From the heart of Ballyclare to the legendary track at Goodwood — the Ballyclare Secondary F24 Kitcar Team has raced their way into the international spotlight!

After dominating and winning the Mid Ulster Heat and storming to victory at the Aintree Heat in England, our team qualified for the prestigious F24 International Final — a global showdown of engineering excellence and racing spirit. Competing against the top 82 cars from around the world — including teams from the United Arab Emirates, Belgium, France, Spain, and Portugal — Ballyclare Secondary made their mark with incredible performances: 13th in Race 1 and 16th in Race 2! But this journey was about more than just speed.

It was a STEM-powered adventure that taught our pupils real-world engineering, problem-solving, communication, resilience, and teamwork. Every bolt tightened, every strategy discussed, every lap raced — it all built confidence, character, and a passion for innovation.

Ballyclare Secondary’s F24 Team isn’t just building cars — they’re building futures.

Thank You to Our Incredible Sponsors!

We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to all our sponsors for your generous support and belief in our journey. Thanks to you, our team had the unforgettable weekend at the F24 International Final.

Your support didn’t just get us to the track — it opened the door to incredible experiences, including a thrilling visit to Mercedes-Benz World, where our pupils took part in driving experiences that inspired and excited them beyond words, making memories that will last a lifetime.

Together, we’re building futures — one lap at a time.

Ballyclare Secondary F24 Kitcar Team — Driven by Passion, Powered by Innovation.

Join us for a magical evening of festive music, performed by our talented choirs, orchestra, and ensembles. A heartwarming celebration for the whole family- come celebrate the season with us!

Date: Wednesday 10th December, 5:30pm
Location: Ballyclare Secondary School

Tickets available now – click here --> https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/ballyclaress

Please find below our Weekly Communication Bulletin for Parents and Carers, and other important information, which has been sent out to you via Sims App.

On Thursday the 9th October the Drama Department welcomed the Bruiser Theatre Company into school to perform 'The boy who Kicked Pigs'. It was Epic Theatre at its best! A fabulous morning of theatre at Ballyclare Secondary School.

On Saturday 27th September we were delighted to run our Music Fun Day. Pupils had an incredible morning taking part in three different workshop. They enjoyed making music with Gathering Drum, learning about African and Samba Drumming, learning about vocal health and how to take care of your voice and a great time composing with GarageBand. We would like to thank all of the providers who came into school and made it such a successful event.

Our Head Girl, Sara is overseeing this fundraising activity to increase our Cash for Kids fund! Help Sara raise as much money as possible by donating clothes, shoes or bags you no longer use. Everything must be clean and wearable. You can drop all items to the front office until Friday 17th October.

We're raising money as part of the Schools Challenge with Cash for Kids Northern Ireland. We'll get to keep everything we raise, but the top three fundraising schools will receive an extra award from the charity!

To donate, click on the following link or follow the QR code.

https://www.cashforkidsgive.co.uk/.../ballyclare...

Any amount you can to give is very much appreciated. After you sponsor us, it would be great if you could leave a photo or video support message too!

Ballyclare Secondary School’s Kit Car team, Forget Fossil, has once again made history by clinching back-to-back victories at the Aintree Heat of the Greenpower F24 Kit Car competition. Battling through gusting winds and driving rain, the team showed exceptional resilience and engineering prowess, securing 2nd place in Race 1 and 1st Place in Race 2 to be crowned overall champions in the F24 Kit Car class.

The team are preparing for their next challenge at the International Final at Goodwood on the 12th October which brings the 2025 season to a close.

A huge thanks goes to their dedicated sponsors and supporters, whose backing continues to fuel the team’s success and innovation.

Thanks to our Travel Sponsors: Dennison Commercials , Woodside Logistics Group and Houstons Coachworks Ltd for continued support helping us getting to races.

This year our Car Sponsors @clarevetgroup , @nmlsolutions , @windsorholidaypark, Used Cars NI, @cladywater_equinelearning & East Antrim Bitmac.

Finally, our Team Sponsors have allowed the team to move from strength to strength with support from @Thales and Field Tech Survey who have enabled the team to go further than they ever have before!

Culture Club meets every Monday at lunchtime, bringing together pupils from Years 8 to 11 to learn Mandarin and explore Chinese culture. Mr Guan, from the Confucius Institute at Ulster University, leads the club and plans to host a variety of Chinese cultural workshops for pupils during these sessions.

So far in Culture Club, we have learned how to say our Chinese names and how to greet others in Mandarin.

We have also learned numbers and the hand signs that represent each one. Finally, we discovered which numbers are considered lucky or unlucky in China, and learned that Chinese Cyber Valentine’s Day is celebrated on 21st May.