Students receiving A level results for the last time at Portora Royal School
The anxious wait is over for hundreds of students from across Fermanagh who have received their AS and A Level results today.
Pupils from St Michael’s, Mount Lourdes, Devenish College, Portora, Enniskillen Collegiate, St Joseph’s, Erne Integrated College, St Aidan’s, St Eugene’s and St Comhghall’s all received results with many achieving a place at university.
The results were released at 7am this morning with pupils able to check online or go to schools to collect their grades in person.
Yet again the number of students in the North receiving top A-Level grades has increased. Around 98% of pupils received an A*-E pass grade in their AS and A Levels. While girls continue to outperform boys, there has been some headway in terms of closing the gap on the highest grades. STEM subjects remain popular with more girls choosing ICT, mathematics, biology and chemistry while there was also an increase in the number of students studying business. However there were notable drops in the number of entries in art and design, drama, music, and religious studies.
Happy students at Devenish College this morning
At Portora this morning, the school’s results were the last set to be published in its present incarnation before it amalgamates with the Collegiate next month to form Enniskillen Royal Grammar School.
Portora headmaster Neil Morton expressed pride that students had produced results that are among the best in the North.
“In 2015, 82% of our students achieved at least three A levels with grades A*-C. This ranked the school 17th in Northern Ireland. In 2016, while in the midst of difficult and challenging changes, the students have achieved an astonishing set of results with 87% achieving three subjects at A*-C. This statistic would have ranked the school in the top six in NI in 2015,” he added.
St. Comhghall’s College in Lisnaskea was also celebrating another set of fantastic A-Level grades.
Principal Gary Kelly said: “Year on year our A-Level results have been very good but this year has been our best so far where 67% of year 14 pupils achieved the top A and A* grades in their results. The college has had again a 100% pass rate at A-Level which is a credit to the hard work of students, teachers and parents working in partnership. 15% of our year 14 pupils achieved 3 A or A* grades in their A-Levels which is unheard of for a secondary school.”
St. Joseph’s College principal Helena Palmer said A level students there had achieved 100% pass grades of A* – E with 60 % gaining A* – B grades. “These results represent the outstanding work from both our students and staff alongside the encouragement and support given to them by their parents and will enable the boys to continue onto the next steps of their learning journey. The boys are moving on to university courses ranging from Engineering to Law to Teaching and Business Management, with every one of them being accepted onto their first choice course.,” she said.
Jimmy Jackson-Ware, Principal of Erne Integrated College was celebrating student success at A level with 96% achieving two or more A level grades. Top student William McElroy achieved three A grades and will be studying Veterinary Medicine at Bristol University.
Mr Jackson-Ware said: “We are very happy for all our Post 16 students who worked hard to achieve their personal best and thanked the staff for their commitment and dedication in ensuring that every student reached their potential in what is another very successful year for Erne Integrated College.”
See next week’s Fermanagh Herald for full coverage.
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