Please find below a copy of the schools Remote and Blended Learning Policy for 2021.

We will be delighted to see all of our pupils return to school over the next number of days. Due to the continuing COVID situation there are still a number of organisational points that you will need to be aware of. Please find below a document containing all the information you will need, If you have any other queries please contact the school office.

Emily Campbell was awarded BTEC Gold Award Child and Social Care Learner of the Year in June 2020. To mark this fantastic achievement Emily was invited to go to London to receive her Award but due to COVID 19 this did not take place. On Friday 18th June 2021, Mr John Harkness, Board of Governor of Ballyclare Secondary School proudly presented Emily with her Award. The Home Economics department celebrated the occasion with Emily, her family and members of the Board of Governors.

This morning Ballyclare Secondary School staff and pupils were celebrating a very successful GCSE results day.

The Principal, Mrs Kathryn Bell and all the staff of Ballyclare Secondary School are absolutely delighted with the GCSE results obtained by Year 12 pupils. 73 % of our Year 12 pupils have secured at least 5 GCSE grades at A* to C. This is a truly wonderful achievement and an increase in 5% on the grades achieved last year!

There have been many outstanding performances from our pupils. It is a delight to see so many pupils fulfil their potential in this way.

In the school Assembly Hall were happy young people and staff and delighted parents and carers. Our young people deserve this high level of success, they worked hard, with determination, resilience and maturity. The disruption to their education caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was not going to be a barrier to their success.

As a whole the year group have exceeded our expectations and the grades achieved in the majority of subjects have shown an improvement on last year. This is an incredible achievement which is the result of sheer hard work on the part of pupils and staff. It is very encouraging for staff to see clear evidence that our broad and balanced curriculum is accessible for pupils, our pupils feel supported and are achieving very good grades in all GCSE and BTEC Level 2 subjects.

A number of pupils have achieved very high levels of success in our Occupational Studies Courses in Food Preparation, Horticulture, Business Services, Graphic Design and Website Development and Carpentry and Joinery many of these results are at Distinction Level. It is important to us that we continue to develop our curriculum to find courses which best meet the needs and talents of our pupils and this is proving to be very successful.

As in previous years, but particularly this year, we acknowledge the support of parents and carers and the role they play in supporting their young people as they work towards their target grades. Parents and carers play a significant part in the success of Ballyclare Secondary School. It was a pleasure to see the Assembly Hall filled with delighted parents. Any tears were tears of joy!

All year 12 pupils deserve these pleasing results and many are now anticipating their return to school to take on the challenge of further study. We anticipate that this year’s Sixth Form will once again be filled to capacity and there will be particular interest in the new GCE and Level 3 courses we are offering which include GCE Psychology, GCE Government and Politics, BTEC Level 3 in Travel and Tourism (Double Award), BTEC Level 3 Sport (Double Award), GCE Health and Social Care (Double Award) and BTEC Level 3 in Children’s Care, Learning and Development.

Many others have successfully gained places in Northern Regional College, Belfast MET and other colleges of further education including Greenmount and Loughry Agricultural Colleges and we wish them all well. We also congratulate those pupils who have successfully gained apprenticeship places in local business.

It is always a pleasure to see pupils rewarded for their hard work and a delight to share in their many achievements. As a staff we wish them continuing success for the future and congratulate them all on a very successful year.

Mrs K Bell

Principal

On the morning of Thursday 10^th August 2021 Ballyclare Secondary School staff and pupils were celebrating a very successful results day. The results obtained in GCE and BTEC Level 3 courses are the best results we have achieved in 5 years. 71 % of our Year 14 pupils have secured all 3 of their results at grades at A* to C. This is a truly wonderful achievement and an increase in 5% on the grades achieved last year!

There were many outstanding performances and it was a joy to see so many young people achieve such positive results following a very different and challenging Sixth Form experience.  Nine of our young people have been awarded the top grades in all three subjects.

In the school Assembly Hall were happy young people and staff and delighted parents and carers. Our young people deserve this high level of success, they worked hard, with determination, resilience and a maturity that was impressive. The disruption to their education caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was not going to be a barrier to their success.

The outgoing Year 14 was a very dedicated and hardworking year group and this was clearly evident throughout their 7 years in school. Even during the periods of lockdown and school closure they worked hard. They deserve their high levels of attainment and as a staff we are absolutely delighted for them.

This year 65% of our pupils achieved at least one top grade and many of the year group have achieved all of their grades at Grade C and above. The vast majority of our young people achieved all of their grades at A* to E, this is a remarkable achievement and a tremendous success story for all!  What stands out with the grades awarded this year is the consistency of achievement across all subjects.

Our achievements this year are on a par with many schools in the selective sector and clear evidence that with hard work and the support of dedicated teachers our young people can achieve at the very highest levels. This was very evident in the work completed by pupils and staff on online learning platforms during school closure and when staff and pupils were affected by periods of self-isolation – the hard work continued.

Our pupils have excelled in a wide range of courses including academic and vocational courses and we believe that providing a curriculum that is broad and varied ensures that pupils engage in courses they are actually interested in and this improves levels of attainment.  

We are delighted to report that a number of our subjects achieved a success rate of 100% A* to C grades. This is fantastic for the young people and the staff who deliver these courses, which included GCE Performing Arts, GCE Art and Design, GCE Health and Social Care, GCE Media and Film Studies, GCE Moving Image Arts, GCE Accounting, GCE Business Studies, GCE Geography, GCE Music, GCE Religious Studies, GCE Life and Health Science and BTEC Level 3 in Sports Studies and Child Care, Learning and Development. Further to this it is worthy of note that all of the pupils who studied BTEC Level 3 in Child Care, Learning and Development all achieved the top grade of Distinction which is an outstanding achievement!

As a school we value all of the grades achieved by all our pupils, whether that is an A* or an E grade. It is our ethos that all pupils should have a rewarding educational experience and we aim for “personal excellence” – this is something every pupil can achieve. All our young people have to work incredibly hard to achieve their grades, attaining three GCE A Levels  and BTEC Level 3 courses is a tremendous achievement and we are delighted for all our year 14 pupils.

Many pupils have already secured their places at university and further education colleges. Others have been successful in gaining apprenticeships and some have already entered their chosen area of employment. We wish them all continuing success as they continue on their education journey or take up their place in the world of work.

Year 13 pupils have achieved an impressive set of results in their GCE AS Courses. These results are very encouraging and build a solid platform for pupils to build on next year. It is always a pleasure to see pupils rewarded for their hard work. Many of our pupils achieved all three grades at Grade C and above a truly fantastic achievement.

As a school we aim to challenge and inspire all our pupils regardless of ability and it is very pleasing to note that our pupils have been able to achieve above and beyond their expectations in the wide range of courses available to them. This year’s results were fantastic and very encouraging and represent further improvement on previous years.

As we reflect on all that has happened because of the COVID-19 pandemic what is evident is that our teachers believed that our young people were capable of attaining very good grades and the evidence gathered supported this.  The targets seemed right for each young person and with high quality teaching and encouragement; pupils strived to be the best they could be. Success comes when everyone works together. Even though the examinations were cancelled the work ethic from pupils and staff alike has pulled us through a very challenging time for staff, pupils and education as a whole

Pupils and staff have all worked extremely hard and deserve the great results they have achieved. We also acknowledge the support of parents and carers and the very important part they continue to play in the success of Ballyclare Secondary School.

K Bell

(Principal)

The school will be open from 9.00 am on Thursday 12th August for pupils to collect their results. All pupils will be required to wear a mask when in the school building and sanitise their hands when entering. Staff will be available to discuss pathways forward for pupils and below is attached the new sixth form options booklet which contains information on all the subjects available and the specific entry requirements.

School will be finishing on Friday 25^th at 11.45am. Buses will be operating as usual. We hope that all of our pupils have a relaxing and enjoyable break over the summer holidays.

Please find below a copy of the Student and Parent Guide to Post-Results Services for Summer 2021.