Five schools in the Newry and Mourne area have been placed in the top 51 schools in Northern Ireland after gaining some of the most successful A Level results. St Louis Grammar School Kilkeel ranked highest in third place after gaining a pass rate of 91.3 per cent in A* to C grades while Our Lady’s Grammar were placed 11th, Sacred Heart came 22nd , The Abbey Grammar finished 28th and St Colman’s College were in 51st place. The average pass rate in Northern Ireland is 65.2 per cent and all five schools surpassed that mark. Principal of St Louis Grammar, Mr Kevin Martin put the results down to the “enthusiastic” teachers and students at the school and the “fantastic” relationships they have developed. “We are very pleased with the results,” said Mr Martin. “The main reason is down to the students who worked particularly hard to achieve such outstanding results. The excellent teaching delivered by our staff was fantastic. We are delighted,” he said. “The school has done well for the past number of years at GCSE and A Level but the league table is one area where people notice how well you have done. Our goal is just for each student to be the best they can be but more importantly we not only place a strong emphasis on academic importance but we also focus on the pastoral care because it is involved in all aspects of school life. We are concerned with the personal, spiritual and intellectual development of the whole pupil and with St Louis being a smaller school there is a very positive attitude around the school and the whole community.” Two lucky pupils at St Louis were awarded the Queen’s Scholarship Award meaning all their university fees are paid for them while the school also had pupils heading off to Oxford. “Pastoral care combined with a great careers education has been vital,” added Mr Martin. “Most of our pupils all gained a place at their first choice university and we have had several students who have done particularly well. There is a great family environment at the school as well and the pupils learn to respect each other and learn from each other.” While Geraldine Pettigrew Principal of Our Lady’s Grammar was pleased to see that the students’ hard work and effort had been recognized in the Northern Ireland league tables. “We are delighted to see the results for the girls in the year group because it gives them a lovely sense of achievement,” she said. “I am delighted for the staff as well because they are a hard working staff who put in a lot of effort. Also the results are more impressive because of all the other things going on in school. Sports drama and music are also intertwined with the girls’ education.” The data of the school league tables has been taken from the Northern Ireland School Census, Summary of Annual Examination Results. The results also include pupils with special educational needs.
Newry Democrat
8th April 2014
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