A Level Congratulations for Dunclug College

Dunclug College is pleased to be celebrating a 7% improvement in its A Level results for the 2017/18 year, in line with our expectations for our students.  80% of all grades were in the A – C range, with a total of 35 students achieving at least one A Grade.  A significant majority sat three A Level subjects with 60% achieving three grades in the A – C range.  83% of the whole cohort achieved 2 or more in the A – C range and 100% 2 grades in the A – E range.

In the following subjects 100% of students achieved in the A – C range:  Biology, Care, Chemistry, Construction, Engineering, Sports, Geography, Moving Image Arts, Sociology, Travel & Tourism, followed closely by high pass rates at Grade C or better, as follows:  Applied Business 90%, CTEC Business 89%, ICT 88%, Performing Arts 83%, Art 83%, Health & Social Care 81%, Religious Studies 66% and Life & Health Science, 50%.  Many students achieved outstanding individual performances in these and other subjects, and excellent combinations of grades to lead to a wide range of University placements & Apprenticeships.  In keeping with the national trend there was improvement in the performance of boys due to careful choice of subjects and motivational teaching.  

The Principal congratulated all students for their excellent commitment in the face of the many challenges of A level study - and the staff for their diligence in preparation and delivery, as well as their positive approach to the many syllabus and examination changes, and the many current financial challenges in education.

A special mention is made of the following high achievers:

Carolyn Aiken, Kennedy Brown, Kirsten Collins, Courtney Davis, Anna Donnell, Emily Erwin, Romany Graham, Courtney Gribben, Rebecca Harris, Kathryn Hamilton, Aaron Houston, David Jamieson, Christine Kernohan, Stephanie Kilpatrick, Anna Knox, Kirsten Leckey, Chloe McFall, Morgan McVicker, Chelsea Morrow, JJ Morrow, Catherine Perry, Jordan Peters, Laura Reid, Charlie Smith, Amy Smith, Amy Stirling, Jack Wilkins, Amy Wilson, Hannah Wilson and Sophiah Wilson.

With high commendations also to the following students:

Mellissa Bell, Adam Crowther, Jason Fleming, Britney Hill, Georgia Hill, Tamarin Hill, Zoe Luke, Ewan McClintock, Brandon Millar, Nena Rea, Callum Ross, Jacqueline Smyth, Thomas Surgenor, Matthew Waide and Courtney Walsh.

The Careers staff, subject teachers, and senior leaders were delighted to be on hand to congratulate pupils and parents personally and to work closely with students to ensure progression to the next stage of their educational journey.  Please do not hesitate to contact school if there remain any outstanding queries.

We look forward to welcoming back the majority of Year 12 students into Sixth Form, following GCSE results next week.  Applications are also welcome from students transferring from other schools for the in-coming academic year.  The Sixth Form Prospectus, with details of the subjects on offer and teaching approaches, as well as the Admissions Criteria, can be obtained from the School Office. 

Ruth Wilson

Principal

16^th August 2018

Dunclug College is celebrating historic levels of achievement at GCSE level.  All students, including those with various learning challenges sat a minimum of 7 GCSE subjects, including the compulsory core of English, Maths and Science and a range of GCSE optional choices in a balance of General and Applied courses.  Many gifted and competitive students sat 8, 9 or 10 subjects.  The overall result for GCSE English for the whole cohort was 80% in the A – C range, with the overall Mathematics result being almost 60%:  in each case this represented the best outcomes in the school’s history.  Overall, almost 80% of students achieved 5 or more subjects in the A – C range with almost 60% achieving this standard inclusive of English and Maths.  This significantly exceeds the National and Northern Ireland averages and places our school and is testimony to the success which can be attained at a non-selective school.  Many factors contribute to such success, not least the support of parents, the commitment of students and the motivational teaching which is inspirational yet grounded, and which proves that high expectations enable students to push boundaries and indeed predictions.

Subjects which achieved the outstanding success rate of 100% of pupils gaining Grade C or better were as follows:  Art, Construction, Media Studies, Double Award Science, Occupational Studies, Further Maths, Prince’s Trust, Agriculture & Community Sport.  Other high achieving subjects included:  Applied Business 70%, English 80%, English Literature 92%, Engineering 70%, French 75%, Geography 79%, ICT 70%, Single Award Science 78%, Technology & Design 91%, Drama 91%, Music 82%, BTEC Sport 91%

The Principal noted that amongst the numerous excellent combinations of grades were children with special educational needs, and many personal best achievements.   It was also very encouraging to note that 96% of all students in the year group achieved at least 5 grades in the A – E range.

Congratulations to top achievers:   Kirsten McLeister - 5 A* and 3A,                                       Craig Francey - 4A*, 4A, 1B and 1C and Charlotte McKay 1A*, 4A, 2B and 1C.

Other students with a profile of A - C grades in eight or more subjects included: Stuart Adams, Tori Agnew, Chloe Bleakley, Alan Clarke, Daniel Compton, Megan Davison, Laura Du Bois Pidgeon, Amy Ewart, Joy Forsythe, Rachel Greer, Abigail Harris, Timothy Hill, Korben Houston, Lynn Hughes, Deanna Johnston, Jamie Knox, Danielle Mahaffy, Tamzin McClenaghan, Adam McConnell, Grace McCullough, Emma McDowell, Thomas McFall, Megan McKay, Luke Neeson, Robbie O’Neill, Aimee Penney, David Saunderson, Chad Shaw, Joshua Shaw, Robyn Telford, Charlotte Waide, James Warwick, Leah Young.  This, in addition to the list of students, too numerous to list, who achieved 7 top grades.

Interviews are currently underway at the College for Sixth Form places and/or advice for students on the next steps in their learning.  Applications are also welcome from students from other schools.  Admissions Criteria and the details of subjects on offer are available at the School Office.

Ruth Wilson

Day 8 by Jack Francey:
Our final day in Delhi, India was to say the least an extremely emotional one. We started the morning off by getting our suitcases packed and ready for the evening as we were to begin our long flight home. Once every one had finished packing, we headed for a lovely breakfast at 9:30am and then left for Kusumpur slum at 10:15am. We arrived at the slum for 11:00, where we made our way to the community centre, being greeted with open arms to the opening ceremony of the newly painted centre and also our leaving party. As we made our way in for the last time, each and every smile on the young familiar faces brought tears to each and every member of the team. An amazing variety of singing and dancing routines were preformed for us and a delicious cake was then cut. Many kind words of thanks were shared with the team which will remain with us forever. We proceeded to sing the songs that we prepared the previous evening which brought much joy to the children. The children particularly like our adapted version of the Dunclug school song to match Asha’s values. 
We completed our time in Kusumpur by singing and dancing to a wide range of songs from all across the world where many hugs and tears were shared. As we made our way to the taxi, the children came to see us leave and waved good bye. We made our way back to the hotel which was possibly the hardest thing any of us have ever done; we all wanted to stay with these magnificent people. 
After an emotional day, we got back to the hotel, relaxed and shared our thoughts about our final visit to Kusumpur before we sat down to our last Indian dinner in the hotel which did not disappoint. 
The final stage of this amazing experience was towards Delhi International airport where the journey back to Ballymena would begin. This was truly an unforgettable journey which will remain in the hearts of the team members for many years to come.

Day 8 by Ellie Clyde:
Today was our final day in Kusumpur and a day of celebration as the newly decorated centre was reopened to all of the students. The students within the centre had organised a programme of performances including Bollywood dancing, singing and Sahil playing his guitar. In return we sang Imagine by John Lennon, Make you feel my love by Adele, a rewritten version of the school song and Ellie singing a solo song from the musical Dear Evan Hansen. Everyone found today very emotional and a lot of tears were shed as we said goodbye to the students that have changed our lives. Following this, we journeyed back to the hotel to pack and have our last supper in New Delhi.

Day 6 by John Wilson: Today we had an early start as we returned to Kusumpur to get a head start with the Painting for the day. This brought many laughs amongst the team and college students as Mr Burnett broke the ladder whilst painting. It is apparent that all the Indian Food has caught up with him.
Whilst part of the team continued to paint, some of us played different activities using the rugby ball and football with the college students. This brought great laughs and fun amongst us all. 
In the afternoon, we were delighted to see the children again ready for some lessons and crafts. Today we delivered lessons on Body Parts. We looked at the spelling of each body part; using these words to form sentences, which improved their English skills. The craft team used little card people to design portraits of the students . This allowed them to be artistic and include important aspects of their own personalities. The team thoroughly enjoyed today; the childrens' happiness and joy to learn prevails over our tiredness.
Tonight we we had a warm welcome from Dr. Kiran Martin, in her own home, as we were invited for dinner in her astonishing abode. We were treated to traditional Indian cuisine which the team thoroughly enjoyed. This was followed by some Bollywood dancing which was an amazing experience and the team danced along to the exciting music. 
The team has had yet again another unforgettable day and we look forward to the joy the children will bring us tomorrow. 

Day 7 by Kristyn Chan and Nicola Kernohan:

Today at Kusumpur we delivered sessions on presentation skills with the college students; the talk was based on what ASHA means to each individual.
The students opened up their feelings and thoughts about the organisation and expressed great optimism towards their hope for a better future which they are striving to accomplish.

Day 5 by Rachel Owens:
On Monday, our day started early as we headed back to the Slum at Kusumpr. The students were all very excited to see us again and many were already at the centre when we arrived. We focused on work with the College students in the morning and delivered an English lesson to improve their overall Literacy skills, asking them questions about themselves and their families. This was very exciting and everyone got involved; the students were able to understand how to improve the accuracy of their own writing.
In the afternoon, we decided to blow up the balloons that we had brought over from home and play games with the younger students. Many of the younger children were overjoyed at such a simple game that other children in the UK may have taken for granted.
Following this, we began our afternoon session with the younger children. Our topic was 'Under the Sea'. We explored different sea creatures, got the children to write down the correct spellings and finally got them to create their own 'Under the sea' picture. They all thoroughly enjoyed this task and paraded the centre showing off their completed work with pride.
After our day at the Slum we set off to the busy Sarojini Nagir market to allow the girls to buy a Sari to take home with them. This was another truly memorable day and everyone is so excited and eager to get back to Kusumpur to paint the community centre in the morning.

One half of the team had the opportunity to do a lane visit today. This meant that they met the majority of the community at Kusumpur; students and staff were greeted into the residents' homes. 
Alongside finding out about day to day routines and harrowing sleeping conditions (5 family members sleeping in one very small space), the team also got to sample some traditional Indian dancing routines, even offering their own addition of 'Cotton eye Joe' for the residents to try. 
This experience not only furthered our understanding of the difficulty of living in a Slum but also brought to light how, despite hard circumstances, the community remain happy and optimistic. An extraordinary experience to say the least!

Click on the link below to read about Dunclug College working with ASHA in their newsletter!

https://asha-india.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Asha_newsletter_81_IR.pdf

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