freestyle and the 100m individual medley.  In the 17 and over section, Lauren Robinson won bronze in the 50m breaststroke, Megan McKenna won double gold in the 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly.  The Senior Team of Megan McKenna, Lauren Robinson, Katie Hayes and their junior colleague Ellie Purdy won two Ulster Schools’ Titles in the 100m medley and 100m freestyle.

The Senior Equestrian Team won the Regional School Championships.  At the Ulster Schools’ Championships the Intermediate Team won the silver medal and the Senior Team the bronze, resulting in both teams qualifying for the All-Ireland Championships.

Time precludes me from mentioning any more of the many activities and events that took place during the year, however I would encourage you to visit the school website and read our School Magazine for further details of pupils’ successes and I congratulate Mrs Gough and the Magazine Team for producing such a wonderful record of the School Year.

It is only with the enthusiasm and dedication of the staff that these invaluable opportunities exist for our pupils, and I take this opportunity to thank all those who generously give their time, skills and knowledge to support the extra-curricular life of the School.

Listening to this report you will appreciate that it has been another successful year in the life of the school.  I am certain that we will continue to provide a world class education for our pupils, ensuring that they become confident young adults who are lifelong learners equipped with the essential knowledge, skills and capabilities to allow them to take their place as leaders of our society and economy.  The most significant reason for my confidence in the continued success of the Academy is not based on data or figures or any statistical measure – rather it is based on what I see on a day-to-day basis – the high-quality relationships that exist between the pupils, teachers, parents and the wider community.  I feel very humble and proud to lead such a talented group of staff who are highly professional, genuinely caring and committed.  Their enthusiasm and devotion to our pupils is the reason why the Academy is such an excellent school.  I thank my Vice Principals, Mrs Evans and Mr McFarland, and my Senior Leadership Team, Mrs McMullan, Mr McMullan, Mr Cromie, Mrs Fallis and Mrs Campbell and all of the Heads of Department, the entire Pastoral Team and all my colleagues for their support and leadership.

Prize Day is a significant event in the life of the School and the organisation of the day is a tribute to the considerable expertise of Mrs Fallis, Mrs Evans and Mrs McMullan.  I take this opportunity to thank them on behalf of everyone present for all of their efforts in arranging such a special day.

Equally you, the parents, deserve a huge amount of credit for encouraging and supporting your children through the difficult years of adolescence and the maze of public examinations.  However, I firmly believe that the pupils must take responsibility for their own learning and the success reported today confirms that our pupils have seized the curricular and extra-curricular opportunities.  The Prizewinners today and all of our pupils are to be congratulated for demonstrating such maturity when dealing with the significant pressures placed on young people in today’s modern world.

An effective and successful school is one that adds value, both in terms of the academic progression of its pupils and in how it develops them as individuals, both inside and outside the classroom.  Throughout the past year we have drafted the new 3-year School Development Plan in consultation with our pupils, parents, staff and the wider community around the four pillars of the Department of Education’s Every School a Good School: Child-Centred Provision, High Quality Teaching and Learning, Effective Leadership and a School Connected to its Local Community.  I have been extremely impressed and humbled by the maturity of our pupils as they have helped us reflect on our plans for the future.  As with all schools, there is considerable work to be done to ensure we continue to provide the highest possible standard of education for the pupils in our care.

Finally, I wish to thank the Board of Governors for their support and encouragement.  Their work may go largely unseen by the wider school community but I can testify to the dedication of this group of volunteers.  I thank them for the hours of meetings, interviews and their willingness to accept so readily their responsibilities.  The Governors continue to skilfully lead the School with dignity and unstinting devotion to our pupils.  In particular, it is appropriate to recognise the outstanding commitment and support given to the school by Mr Mark Orr, our Chairman, who followed in the footsteps of our previous Chairman, Mrs Wright, who led the School for many years with grace and distinction.  Mark is on ‘school duty’ for many hours of unpaid work every week, giving up much of his free time in the evenings and weekends to attend so many activities and meetings that are too numerous to mention.

In conclusion many congratulations to all of the Prizewinners – WELL DONE!

I wish our pupils and parents, my colleagues and Governors, God’s richest blessing and guidance as we work together to continue to meet the needs of the outstanding young people entrusted to our care.

Thank you.

R S McLoughlin – Headmaster   October 2015