In the Sunday Times Parent Power Guide, Banbridge Academy featured as the 64th top performing secondary school in the UK.

The Principal, Mr Robin McLoughlin OBE, congratulated the entire school community on receiving such a wonderful accolade.

Mr McLoughlin explained at Banbridge Academy, our foundation is built on a clear ethos: ‘The pursuit of excellence in a caring and supportive community.’ We remain true to the school’s central aim: for every student to be happy at school, known personally, and cared for individually.  This personalised approach underpins our new collective vision: Belong | Aspire | Achieve.  The 2024/2025 academic year has been a period of spectacular success, with achievements spanning from the classroom to the Olympic stage.

Our students have once again secured outstanding public examination results, a testament to the dedication of our students, the commitment of our staff, and the unwavering support of our parents.  At A Level, the achievements were exceptional, with almost 90% of all students achieving three A*–C grades or better, with a pass mark of 99.6%.  At GCSE, a remarkable 99% of students achieved at least seven A*–C grades, including English and Mathematics. Furthermore, 72% of all entries resulted in the top A*/A grades, with 75 students obtaining 10 A*/A grades or better.

The school’s commitment to leadership and intellectual rigour resulted in a student’s successful campaign for the UK Youth Parliament.  Further student leadership and global awareness were highlighted by pupils representing China at the British Council’s COP29 Schools’ Simulation and a group of students attending a symposium where they met former US First Lady and Chancellor of QUB, Hilary Clinton.  Academic excellence was recognised nationally when a student secured a prestigious Arkwright Engineering Scholarship, the most esteemed of its kind in the UK.  Another student won the esteemed Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators from the University of Oxford, standing out among nearly 5,000 submissions.  Debating also flourished, with a student winning the prestigious Ulster Women’s Unionist Council Public Speaking Competition at Stormont.

The year will be etched in the school’s sporting history, following the extraordinary achievement of having six former students represent their respective sports at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.  This cohort of Olympians reportedly represented the most from any school in Ireland.  Overall, it was an amazing year of sporting success, with over 35 students receiving National or International Caps across 14 different sports.

Teams and individuals secured multiple Ulster and Irish titles, including: the Boys’ Hockey 1^st XI Team were crowned All-Ireland Schoolboy Champions for a record-equalling seventh time; Girls’ Hockey saw Irish squad selection for several players and multiple players represented the winning Ulster Inter-provincial Teams; Swimming relay teams achieved major titles, claiming Ulster titles and crowned Irish Senior Schools’ Relay Champions; Dance teams achieved a Gold medal clean sweep at the Ulster Fusion Dance Competition , while the Archery team were again crowned overall NI Team Champions. Furthermore, the Minor Boys’ Badminton Team and the U13 Boys’ Table Tennis Team were both crowned Ulster Champions.

This culture of high achievement is matched by the school’s strong community ethos, which saw the students and colleagues support a wide range of charities.  The school continues to invest in holistic development, with large numbers of students completing the challenging Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award and over 80 exhibitors attending the successful Pathways Careers Fair.  The Academy ensures our young people have every opportunity to Aspire and Achieve both inside and outside the classroom.