Students at Ballymena Academy who have excelled in this year’s GCSE examinations.
In a year where educational institutions across the nation grappled with the return to pre-pandemic grading standards, Ballymena Academy has emerged as a beacon of academic excellence.
The publication of this year's GCSE results has brought jubilation to the school, with students achieving an impressive increase in A* and A grades, starkly contrasting the national downturn.
Amidst the backdrop of significant educational challenges and stricter examination criteria, the pupils of Ballymena Academy have not only met but exceeded expectations. Their results stand as a testament to the resilience and dedication shown by both the students and the teaching staff.
Stephen Black, Principal of Ballymena Academy, congratulated the young people on their achievements and added how pleasing it was to see so many happy pupils in school as they receive their results. He said:
“It is a great privilege to be able to pay tribute to our pupils, individually and collectively. It is important to remember that this year group of students suffered huge disruption in their early years at the Academy and that these outcomes have been achieved despite the challenges which this posed.
These impressive results are a testament to the ability, hard work and resilience of our students, the dedication of our teaching staff and the support of parents. It is important to mention the good working relationships that are such an important feature of the life and work of this school.
Such grades would not have been obtained without the professional approach and commitment shown by our staff and the consistent encouragement of parents as we all work together to ensure high levels of success for our young people.
“The school has traditionally demonstrated academic excellence and this year we have continued to do so”.
Top achievers at Ballymena Academy
Mr Black continued:
“In addition to the terrific individual performances highlighted below, which identify almost half of the year group as attaining 7 or more A*/A grades in their nine GCSE full courses, there are many other high achievers not named here because of pressure of space, who should be commended and can look forward to their future education with confidence.
“It is especially pleasing that, despite the considerable reduction in A* and A grades nationally, over 60% of all examinations sat were grade A* or A and remarkably in 26 individual subjects the percentage of grades achieved at A* – B exceeded N.I. Grammar School averages, indicating excellent performance across the curriculum.
“This set of results also confirms that our young people are well-positioned to take advantage of the opportunities that the future will bring. For the vast majority, as in every year, that means entry to the Ballymena Academy Sixth Form whilst some others will take a different route; regardless of their pathway, we extend our best wishes to all.”
GCSE High Achievers (2024 list)
Eight young people achieved A* grades in all nine of their GCSE full courses:- Thomas Allenby, Sophie Charleton, Catherine Macdonald, Maia Malcolm, Matthew McCullough, Evie McKeown, Ashton Mui, Flo Winning.
Thirty-nine pupils achieved a minimum of 9A*/A grades in their GCSE full courses – Jessica Alexander, Callum Baillie, Hannah Ballantine, Mattias Beatty, Lexie Bill, Maddi Bishop, Sophia Burnside, Rachel Carson, Will Chambers, Peter Cochrane, Ben Collins, Leah Cromie, Beth Cruikshank, Holly Fisher, Katie Gardiner, Grace Gillespie, Cherith Gordon, Rachel Graham, Daniel Grimsley, Natasha Hall, Finnola Henry-McCool, Daniel Hickey, Martha Kirkpatrick, Ella Kyle, Tommy Lackermeier, Ben Makaveckas, Laura McDonnell, Ewan Mewha, Annabel Mitchell, Rowan Murray, Joshua Paterson, Sarah Patton, Hannah Ramsey, Jake Rhodes, Briony Robertson, Taylor Stewart, Philip Thomas, Denisa Timuc, Kirk Wilson.
They were closely followed by a further twenty-one young people with a minimum of 8 A*/A grades in their GCSE full courses – Alfie Beckett, Mikey Blair, Jack Brown, Charlotte Campbell, Aaron Caskey, Ollie Collins, Michael Darragh, Lucas Kelly, Matthew Lowry, Niall Manson, Amelia McCormac, Lucy McKillop, Olivia Moody, Zoe Moore, Lily Murdock, Charlotte Neilly, Lucas Neilly, Alexander O’Hara, Robbie Pedlow, Jack Turner, Jack Whitley.
Finally, sixteen pupils obtained a minimum of 7 A*/A grades in their GCSE full courses – Freya Arbuthnot, Lois Campbell, Jacob Casson, Jonathan Christie, Sarah Harbison, Charlie Hargy, Sarah Livingstone, Morgan Mawhinney, Grace McClintock, Carter McNeill, Riley Parker, Erin Robinson, James Robinson, Nadine Roddy, Ellie Sloan, Adam Snowden.