Victoria College Belfast (incorporating Richmond Lodge School) Cranmore Park Belfast BT9 6JA Tel No:(028) 90661506 Fax No:(028) 90666898
ANNUAL REPORT TO PARENTS
For the Year 2013 / 2014
VICTORIA COLLEGE BELFAST CRANMORE PARK BELFAST BT9 6JA TEL: 028 90661506 FAX: 028 90666898
(Incorporating Richmond Lodge School)
GOVERNORS' ANNUAL REPORT
SECTION 1 – BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Following the implementation of the Schedule 6 Agreement, the Board is currently in the process of redefining membership. Mr J A B Gibson MBE and Mr J F Finlay, Foundation Governors, retired from the Board in March and July 2014 respectively. Under the Schedule 6 Agreement, Foundation Governors reduce from fifteen to twelve. The current Foundation Governor membership is ten following retirements in 2013 and 2014 and two Foundation Governor vacancies remain to be filled. Five Department of Education nominees will complete their term of office in August 2015, with one vacancy to be filled. The Department of Education is in the process of appointing three additional Department of Education nominees to comply with the Schedule 6 Agreement. Two Parent Govenrors were elected with one position remaining unfilled and three Teacher Governors were elected. Two co-opted members are currently appointed to the Board. The Principal is ex officio a member of the Board. The Board’s Secretary is Miss Nicola Mawhinney BA. Mrs G Wells and Dr B Callender are the Designated Governor and Deputy Designated Governor for Child Protection.
Name Category Date of which term of office ends Dr B J Gregory BSc PhD CEng MICE MIEI FCIWM FGS Foundation Governor N/A (Chairman) Dame Joan Harbison BA MSc (Vice Chairman) Foundation Governor N/A Ms P Slevin BA MEd PGCE PQH (Headmistress) Ex officio N/A Mr M Beattie IBFS Dip Parent Governor Nov 2017 Dr B Callender MB MRCGP Foundation Governor N/A Dr R Clarke MB BCh BAO FRCPath Dept of Education Nominee Aug 2015 Lady Froggatt Foundation Governor N/A Mr M Haylett BEng CEng PMP MICE MAPM RMaPS Dept of Education Nominee Aug 2015 Mrs M-L Horwood LLB LLM Co-opted member N/A Mr M H Hunter FCA Foundation Governor N/A Dr M S Johnston MB BCh BAO Foundation Governor N/A Ms F Kane BA (Hons) Co-opted member N/A Mr N J Kavanagh BA PGCE Teacher Governor Nov 2017 Mr C G Maccabe CB LLB LLM FRSA Foundation Governor N/A Mr S McKillop BEng CEng MIEI Dept of Education Nominee Aug 2015 Ms C McKinney OBE BA PGCE MBA MEd Dept of Education Nominee Aug 2015 Miss M McMackin BA PGCE Teacher Governor Nov 2017 Mrs E A Robinson Foundation Governor N/A Dr M Spollen, BA(Hons.) MSc PhD FDRS Parent Governor Nov 2017 Mr R Telford BSc DIS MRICS MAPM Foundation Governor N/A Mrs G Wells MB BCh BAO MRCGP MFCH Foundation Governor N/A Miss S Wright BA (Ed) Teacher Governor Nov 2017 Mr A Wylie FCA CertPFS BA Dept of Education Nominee Aug 2015
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Victoria College is attended by 1097 pupils with 897 pupils in the Secondary Department and 200 pupils in the Preparatory Department. The Preparatory School has expanded in recent years and now includes a Pre-School and a Pre-Pre-School department with Day care available for children from the age of 2 years from 8:00am to 6:00pm.
The College is a leading non-denominational grammar school for girls with an outstanding reputation for academic achievement together with an impressive record in many other activities such as music, drama and sport. The Board of Governors is committed to ensuring that every girl reaches her full potential developing the skills and qualities which will prepare her for adult life.
The supportive and inclusive ethos of the College has been recognised by the achievement of the Inclusion Quality Mark and the pastoral care within the College has been recognised by ETI as being outstanding. The College maintains strong links with the local and international community and pupils are encouraged to become actively involved with voluntary work and charitable projects at home and abroad.
The Board of Governors reviews policies and procedures annually to ensure that the learning environment remains safe and secure, allowing pupils to develop and grow in confidence as they pursue their studies and avail of the many opportunities presented to them.
Each pupil benefits from a curriculum which offers breadth and balance and every effort is made to ensure that individual needs of pupils are met. As a member of the South Belfast Area Learning Community the College works in collaboration with other local schools to ensure that a wide range of courses, both academic and vocational, are available to its pupils. Arrangements for pupils with special educational needs are outlined in the SEN policy, which, along with the Child Protection Policy, the AntiBullying Policy and the Security Policy are available for parents on the College website or from the school office.
The Board of Governors is grateful to all the dedicated teaching and support staff who are essential in delivering the aims of the College.
Over the last number of years grant aid has continued to increase at below inflationary levels presenting a significant challenge to the College and to all other schools. With the anticipated ongoing reductions in grant income voluntary contributions from parents are more important than ever and I would ask those parents who have not been able to make a contribution in the past year to consider giving what they can to assist the school in its ongoing work.
Last year there were contributions of £151,490 and without these contributions it would be impossible to provide the level of education and the range of other activities currently on offer to all our pupils. The Board of Governors does not take this significant contribution by parents for granted and is extremely grateful to parents for their financial support over the years and particularly in these very difficult economic times.
I have outlined below a summary of the key work of the Board of Governors during the academic year 2013/2014.
Board Business
The Board met on nine occasions (seven Board meetings and two Extraordinary meetings) and was supported by the work of its committees.
Transfer Arrangements Throughout the year the Board of Governors and Senior Staff continued to be fully engaged in discussions surrounding the procedures for Transfer 2013 and planning for the 2014 arrangements. In relation to September 2014 entrants to Year 8, the College did not face any challenges to the criteria it used for admissions. The Board of Governors also considered Special Circumstances applications as part of the Transfer procedure.
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The College has consistently taken the view that there should be an agreed form of entrance assessment for admission into any Grammar school and the Headmistress and the Chairman will continue to be actively involved with relevant bodies to reach such an agreement. Having given due regard to guidance from the Department of Education, the Board took a decision to maintain academic criteria in order to select pupils for admission to the College in Year 8 in 2015. The Board of Governors are also fully committed to embracing the College’s ethos of inclusivity to ensure that admission to the College is open to pupils from all social backgrounds and religious and ethnic communities. In line with this, the Board remains fully committed to admitting pupils who sit either the G.L. or the AQE tests. The College’s admissions criteria for 2014/15 remained largely unchanged from 2013/2014. The Chairman and Headmistress also attended meetings with the Association for Quality Education, the Post Primary Transfer Consortium and other educational establishments in order to continue to promote movement towards a single testing process.
Preparatory and Early Years Accommodation The Board of Governors, through its Estates Committee, oversaw major construction work within the Preparatory Department as well as the installation of a new modular classroom to relocate Pre-Pre- School on the Cranmore site. The Pre-Pre-School opened the doors of its new venue in January 2014. This move has proved very successful with Day Care now available for pupils from the age of two years from 8.00 am – 6.00 pm.
Examination Results Analysis Through its College Committee, the Board continues to conduct an annual review of examination results. An additional representative of the Board was appointed to this task for the 2014-2015 academic year and in October both governors attended Heads of Subject examinations analysis meetings with the Headmistress. Feedback from these meetings was relayed to the Board.
School Enhancement Programme The Board, through its Finance and Estates Committees, submitted a follow-up business case for consideration for Stage 2 of the School Enhancement Programme and the Board was delighted when this proved successful. This programme will create a new sports facility, art facility and science laboratories for the College with work estimated to commence in March 2015 with a view to completion in September 2016. The Estates and Finance Committees also submitted several Minor Works applications to the Department which have now been progressed.
Review of Support Services The Board and its Committees appointed PriceWaterhouseCoopers to conduct a review of the College’s Support Services. The Board considered the recommendations outlined in the review and implemented changes for a more efficient reporting structure, the development of Human Resources policies, standardisation of contracts and the introduction of performance indicators.
Inspections Governor representatives attended meetings with inspectors in relation to the Preparatory ETI inspection for evaluation of The World Around Us for Primary Schools, the Investors in People Bronze Award and the Inclusion Quality Mark. Feedback from all inspections and reviews were excellent, with any recommendations arising from these being implemented. The full Board was kept advised of the outcome of these processes.
Presentations to the Board Invitations to visiting speakers kept the Board fully abreast of various educational issues. Presentations were received from Mr Gavin Boyd, Chief Executive Designate of the Education and Skills Authority, Mr Michael Ridley, Co-ordinator of the South Belfast Area Learning Community and Ms Stephanie McCutcheon, Investors in People Assessor.
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Governor Elections Elections for Parent and Teacher Governors took place in November 2013 for a four year term of office until November 2017. Only two nominations for Parent Governors were received and Mr Mark Beattie and Dr Martin Spollen were appointed. Elections and voting for Teacher Governors were held and Miss Michèle McMackin (Assistant Principal), Mr Neil Kavanagh (Head of ICT) and Miss Sarah Wright (Deputy Head of Preparatory School) were elected and appointed to the Board.
Board Resolution – Agreement with the Department of Education Discussion took place with the Department in relation to the Company of Victoria College Belfast entering into an agreement under Schedule 6 of the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland|) Order 1986. This agreement enables the Department to pay capital grants at the rate of 100% on approved expenditure, as opposed to 85%. The Board discussed this at length and agreed that, in advance of the commencement of the College’s development work, it would be an appropriate time to enter into such an agreement with the Department.
The Company’s Scheme of Management and composition of the Board of Governors were revised accordingly to comply with the statutory requirements of the Agreement. Under the Agreement, the College’s Board of Governors shall now consist of 27 voting members and any other members who may be co-opted under Article 122 of the 1989 Order and, where appropriate, members required to be co-opted under Article 139 of that Order. The Board will comprise of twelve Foundation Govenrors (as opposed to fifteen), nine members nominated by the Department (as opposed to six) and three Parent Governors elected by parents and three Teacher Governors elected by their colleagues. The Principal is an ex officio member of the Board.
General Business Through the Headmistress, the Board continued to be kept fully informed and debated at length articles and circulars from the Department, Belfast Education and Library Board and the Governing Bodies Association. The Board was kept advised of curriculum proposals and changes, pupil and staffing matters and worked to ensure that all aspects of school life were subject to review and had access to support when required.
Committee Business
Audit and Risk Committee An external convenor, Ms Jackie Henrry, Partner, Deloittes, was appointed, in line with previous audit recommendations. An internal audit by an independent company was conducted and the College achieved an opinion of ‘substantial’ assurance in eleven out of twelve areas considered, with the remaining one carrying a conclusion of ‘satisfactory’. The Committee also undertook a review of the College’s Risk Register, with input from other committee convenors, the Principal and the Chairman and a review of work carried out by the College’s Health and Safety Sub-Committee.
College Committee The Committee and its sub-committees supervised various staff appointments, both for external and internal positions, as well as applications from staff for changes to their contracts, for redundancies and for support towards staff professional development. The Committee also reviewed the curriculum, leavers’ destinations, admissions criteria, Child Protection issues and oversaw the review and implementation of the College’s School Development and Strategic Plans and Performance Review and Staff Development. Dr Callender, Convenor, also reviewed teachers who were undergoing Early Professional Development. The Committee’s Policies Sub-Committee reviewed a wide range of school policies and reported its deliberations to the College Committee and to the Board.
Estates Committee The Committee oversaw the upkeep of the College and carried out maintenance work throughout the year. The Committee liaised with the Department of Education and the Belfast Education and Library Board regarding the installation of a new heating system for the College, the installation of a modular - 5 - classroom for Pre-Pre-School, as well as office space, staffroom and staff toilets within the Preparatory Department, the refurbishment of the Estates Office and meeting room, the refurbishment of the Home Economics facilities and the reroofing of the main teaching block on Cranmore Campus. A security review has been completed and work is planned to commence on both campuses.
Finance Committee The Committee oversaw the College’s financial affairs, planned expenditure, undertook a three year financial review and advised the Board accordingly. In the current financial climate the challenges for the Board and the College in the context of a tightened budget continued to be recognised. In light of the challenges that a substantial reduction in grant produced, the Committee discussed and implemented steps to achieve efficiencies and recognised the importance which parental financial support played in maintaining the high level of teaching, resources and extra-curricular programme currently available to pupils. The Board’s Remuneration Committee reported to the Finance Committee in relation to staff salaries. An external audit received a clean audit opinion with auditors confirming that controls were robust and the College had fully complied with the Department and the Companies Act in each required area.
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SECTION 2 – CURRICULUM OFFERED
At GCSE pupils had the opportunity to study the following subjects which were externally examined:
Additional Mathematics; Art and Design; Biology; Business Studies; Chemistry; Drama; English; English Literature; French; Geography; German; History; Home Economics (Food); Italian; Information and Communications Technology; Latin; Law; Mathematics; Music; Physical Education; Physics; short course and long course Religious Studies; Spanish and Technology and Design.
At A level the following subjects were offered in the College:
Applied Health and Social Care Single Award; Applied Health and Social Care Double Award; Art and Design; Biology; Business Studies; Chemistry; Chinese; Design and Technology; Drama and Theatre Studies; English Literature; French; Geography; Government and Politics; History; Home Economics; Information and Communication Technology; Italian; Mathematics; Further Mathematics; Music; Physics; Religious Education, Spanish and Sports Studies.
Pupils were entered for examinations through the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and a number of pupils were awarded certificates for Young Enterprise, European Studies and Learning for Life and Work.
SPORT
Each pupil in Years 8-11 avails of two hours of physical education and games within the taught curriculum and all pupils are encouraged to participate in regular physical activity. Through a balanced and varied programme the P.E. department aims to contribute to pupils’ growth, development and general fitness developing an awareness of the importance of exercise and a healthy lifestyle.
The following sporting activities are on offer to all pupils in Key Stage 3 and 4 through the curriculum and through the extra-curricular programme which runs over lunch time and after school.
Aerobics Health Related PE Athletics Hockey Badminton Life Saving Basketball National Dance Boxercise/Self Defence Netball Camogie Rounders Circuit Training Rugby Creative Dance Sports Leadership Course Cricket Swimming Cross Country Squash Dance Swiss Ball Equestrian Table Tennis Fitness Suite Tennis Football Trampolining Gaelic Football Volleyball Golf Yoga Gymnastics
In 2013-2014 pupils from Victoria College competed in Ulster, Irish, British, European and World Championships.
Athletics The College’s Athletics teams competed in the South Antrim, the Ulster Championships and the Irish Championships. The Year 9 team won bronze medals at the South Antrim Championships and - 6 - following the Ulster Championships, three pupils were selected to compete in the Irish Athletics Finals. Emma Henderson was placed 6th in the Intermediate Girls’ Discus, Amy Edwards was placed 3rd in the Intermediate Girls’ Javelin and Zoe Jane Dickson was placed 3rd in the Intermediate Girls’ Triple Jump. Amy, Emma and Zoe were also selected to represent Northern Ireland at the Sainsbury’s 2014 School Games in Manchester which were held in September 2014. Amy Edwards, Emma Henderson and Zoe Jane Dickson were selected onto the Inter-Provincial Athletics Squad.
Cross Country All five cross country teams reached the Ulster finals. At District level the Year 8, 9 and Intermediate teams won silver medals and the Year 10 and Senior team won gold. At the Ulster Cross Country Championships the Minis (Year 8) were placed 8th, and the Senior and Junior (Year 10) teams won silver medals, with these two teams qualifying for the Irish Cross Country Championships. The Junior team travelled to Cork and was placed 10th. The girls also competed and won the Belfast City Council’s Cross Country Championships and the Junior team won the Ulster final, the Year 9 team finished second and the Year 8 team was placed third. The College was awarded a cup for the best girls’ school in Cross Country in Ulster.
Individual successes (out of approximately 70 runners in each race) were Sarah Webb, Year 10, who was placed 2nd, Susie Loane, Year 8, who was placed 4th and Eve Corry and Caitlin Murphy Year 10, who were also placed 4th in their age group. Caitlyn Harvey, Year 11, qualified as an Intermediate Individual for the Irish Cross Country Championships.
Gaelic Games The girls from Victoria College Belfast Gaelic Athletic Club were invited to participate in an event at Queen’s University to promote female participation in sport as part of the historic Queen’s GAA Festival. Together with participants from Malone College and St. Louise’s College, twenty-five pupils from Years 8 and 9 participated in coaching sessions in soccer, rugby, gaelic football and rowing. The players heard the Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure, Carál Ní Chuilín MLA, deliver an optimistic talk on growing female participation in sport.
Victoria College Belfast welcomed a gaelic football club from a Johannesburg township to school for a joint camogie and hurling coaching session organised by Ulster GAA. The South African Gaels hugely enjoyed their visit and treated the Lisburn Road Camógs to a memorable dance performance.
In Gaelic Football the U14 team participated in the Ulster Schools’ League and in the Year 9 Blitz the team reached the Final in the St. Genevieve’s Shield
The Ulster Schools’ U14 Blitz at Maghera involved 24 girls in Years 8-9. At the College’s Annual Prizegiving at Croke Park, Izzy Simpson was awarded Year 8 Camogie Player of the Year and Harriet Bedi was awarded Year 9 Camogie Player of the Year. Lucy Greaves was awarded Year 8 Gaelic Football Player of the Year and Rebecca Bunn was awarded Year 9 Gaelic Football Player of the Year.
Hockey The U14A Hockey team reached the quarter final of the Junior Hockey Cup. Year 10 pupils Hannah Beattie, Emma Conlin, Caitlyn Harvey and Year 11 pupils, Sophie Hunter and Caitlin Murphy, were selected for the 2013 Ulster U15 Hockey programme. Amy Edwards, Year 11 and Rebecca Lobo, Year 12, were selected for the Ulster U16 Girls’ Hockey team and Olivia Blundell, Year 13, was selected for the Ulster U18 Girls’ Hockey team. These teams participated at the Irish Interprovincial competition in Cork in October. Four pupils – Odilia Goldsworthy, Elizabeth Lawther, Caitlyn Harvey and Beth Walker – were selected onto the Ulster U18 and U16 Development Squads for hockey. The 1st XI hockey team reached the final of the Senior Plate. In March, the U14 hockey team enjoyed a successful hockey tour to Glasgow, during which they also received expert coaching from a Scottish International player and were able to play on the pitch to be used for the Commonwealth Games. The 1st and 2nd A XI hockey teams also participated in a hockey tour to Dublin. The College’s Hockey Club held an Awards Dinner at Shaw’s Bridge Pavilion and the club members attended a ‘girls’ night out’ at Ravenhill to watch an Ulster rugby match.
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Netball Megan McGillin, Year 8, was selected to play for the N.I. Under 14 Netball Team and Mia Magee, Year 9, secured a place on the N.I. Junior Netball training squad. Kelly Maxwell, Year 13, was selected onto the N.I. U19 Netball Team.
Former pupil, Hannah Willis (née Irvine) gained her 50th cap for Northern Ireland when she captained the team in the International Netball Series played at the Antrim Forum. Hannah played against St Lucia, Barbados and Botswana and the N.I. team won all of its matches. Hannah also captained the Northern Ireland Netball Team at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow during the summer.
Swimming Rachael McCormack (Year 9) and Hannah Beattie (Year 10) were placed first in the Ulster Lifesaving Championships.
The Intermediate swimming team - Katie Hayes, Evie Dougan, Esmée Hall, Emma Henderson and Sophie Hunter - took gold in both the Freestyle and Medley relays. Individually Esmée won a bronze in Butterfly and Emma won silver in Backstroke and bronze in Individual Medley. These results totalled to give the team an overall win and be crowned Ulster Grammar Schools’ Swimming Champions for a second consecutive year.
Emma Henderson was selected to represent Ulster at the Schools’ Swimming Interprovincials held in Dublin. She was also one of only six girls selected to represent Great Britain at the World Pool and Beach Surf Championships in September 2014. Emma won a gold medal in this event – an outstanding achievement.
Tennis The Junior team reached the quarter-finals of the Junior Tennis Cup, the Year 8 team reached the semi-final of the Minor Tennis Cup and the Senior Tennis team reached the final of the Ulster Senior Tennis Cup.
Other Sporting Activities A new Badminton Club was formed and up to twenty-five girls attended each week. The girls were entered for two tournaments during the year and achieved success in each. A team of Year 8, 9 and 10 pupils – Tara Murphy, Olivia Hughes, Trudie McCoosh and Georgia Kirkwood – represented the school at the Schools’ Showjumping Competition. The team was placed 2nd overall in the competition and was placed third in the turnout competition. The girls also represented the school at the Meadows and at the BRA Ulster Schools’ league. The Year 11 Rugby team reached the semi-finals of the Ulster Schools’ Cup, but were beaten by Grosvenor Grammar School. The girls competed in several competitions throughout the season and were asked to play at the ‘Concussion Awareness’ launch at Queen’s. The team enjoyed an evening at Ravenhill and met some of the Ulster Team. They were then invited to watch the Irish Rugby team’s training at Newforge. The Senior Golf Team – Jessica Bamber, Susie Rankin and Eva McCartan - was placed third in the Ulster Championships. A new squash club began this year with girls playing at Windsor Tennis Club and Queen’s and entering novice competitions.
Pupils also achieved individual sporting success. Rebecca Getty, Year 12, won the Schools’ Champion of Champions Badminton tournament. Rebecca also won bronze medals in both the team event and the individual Girls’ Singles event at the U.K. School Games in Sheffield in September and was a member of the Ulster U17 badminton team which won the Interprovincial Championships in Dublin in the Spring term. Abi Carlisle, Year 11, was a member of the winning team in the UK Intermediate Dressage Competition, held in Cheshire in August 2013 and Sophie Robinson, Year 11, was selected for the N.I. European Equestrian team which competed in Belgium in July. Niamh Neale, Year 9, was selected to compete in the Great Britain Irish Dance Championships in Bognor Regis in October. Ara McCartan, Year 10, won the 18 Holes Season Golf Competition in the Belfast and District Girls’ League in September. Ilona Laming, Year 10, qualified to represent Northern Ireland in the team Young Kennel Club Agility at Crufts in March. Emily Hobson, Year 11, was selected to row as part of two Belfast Rowing Club crews in the Strathclyde Park regatta in April, during which Emily and her crew members won the U16 Quadruple Scull event.
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MUSIC
The Music department has had another busy but successful year. Currently around 160 girls attend the wide range of extra curricular activities on a weekly basis including the Junior and Chamber choirs, Orchestra, Flute group, Brass group and the newly formed Irish Traditional group. Pupils of any ability are welcome to join and have fun preparing for many concerts throughout the school year.
At Senior Prize Distribution in September we heard assured performances from Caitlin Diver, Jenny Chiu and Holly Cairns. The Senior Choir gave stunning performances of “All That Hath Life and Breath, Praise Ye the Lord” and “Over the Rainbow”.
The College’s carol service is always regarded a highlight in the school calendar. Polished performances were given by each choir, setting the mood for the Christmas celebrations. After Christmas the girls were very busy preparing for Open Day and another chance to showcase their talents to prospective pupils and parents who enjoyed listening to a varied musical repertoire.
The Junior chamber choir was invited to sing at an evening called ‘Movies and the Musicals’ at the end of January in Fisherwick as part of a fundraising concert in the local community. The girls were a huge hit with their uplifting and energetic performances of ‘Sister Act’ and a medley of Disney classics. They have since been invited back in the Autumn for another concert!
Once again the Senior Choir represented the College in the Regional Final of the RTE Choir of the Year. Victoria College collaborated with RBAI in ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ and Alex Power, Amy Dawson, Petra Wells, Madeleine Magee and Sarah Patterson performed like seasoned professionals!
The Spring concert, ‘Broadway and Beyond’, was a concert with two distinct themes. The combined choirs performed Vivaldi’s Gloria, “The Easter Hymn” and there wasn’t a dry eye in the hall when Aimee Bassett, Year 14, sang “Time to Say Goodbye”. The second half of the concert saw Junior pupils presenting excerpts from “Annie” and Senior pupils giving energetic performances of excerpts from “West Side Story”. Harriet Bedi rose to the challenge in her role as Annie, supported by Amelia Rose, the junior choir and a talented group of dancers.
Instrumental and Vocal tuition is provided by peripatetic staff to more than 100 pupils. Pupils continue to enter for external examinations during which they achieved 100% pass rates. Academically the pupils continued to achieve 100% A*-C grades and the department encourages pupils to develop their interest in the subject through study and extra-curricular activities. During this academic year instrumentalists have been given the opportunity to participate in a relevant group in College Orchestra, Brass Group, Flute Group and the recently formed Traditional Group. Girls also participated in local music festivals and many of our girls have achieved recent success. Prize winners include Hannah Rose Glover, Chloe Chestnutt, Nicole Savage, Amelia Rose, Harriet Bedi, Cara Morwood and the Flute Group. Jenny Chui won the Young Instrumentalist trophy at Ballymena Festival and she was one of twelve finalists for the Catherine Judge Memorial Prize, run by Bank of Ireland.
A once in a lifetime opportunity presented itself to a group of year 10 and 11 pupils in March to perform live in the Odyssey Arena with Gary Barlow. Alexandra Dick in Year 11 gave a very polished solo performance and was ably supported by Hannah Beattie, Kate McAlester, Molly McCartney, Sarah Montgomery, Sophie Lyster, Karen Bell.
Year 13 pupils, Emma Gilmartin, Aoife Lavery, Petra Wells and Ellen Beattie, along with a small group of singers from the Ulster Youth Choir, joined representatives from the Aberdeen Chamber Choir, the National Youth Choir of Wales, the London Youth Choir and the Birmingham University Choir, to form the BBC Proms Youth Choir. The Choir performed at the Royal Albert Hall alongside the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and well renowned conductor Andris Nelson and performed Britten’s War Requiem to mark the Centenary of the First World War.
The Music department has formed strong links with a number of outside agencies. Pupils actively participate in City of Belfast Youth Orchestra, Ulster Youth Orchestra, Ulster Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Training Choir, St Anne’s Cathedral Choir, Lyric Youth and Ravara Productions.
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ART
Cara Murphy a lecturer from the University of Ulster visited the department and gave a very inspiring talk to Year 14 pupils intending to further their studies in Art and Design. Great insight was given to the wide variety of careers linked to Art and Design. Mark Chambers from Belfast Met also visited the College and informed pupils of the range of subjects on offer.
Three sixth form students from Victoria and three from RBAI spent three days at the Ulster Museum in February 2014 on a cross schools art project. The students familiarised themselves with the Ulster Museum both ‘front of house’ and behind the scenes and met established Northern Irish artist, Anushiya Sundaralingam, to plan the art workshop. The students mentored P5 primary school pupils from Blythefield, Donegall Road and Fane Street Primary Schools and facilitated the creation of felt wall hangings for display in each school. The sixth formers embraced the opportunity to work shadow Facilitators in the museum’s three interactive discovery centres; history, nature and art. This gave them an insight into how children (and big kids too!) have fun learning through play and the importance of being on hand to help and answer questions from visitors.
In September GCSE Moving Image Arts was introduced to the Art department. This has been an exciting adventure giving students the opportunity to use their creativity by addressing a range of new technologies and concepts used within the film industry. Belfast City Council visited the Art Department in October and inspired Moving Image Art students with an animation workshop based on the theme of recycling. Students worked in groups to produce short animated films on how youth culture can clean and tidy up their environment in their local community.
Year 11 Moving Image Art student Sara Gray was selected to take part in a Talent Development programme in London organised by 'FilmClub'. Sara captured the judge’s eye with her short documentary on 'How to persuade your friends to see a movie they wouldn't normally watch'. Sara was taught new skills from the professionals in film reporting, reviewing, film programming and filmmaking. This was an amazing opportunity for Sara who has a passion for film and a keen interest in the film industry.
Former Victoria College pupil, Victoria Farley was at the launch of the Belfast branch of the visual effects house Nvizible on Thursday 4 April 2014. London visual effects house Nvizible has opened a branch in Belfast, after ear-marking it as a geographical area of growth in the film industry with a shortage of vfx (visual effects) suppliers. Following A levels which included ICT and Art & Design, Victoria left school in 2005 and completed a degree in Computer Animations at Bournemouth University. She will now lead the Nvizible Belfast studio with 8 other ‘home-grown’ artists who will provide the computer generated special effects for films such as Muppets Most Wanted and Carrie.
The Art Club has been busy inspiring young artists of the future. Socks have been taking on a life of their own, turning into colourful, creative sock monsters. This club has been very popular and a great opportunity for pupils to extend their imagination through various forms of mixed media.
The Film Club was a new club offered by Miss McCambridge. Year 10 pupils were encouraged to watch and critically analyse films. Students also got the opportunity to make a short animation which involved working with I Movie.
DRAMA
As usual, the Drama department has had a very busy and successful year, with many performances, workshops and outings.
In October GCSE classes attended ‘Blood Brothers ‘at the Ballyearl theatre in Newtownabbey. This amateur performance was a very useful revision of the text for our drama students. The same month, pupils attended Belvoir Studio Theatre to see a local production of ‘Dr Faustus’. This proved to be most educational and an inspiration in what not to do for Year 14 (always a useful learning tool!)
The Drama Department’s first performance was the very successful ‘Twelfth Night ‘ by Year 14 as part of the Shakespeare for Schools festival. We performed at The Mac Theatre to a very appreciative audience, and were so successful that we were asked to reprise our performance for a second night, an honour which was only extended to VCB. Our students also got to perform the two - 10 - minute version of ’Twelfth Night’ in front of the Minister for Education, Mr John O’Dowd , when he visited the College. He seemed to appreciate it very much!
Year 13 and 14 pupils attended a joint workshop with Sullivan Upper and Glenlola Collegiate, where the famous local actor, Dan Gordon, led an exploration of how to approach devised work. The next workshop was also based on the idea of devised work and was facilitated by Ciaran McQuillan in association with The Tinderbox Theatre Company. Pupils were due to go and see their new play ‘Summertime‘ by local writer, David Ireland, but in the event, the material of the play was entirely unsuitable to our needs. The workshop however was excellent and we look forward to inviting Ciaran back again. In association with the P.E department we also took girls from Year 11 upwards to see ‘Cats’ at the Grand Opera House.
Our second polished performance was the very inspiring series of three plays devised by Year 14 - ‘A Seamless Tale’, ‘Another Front’ and ‘ The Legacy of Oz’. These were researched and developed by the girls who performed them and gave us both an enjoyable afternoon of theatre and some serious ideas on which to reflect.
In view of our disappointment in not seeing ‘Summertime’, the Year 13 took a trip to the Grand Opera House in December to see ‘Sleeping Beauty’ which was thoroughly enjoyed by all concerned (oh yes it was!) and enabled the girls to observe how breaking the fourth wall can be a way of engaging the audience in ways they would not have expected. January saw our second trip to the Grand Opera House this time to see ‘The Coleen Bawn’, performed by the Druid Theatre Company. This was required viewing, and we were not expecting to enjoy this Victorian melodrama , but came away chastened by the fact that this was outstanding and enjoyable theatre, and made aware yet again that we should not pre-judge.
In March the final preparations and showcases for our very talented GCSE girls were presented with pupils performing a total of seven plays – ‘Crossways’, ‘Horror at Hellfire Hall’, ‘Daisy Pulls It Off’ , ‘Once a Catholic’, ‘The Importance of Being Ernest’, ‘A Memory of Lizzie ‘ and ‘Shirley Valentine’. Parents and students alike enjoyed our showcase events, which allowed the girls to let their parents enjoy the results of all the extra work needed to put on a play.
The beginning of April allowed us to give the Year 12 girls the opportunity to see Matthew Bourne’s production of ‘Swan Lake‘ at the Opera House. This is an outstanding piece of theatre which inspires anyone who sees it. Year 13 also took the opportunity to see Bruiser Theatre’s production of ‘The Nose’ at The Mac. This piece of extremely entertaining physical theatre proved invaluable to the Year 13’s own vision for their performance of ‘Teechers’. ’Teechers’ and ‘the Heiress’ coupled with a series of monologues and duologues saw the culmination of Year 13’s performance for their A/S examination and these were performed to a very appreciative audience in May. Year 11 also performed their devised work in the Cranmore Hall the same month.
A very special trip to Dublin took place in May. Students saw ‘Twelfth Night ‘in the Abbey theatre in Dublin, starring Sophie Robinson, who studied drama at VCB some years ago. In June we also took the opportunity for Year 11 to watch ‘Henry IV, Part One’ streamed live to the school from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Not only did we get to see the play, but we also took part in a live question and answer session with the cast! This will be useful preparation for our next venture for the Shakespeare for Schools Festival. In addition to all these other extra activities, Junior Drama Club with Miss Cassidy ran all year, while Senior Drama Club ran from November-March only, due to examination commitments.
Pupils also gained valuable experience by participating in the Arts outside of school. Amelia Rose, Year 9, Alexandra Dick, Year 11 and Jane Maguire Year 13 were selected to dance in the English Youth Ballet’s production of ‘Sleeping Beauty’, performed at the Grand Opera House in April. Connie Nicholl, Year 13, was invited to be part of Bill Kenwright’s touring production of Evita and also obtained a part in the Theatre of the Mill’s production of ‘Hunchback – the Musical’, performed in December. Sarah Lemon, Year 11, won a place in the final of the dance competition, ‘That’s Showbiz’ held in Blackpool in January.
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COMPETITIONS AND OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
During the final term Perrie McMahon-Mackeever was successfully elected by the youth of South Belfast to be a Member of the UK Youth Parliament. The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) is a youth organisation in the United Kingdom, consisting of democratically elected members aged between 11 and 18. Members are elected to represent the views of young people in their area to government and service providers. Over 500,000 young people vote in the elections each year, which are held in at least 90 percent of constituencies. When put through to the election process each candidate had to put forward a campaign about which they felt strongly. Perrie’s campaign is to improve the quality and awareness of mental health services in the area in order to ensure that no young person is left alone. Perrie McKeever successfully pitched her idea for an ‘app’ which will address the issue of mental health for young people, to a panel of 5 ‘Dragons’ at Belfast City Hall. The Digi Dragons event, on 31 March, was part of Belfast City Council’s Youth Forum Future City Initiative. Perrie represented Victoria College as one of six finalists from a field of 20 schools across Belfast. Perrie was presented with the winner’s trophy by the Lord Mayor and won £1000 worth of support and services to further develop her idea and make the ‘app’ a reality. The official launch of the ‘app’ will take place this academic year.
A number of Year 8 and 9 pupils performed admirably using Accelerated Reader – Phoebe Boyd, Amelia Blamphin, Ailsa Burnett, Abbie Cargill, Rachael Eatock, Andreanna Edgar, Lucy Clarke, Nina Fitzpatrick, Chloe Harmer, Aalaa Hurreiz, Camaya Pauley, Kathryn Poulson, Lauren Sleith, Darcey Smyth and Jessica Welch. Bree Moffett, Year 8, won an award for National Deaf Children Society’s young author competition and received her award at a presentation ceremony in May by the Mayor of Belfast at the City Hall.
The Year 11 Latin class participated in the All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad in January 2014 and spent an enjoyable morning on linguistic puzzles, attempting to crack the codes of Japanese, Maori and other languages completely unknown to them against the clock. It is hoped that the team will progress to the next level in 2014-2015.
Rachel Hanley, Year 13, was awarded the Best Individual Speaker for the N.I. Schools’ Debating Competition and represented Victoria College at Stormont in the Grand Final. In April Basma Salem and Katie McComb, Year 14 pupils, reached the final of the Queen’s ‘Literific’ Debating Competition.
During June 2014, Maddie Robinson, a Year 11 pupil at the College was delighted to receive a 1st Place Gold Award for her 2014 Inspire>Aspire entry. In addition, three Year 11 pupils were awarded Sliver awards, Yasmin Doyle (1st), Robyn Winstone (2nd) and Louise O’Neill (4th). Miss McMackin was delighted that the girls secured four out of the eight available gold and silver awards, in their first entry to this competition! As a part of their Learning for Life and Work programme, the pupils entered this innovative competition which celebrates the values of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. The students successfully combined their creative, thinking and ICT skills to design special posters to beautifully illustrate and document their personal plans of inspiration and aspiration. The project encouraged participants to develop their personal reflective skills, whilst also injecting their aspirations and strengthening learning and culture by connecting young people from all over the Commonwealth. The four pupils were invited to represent Northern Ireland at an awards ceremony in The University of Glasgow to receive their awards from BBC Correspondent and Adventurer Mark Beaumont. Connie Dalton, Year 13, was selected to represent the Sea Cadet Corps at its annual Trafalgar Day parade in Trafalgar Square, London on Sunday 20 October and Helen Francis, Year 12, was accepted onto Belfast YMCA’s Friends Forever Good Relations Programme and travelled to U.S. to participate in this.
Emily Coyle, Year 13, was awarded the Royal Geographical Society’s Excellence Award. Emily achieved this award in recognition of achieving one of the highest raw marks in the 2013 CCEA GCSE Geography examination. Five Year 13 Business Studies pupils- Niamh Heaney Creen, Emma Beattie, Orla Flanagan, Nikki Li and Abbie Harvey Louden – participated in a Stock Market competition in March during which Orla won the individual award for Ethical Investment. Year 14 Business Studies students also attended a Young Enterprise Competition in February and attended an Inter-School Business Quiz in March.
In November 55 Year 13 and Year 14 pupils took part in the Senior Mathematics Challenge. One gold certificate, five silver and fifteen bronze certificates awarded. Jenny Salmon, - 12 -
Year 14, obtained the gold certificate and she was also awarded ‘Best in School’ certificate. The same month a team of four AS and A2 mathematics students took part in the regional final of the Senior Team Mathematics Challenge at Rockport School. This is a demanding mathematical competition and the team of Aya Helmy and Jenny Salmon from Year 14 and Ellen Beattie and Sophie Stewart from Year 13 enjoyed an afternoon of working on and solving a range of challenging mathematics problems.
Forty pupils from Year 11 took part in the Intermediate Mathematics Challenge in February. There were eight silver certificates and nine bronze certificates awarded. Caitlin McCormack, Sophie Hunter, Amy Edwards, Charlotte Cummings, Nicola Maxwell, Arez Hassan, Katie McGovern and Sasha Wilson obtained the silver certificates with Caitlin also being awarded the ‘Best in School’ certificate.
Fifty-two Year 9 pupils took part in the Junior Mathematics Challenge in May 2014 during which 4 gold, 4 silver and 10 bronze certificates were awarded. Amy McKillen, Niamh Neale, Emma Pierce and Saffron Kargbo obtained the gold certificates with Amy McKillen also being awarded the ‘Best in School’ certificate. Four pupils – Yasmin Ullah and Sarah Montgomery from Year 10 and Ailsa Burnett and Emma Pierce from Year 9 – took part in the regional final of the Junior Team Mathematics Challenge held at Rockport School in February 2014.
Two teams from Victoria College entered the United Kingdom Aerospace Youth Rocketry Challenge (UKAYRoC). The object for the 2013-2014 academic year was to achieve a target altitude of 825 feet with a model rocket and a flight duration of between 48 and 50 seconds. A payload of two raw medium sized hen’s eggs was also to be safety returned to earth intact, using two parachutes of the same size. Furthermore, gross lift-off weight was to be no more than 650 grams. The ten pupils from Year 11 and Year 12 thoroughly enjoyed building their rocket and travelling to Langford Lodge in Crumlin to compete against other teams from Northern Ireland in the regional finals. One of the teams from Victoria College finished third overall in the regional heats but due to the tremendous competition across the U.K., narrowly missed out on a chance to represent their country at the national finals in England. The other VCB team was extremely unfortunate in that a catastrophic failure on launch meant their rocket was unfit for a relaunch and so they also were unable to make it past regional level. Despite some disappointments the girls had a brilliant experience. Thanks go to Mark Huddleston of European Space Propulsion (ESP) for his generous sponsorship and very enjoyable tour of the ESP and THALES factories at the beginning of June. The girls who participated in the competition were Divya Puri, Jenni Jarden, Chloe Thompson, Kristina Geddis, Caitlin Dollin, Sarah Rogers, Charlotte Cummings, Judith Andrews, Sisara Pettagam and Sara Gray.
In March, three GCSE and AS students – Helen Francis, Sophie Elliott and Natalie Clendinning - attended a unique event at Queen’s University Belfast entitled ‘Engineering Imagination’. This event further engaged and motivated pupils interested in careers in the STEM field. Pupils engaged in group work activities during the morning which included working to solve engineering problems. An opportunity to visit the ‘Traces of Peter Rice’ exhibition was enjoyed which highlighted the impressive engineering accomplishments of Queen’s graduate, Peter Rice. In the afternoon, the participants visited Harland and Wolff shipyard where they enjoyed a talk from the Head of the Engineering Department and had a chance to see, first hand, the huge oil rig currently under operation. The day concluded with a visit to the graving dock that held the Titanic and a trip to the Mac Theatre in the Cathedral Quarter. In May Victoria College also hosted a science taster event for P5 girls from Stranmillis, Andrews’ Memorial and Victoria College Preparatory Department. A class of Year 8 pupils took part in the BBC Stargazing Live event at the Odyssey in January.
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SECTION 3 – LINKS WITH THE COMMUNITY
SOUTH BELFAST AREA LEARNING COMMUNITY
Post-primary schools have been encouraged to deliver the Entitlement Framework by working collaboratively in Area Learning Communities. Members of the ALC will be able to offer an increased range of courses to all young people in the 14-19 age group within schools and Further Education Colleges. The ongoing requirements of the Entitlement Framework which is concerned with providing additional choice and flexibility ie twenty four subjects at GCSE and twenty seven subjects at ‘A’ level both of a General and Applied nature can best be met within a framework of shared provision. The College is an active member of the South Belfast Area Learning Community along with 12 other post- primary schools and pupils and staff now have increased opportunities to learn and work together. Sixth form pupils from Victoria College, RBAI, Rathmore, Hunterhouse College and Methodist College work together for the delivery of German, Classical Civilisation and Theatre Studies. At GCSE level, pupils from partner schools have been taught together for the delivery of Islamic Studies and Irish. In addition, GCSE pupils have opportunities to attend joint workshops to develop skills in enterprise and entrepreneurship. Collaborative models allow schools to retain their ethos, while providing opportunities for their pupils to experience diverse teaching and learning contexts. The young people within the South Belfast area will be given opportunities to gain academic or vocational qualifications as well as invaluable experiences that they can use in their journey towards adulthood. Teaching staff have benefited from a range of joint staff development training sessions including an annual seminar for newly appointed or aspiring middle managers and seminars for pastoral leaders. Cluster meetings for Principals, Heads of Subject, timetablers, careers staff and pastoral leaders to share best practice within curriculum areas are held on a termly basis and are proving to be a helpful means of getting to know colleagues in partner schools whilst planning for the assessment of the revised curriculum and controlled assessment.
THE INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION
The College proudly retains its third prestigious International School Award (ISA) in recognition of the International Dimension permeating the curriculum and beyond. Students, staff, parents and Governors continue to be committed to developing and maintaining links with educational and professional institutions on local, national and global levels.
During this academic year, work in relation to the International Dimension has contributed to the achievement of more individual and whole school accolades; namely the award of our first Inclusion and Quality Mark (IQM), in recognition of the positive, diverse and inclusive ethos and practice that underpins all aspects of school life, whilst effectively renewing our ELOS and CRED status and the coveted Eco Schools Green Flag.
Collaborative curriculum-based work is ongoing at the College, as we continue fruitful links with schools and external organisations, across Europe and beyond. The promotion of the International Dimension is evident in whole school assemblies, our corridors and classrooms, schemes of work, learning and teaching and our continuous professional development programmes.
Participation in the Comenius project continues to be a strong vehicle for promoting the international dimension in the vast range of educational experiences offered to our students. Pupils continue to access a range of technologies to collaborate with our partner schools, sharing, reflecting, comparing and learning from education systems across Europe.
European Studies is an on-going programme, delivered in the College to an increasing number of both Junior and Senior pupils, developing knowledge, curiosity and a wide range of personal skills and capabilities. The programme links schools from Northern Ireland with partners across Europe, through sustained collaborative projects furthering tolerance, mutual understanding and appreciation of other cultures. During the course of this academic year pupils communicated and shared project work with our partner schools from across Europe by uploading their work on a collaborative communication platform. Through their participation in the programme pupils have the opportunity to heighten their cultural awareness, while developing and enhancing many transferable skills such as ICT, communication, independent learning, research and presentation. As a result of their work and
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The staff and pupils continue to highlight and celebrate cultural events such as the European Day of Languages and the Chinese New Year.
Post 16 pupils were once again delighted to be invited to participate in the mock Council of the European Union, an event organised by the British Council in partnership with the European Commission Office in Northern Ireland. During October 2013, a select group of Senior pupils joined students from 27 other schools from Northern Ireland and Ireland to gain first hand experience of the cut and thrust of international politics, debating on a variety of topical European agendas and policies.
Also during October, a group of Year 12 pupils participated in the annual EurVoice forum, organised by the European Youth Parliament. In addition, a select group of Senior pupils applied and were interviewed for the Rotary Youth Leadership programme during this term also.
During the first term, following on from Miss McMackin’s study visit to New Orleans as a participant in the Aspiring leaders study visit, the College was delighted to welcome representatives from the British Council’s Leading Educators Programme. During this visit best practice was shared and the American and Northern Irish education systems compared and contrasted.
During February, six Year 11 students of Latin braced themselves for a new challenge, Round One of the All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad. Studying Latin always prepares a student for paying attention to detail, noticing patterns, making linguistic connections and solving problems. However this group had never formally worked in teams against the clock and without assistance to crack the codes of languages entirely unknown to them. It was a great help that within our small group and diverse student population we had several languages in addition to English - French, German, Italian and Spanish (learnt in school), Sinhalese, Dutch and Kurdish. Everyone relished the challenge.
During March 2014, Perrie Mackeever was elected by the youth of South Belfast to be a Member of the UK Youth Parliament. The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) is a youth organisation in the United Kingdom, consisting of democratically elected members aged between 11 and 18.
On a similar theme, in continuation of 2013 as the European Year of Citizens, during March 2014 two Year 13 pupils from the College, Emma Gilmartin and Grace McEvoy, were invited to Stormont with Miss McMackin to participate in an Active Citizenship Youth Volunteering event during which they presented the challenging motion "This house believes that young people do not have the opportunity to learn and develop through volunteering at home and abroad." Pupils were streamed live on BBC Parliament and the girls were commended on a very scholarly approach to an extremely controversial motion, considering the audience there present. During the event participants also had an opportunity to absorb updates on the European Union, and more specifically the role of active citizenship within the EU. Much discussion evolved during the event including consideration of youth volunteering as a catalyst for change and what it means to be European and the role of volunteering in the EU to augment learning and the development of new skills.
Also during the Spring Term our Senior pupils organised and hosted a Wake up to culture event on the Junior campus. Year 8 and 9 pupils enjoyed the experience of other cultures and had the opportunity to take part in a wide variety of activities including traditional music workshops, henna tattoos and origami, to name but a few.
Once again following the submission of a demanding and collaborative essay a group of 9 Year 13 pupils from the College was delighted to be selected to compete in the NI regional European Youth Parliament (EYP) forum. Students from schools across NI joined together on the 3rd April, at the beautiful Belfast Metropolitan College to present and debate topical European Resolutions. Each of the schools represented a committee and presented, explained and debated resolutions on a range of topical issues. EYP is a unique event bringing students together in teams to research resolutions, debate and vote on current issues in the EU. This prestigious competition provided the pupils with yet another opportunity to develop their knowledge of the European Union. It also afforded the students an opportunity to enhance their research, debating and a range of interpersonal and transferable skills.
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As the summer holidays approached, during June, the College was delighted to welcome Antonia Domínguez Miguela from the Teacher Training Centre, Huelva who was completing a two week professional visit. During her stay Antonia observed and completed a comparative study of the education systems in Northern Ireland and Spain. She also participated in a range of lessons and activities to further enhance our fruitful partnership with schools in Huelva.
Maddie Robinson, a Year 11 pupil at the College wais delighted to receive a 1st Place Gold Award for her 2014 Inspire>Aspire entry. In addition, three Year 11 pupils were awarded Sliver Awards, Yasmin Doyle (1st), Robyn Winstone (2nd) and Louise O’Neill (4th). Miss McMackin was delighted that the girls secured 4 out of the 8 available Gold and Silver Awards, in their first entry to this dynamic competition! As a part of their Learning for Life and Work programme, the pupils entered this innovative competition which celebrates the values of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. The students successfully combined their creative, thinking and ICT skills to design special posters to beautifully illustrate and document their personal plans of inspiration and aspiration. The project encouraged participants to develop their personal reflective skills, whilst also injecting their aspirations, strengthening learning and culture by connecting young people from all over the Commonwealth. Maddie represented Northern Ireland at an awards ceremony at the University of Glasgow on Monday 16th June 2014 where she received her award from BBC Correspondent and Adventurer Mark Beaumont.
The Modern Languages Department continued to make an active contribution to the promotion of the international dimension at the College, contributing to E-Twinning, educational visits and the Juvenes Translatores project.
International links both in and outside the curriculum are continuing to strengthen. During the 2013- 2014 academic year we warmly welcomed visitors from across the globe, offering visiting teachers and pupils the opportunity to observe and discuss cultural and educational trends. This year we welcomed a group of German teachers from the Broadie programme. Once again, visitor feedback reports a diverse, inclusive and supportive learning environment and there was much that impressed our visitors.
The College continues to support a wide range of International educational visits and recognises the benefits such opportunities offer to the pupils on a personal, academic and professional level. Evidently, an international ethos embedded throughout the school is celebrated across the curriculum and beyond. Fostering an international dimension in the curriculum is at the heart of the College, so that young people gain the cultural understanding and skills they need to live and work as global citizens.
An ever increasing number of Senior school pupils continue to participate in the European Studies programme, Comenius project, Global Schools partnership and most recently the Eco Schools initiative. Their valued work has been recognised by the renewal of our International Schools and the Eco Schools awards. During this academic year the work conducted in such programmes has also contributed to the achievement of the Inclusion Quality Mark.
Year 13 pupils students participated in the European Studies Senior Programme. Students worked collaboratively with students from schools across Europe to develop their mutual understanding and cultural awareness. Pupils communicated using a VLE and each participating student received a certificate in recognition of the sharing of their work.
During this academic year students hosted visits from German and Spanish teachers. During their stays the teachers observed and completed comparative studies of the respective education systems. The visits were highly beneficial to both the delegates and our pupils as it provided them with an enhanced opportunity to meet and converse and to compare their education and social systems.
Members of the College’s Eco Committee were runners-up in the BEES Project, held at the City Hall, and received a cheque for £100. The Eco Committee was also involved in the College’s work for the Best Kept Large School Competition, during which the College was highly commended.
In October, three Year 13 students from the college - Petra Wells, Tara McKibbin and Ellen Beattie - joined 27 other schools from Northern Ireland and Ireland to gain first hand experience of the cut and - 16 - thrust of international politics at the annual mock Council of the European Union. The debate took place in the Senate Chamber in Parliament Buildings, Stormont. Organised by the British Council and the European Commission Office in Northern Ireland the Mock Council sets out to recreate the environment of a real Council of the European Union meeting. The Council of the European Union is the main decision-making body of the EU and brings together Ministers from each of the 27 Member States. Each of the participating schools represented an EU country with teams of three students taking on the roles of government ministers. Also during October, a group of Year 11 and 12 pupils – Abbie Harvey-Louden, Laura Conway and Laura and Leigh Hutchinson - participated in the EurVoice forum organised by the European Youth Parliament. EurVoice is a dynamic community outreach scheme developed to encourage young people to discuss the many political issues that may affect their lives. Following this dynamic event some pupils became involved in the Belfast Youth City Forum. In November, a select group pupils from Years 11-14 - Petra Wells, Cara McCabe-O’Neill and Holly Lee – were interviewed for the Rotary Youth Leadership programme.
VOLUNTARY WORK
In March and April the Year 13 Health and Social Care students teamed up with the Year 13 Voluntary Services Group to provide a dance class to 16-18 year olds with moderate learning difficulties at Glenveagh School. This project was promoted by the Health and Social Care Double Award pupils who got involved in the ‘Get Set to Make a Change’ initiative inspired by the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London 2012. The aim of this initiative is to get pupils to coach a sport or activity to people with disabilities. The group devised a dance to the ‘Happy’ song led by Sarah Wilkinson and Sarah Blaney. On Tuesday mornings for six weeks the girls travelled to Glenveagh to teach the teenagers. Fun was had by all. The other girls involved were Shannon Best, Emma Cousins, Lauren Clarke, Sophie McKinney, Chloe Stewart, Shannon Kincaid, Kirsty McCleery, Emily Bjorkman-Loney and Sarah Barnes.
Three Year 14 pupils – Apoorva Kashyap, Aya Helmy and Asha Pandey – organised a Diversity Day on the Junior Campus, held on 25 March. The event was a great success and provided an enjoyable and informative experience for Year 8 and 9 pupils. It involved a high level of organisation and planning by the Year 14 pupils and a significant amount of money was raised for the school’s charities as a result.
CHARITIES
The College’s chosen charities for the 2013-2014 academic year were UNICEF, The Simon Community and The Alzheimer’s Society and a range of activities were organised to raise funds for these worthwhile causes. In addition to this Mr McCracken’s Form Class collected £442 for the Philippines Disaster Appeal, a cheque was presented to the Lisburn Rotary Club on behalf of the College and pupils also participated in the Christmas Shoe Box Appeal.
CAREERS EDUCATION
Careers Education Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) is the educational process which enables pupils to acquire the skills, attitudes and abilities they will need to chart their way through life with confidence and to be effective in a variety of adult roles and spheres of life. Pupils are given the opportunity to develop the skills of career decision making not only at key transition points but also in the context of changing circumstances throughout life. Careers Education forms a vital and integral part of the College curriculum in preparing our pupils for life-long learning in a rapidly changing economic environment.
The Careers programme for Years 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 and 14 is delivered through timetabled classes with the emphasis at Key Stage 3 on Education for Employability. Pupils are guided through the process of understanding themselves, reflecting on their self-development and evaluating how their interests, attributes and skills relate to future life styles, education, training and employment opportunities. Beginning in Year 8, pupils build up an Employability e-portfolio, providing a record of their research. Pupils investigate the relationship between what they are studying at school and possible routes into Higher and Further Education, training and employment. Learning for Life and - 17 -
Work is a statutory requirement at Key Stage 4 and Year 11 and Year 12 pupils follow a diverse programme of activities covering employability, career planning, enterprise and entrepreneurship. Many Year 12 pupils are entered for an AQA Level 2 qualification, ‘Preparation for Working Life.’ In Year 10, all pupils participate in an Experience of the Workplace Day by visiting a variety of employers in the greater Belfast area. There is also a commitment to provide personal career planning for all pupils as part of an on-going process, beginning in Year 8 and continuing into the post-16 programmes.
The Careers officer from the Northern Ireland Careers Service provides support in the delivery of the Careers programme through individual interviews with all Year 12 pupils and attendance at Subject Information Evenings, the Year 14 Mock Interview Evening and the biennial Careers and HE Convention.
Pupils are introduced to the world of work through taught classes and talks by representatives from the professions and the business world. In Year 13 pupils have the opportunity to workshadow in a wide variety of work placements and through a Business Insight Conference to test their marketing skills and gain valuable management experience. In the summer term a UCAS/CAO Preparation Evening for pupils and parents lays the foundations for the formal application process. Year 13 pupils attend the Corpus Christi College summer residential course at the University of Cambridge.
In Year 14, pupils are guided through application to institutions of Further and Higher Education via the UCAS and CAO systems. A Mock Interview Evening is organised to allow each pupil to experience a formal interview situation. This event relies heavily on the strong links which the school has established with professionals within the local community. Particular links have been established with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Pinsent Masons and Allstate who offer a variety of work- related learning opportunities to our students.
The Sixth Form programme is delivered by a specialised team of teachers. It includes visits from representatives of many Further and Higher Education Institutes across Ireland, Britain and the Netherlands. Representatives from Student Finance, gap year companies and many other stakeholders are also hosted. Pupils applying for Oxbridge, Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine, Art and Design and other courses involving Additional Admissions Tests are given additional support and guidance. An expanding team of reference writers are employed to support UCAS applications.
Careers Education is dynamic and under constant review and development responding to the changes in education, employment and society as a whole. It is therefore appropriate in this context that Careers Education is delivered by specialist teachers. CPD is offered to encourage other staff to upskill themselves in CEIAG.
The Careers Department organised a number of events throughout the year including a Higher Education Preparation evening and a STEM parents’ presentation for careers in STEM related areas. Pupils also attended an interview skills seminar with PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Careers interviews were also conducted with all pupils in Years 10 and 12 by the Head of Careers and interviews were conducted by the N.I. Careers Service for all Year 12 pupils. Year 10 and 12 subject information evenings were held for pupils to make decisions on GCSE and AS subject choices. A full programme of visits to the College was organised with attendance from many university, Belfast Metropolitan College, SERC and BELB Finance representatives. The Careers Department also facilitated pupils’ attendance at a Higher Education fair at the King’s Hall and Queen’s University, Stranmillis University College and St Mary’s University College Open Days. Pupils attended Oxbridge conferences and three pupils – Ellen Beattie, Rachel Hanley and Megan Halliday – attended the residential summer school at Corpus Christi, Cambridge. Rachael McComish, Year 13, was also selected for the U.S. Sutton Trust Programme. Year 13 Work Experience took place in January 2014 and a full timetabled Careers programme was undertaken by Years 12-14 pupils including the completion of an AQA Level 2 Certificate in Preparation for Working Life.
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DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD
In 2013-2014 we had a record 115 girls in Year 10 who completed their Bronze Expedition in the Mournes in June and I hope that all the girls will go on to complete their Bronze Award. At the beginning of August nineteen of our senior girls travelled to Morocco. The adventure started and finished in Marrakech which was an amazing cultural experience. However the girls also had the opportunity of living in a traditional Berber village high up in the Atlas mountains where they contributed to village life by building some irrigation channels and then completed their Gold Expedition in the same area. A visit to St James’ Palace awaits the girls who finish off the other sections.
TRIPS AND VISITS
Geography fieldtrips took place throughout the year. Year 11 students undertook a river study in Crawfordsburn. Year 13 students attended a residential at Magilligan to investigate fluvial and coastal environments and practise fieldwork skills. Year 14 students investigated the impact of tourism on honeypot sites and attended Geographical Association events, including Decision-making on Fracking in Northern Ireland.
A successful Sixth Form Politics trip to New York and Washington was enjoyed at the end of October. Sixty-three girls from Years 11 to 14 flew from Dublin to Boston, their final destination Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. The group skied for five days in Waterville and on Loon Mountain, receiving four hours of professional instruction each day. The activities in the evening ranged from ice skating, tubing, shopping, quiz, swimming and a prize night with fun games. On the last day before the overnight flight, the group went to Quincy Market in downtown Boston to spend their last dollars! This was a very enjoyable, successful, injury free and memorable trip.
In January Year 13 French and Spanish pupils attend an Open Day at Queen’s University and attended sessions on translation, careers in Languages and Listening skills. In February Year 14 Spanish pupils visited Queen’s Film Theatre to participate in the screening and workshop of the film SOLAS. An introduction of the film by Dr Stanley Black from University of Ulster proved to be informative and engaging for our students. Clarisse Huteau, a native French speaker, spent a year in QUB in Year 11. We want to acknowledge the contributions she has made not only in class, sharing her knowledge of French schools and French cinema, but also in whole school events. Her participation in our special EDL assemblies and our Multicultural day on the Richmond site was very much appreciated. The Scripture Union held a retreat day in Windsor Baptist Church’s “The Cabin”, during which the theme was “Made in the image of God”.
Year 8 pupils participated in a trip to London in June during which their itinerary included visits to The Natural History Museum, Buckingham Palace, The London Eye and The London Dungeon and visits to see the show, ‘Wicked’. Twelve Year 10 pupils visited our partner school, IES “La Rábida”, as well as other interesting places such as Seville, the Nature Reserve of Doñana and Rocío Village. This was an interesting and exciting linguistic exchange which was very much enjoyed by pupils and teachers alike.
At the end of the school year, a team of 16 Year 13 students, fresh from their AS level examinations and four staff (Mrs Haugh, Dr Brown and Dr Oliver very ably led by Miss Cassidy) returned to Beius in western Romania to spend a week under the supervision of expert builders. Under the hot Transylvanian sun the team laid the bricks for the new home of the Bunta family who worked alongside us with their friends from the Roma community and the local church. The team also saw the house which the school built last year, now a much loved family home with a small garden. This was a very worthwhile experience which opened pupils eyes to the needs of others and bonded the members together as a team.
OTHER EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Conferences/Lectures/Training Junior School pupils attended a number of events throughout the year including a Young Enterprise event, a ‘Love for Life’ and a Health and Well-being Event. The girls also benefited from a wide range of presentations and workshops including talks from the Simon Community, the Romanian Smiles Foundation, the Gideons, Action Cancer, the PSNI, Ulster Scots Agency, Barnardoes and from the Cats’ Protection Society. Our Sixth Formers gave talks on their experiences on the World Challenge trip to the rainforests of Borneo and the Habitat for Humanity project to Romania. Talks by local writers, Sheena Wilkinson and D J McCune which had been organised by Mr McDonald, Librarian, were enjoyed by Junior pupils.
In October Mr John Evans, the Language Officer of the European Commission in London, visited the College to talk about Languages and Careers. All Year 10 pupils joined Year 11 pupils for a talk aimed specifically at their age groups. Mr Evans gave an informative and lively presentation which helped the pupils understand the wide range of opportunities on offer for those able to use languages other than English.
In March seven Year 10 pupils (Jodie Dowling, Chloe Ferguson, Muna Kharel, Caitlin Milford, Emma O’Prey, Ellen Ritchie and Kirsten Culbert) attended the "Inspiring Change" Conference to celebrate International Women's Day at Titanic, Belfast. The aim of the day was to inspire an invited female audience of pupils, students, and members of the local business community to realise their full potential by listening to messages of encouragement given by women who have achieved success in fields of work which are often seen as being male dominated, such as engineering, finance, law and politics. The common message to the audience was to aim high, work hard, persevere and above all make self-belief a priority. The final address was given by former VCB pupil Maria Doran (now studying law at QUB) who was the finalist in the 2013 BBC television programme "Young Apprentice." The girls from Victoria College were proud to have her speak and this was reciprocated by Maria who acknowledged our presence in the audience and frequently emphasised the significant role Victoria College played in shaping her as a person and helping her to gain the confidence to take part in "Young Apprentice". After lunch we then attended the opening of the "Inspire" Community art exhibition in the Andrews Gallery where our VCB girls were surprised and delighted in equal measure to find that their art work was prominently on display. Several of the girls had worked on a large portrait of Margaret Byers which takes pride of place in the exhibition - which is now open to the public.
In June 2014 the Year 11 pupils participated in a Love for Life programme and Year 12 pupils in the Learning Support Programme participated in a half day outing aimed at developing personal development skills at the SKYTrek outdoor activity centre at Colin Glen Forest Park.
‘BAKER’ DAYS AND SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT DAYS 2013-2014
The College places a strong emphasis on continuous professional development for all staff and recognises the importance of self evaluation and reflective practice within all departments. In 2013- 2014 the school chose to take four School Development Days (SDD) for the purposes of school improvement and school/staff development in addition to five ‘Baker’ days.
During 2013-2014 the School Development Days and the ‘Baker’ days were used for:
review of the College’s Development Plan; review of school policies; review of Schemes of Work; an analysis of examination results; Performance Review and Staff Development; Special Educational Needs; an update on literacy; ICT and icloud training.
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PLAYGROUP, PRE-SCHOOL AND PREPARATORY SCHOOL
The academic year 2013-2014 has been an important transitional year for the Preparatory School. In January 2014, it was with huge excitement that Prep finally welcomed the Playgroup to the Cranmore site. There are now 20 full-time places for the Pre-Pre-School and an extended day from 8-6pm is available. The pupils, parents and staff are also very much enjoying the new improved facilities across the school. There are now over 200 pupils across the Day Care and Preparatory School. Prep is grateful to Ms Slevin, the Board of Governors and all of the staff for their support and assistance with the transition process.
Throughout the year, the Prep girls have enjoyed an enriched curricular experience. The girls have all participated in a number of educational class trips ranging from visits to the Zoo, Ikea and Titanic Belfast. A number of Prep pupils have also had the opportunity to perform alongside Robbie Williams at the Odyssey Arena! Miss Spottiswoode and the Eco Action Team have planned a sensory garden for pupils to enjoy and we are grateful to parents for their support with this project. Mrs McLuckie and the SNAG girls have worked alongside the Canteen staff to develop a healthy menu and to introduce a fruit of the week. The School Council helped to fundraise for the sensory garden and visited Stormont. Miss McQuillan and the Welcome Team have created a movie about our school. The Community Action Group have represented the school in the local community and organised fundraising events. The International Action Group have organised Diversity Day and are working towards achieving the International School Award.
This year, the girls all took part in our whole school performance of The Lion King. Each performance was vibrant and entertaining. It was a privilege to see all 154 Prep pupils performing on stage. Miss Wright must be commended for organising such a memorable performance and Miss McQuillan and Mrs Murray must be thanked for their support with this event.
Thanks to all the girls, parents and staff for generously supporting Prep’s charity appeals this year. Everyone had great fun shopping at the Harvest Sale and over £400 was raised. The CAG girls chose to divide this money between Action Cancer and Stand By ME. There was also a collection of store cupboard essentials for the Simon Community. In November £325 was made for Children in Need by having a non-uniform ‘spotty’ day. The Christmas Jumper Day raised £152 for Save the Children and £33 was collected for the Cedar Foundation through the sale of Christmas Stamps. In March, the girls wore their uniforms back to front and donated £147 to Sport Relief. The Mary’s Meal charity greatly appreciated the support for their Backpack Project and was delighted to receive so many backpacks. The sponsored Readathon raised £367 for the Book Bus charity which aims to improve child literacy rates in Africa, Asia and South America. A special thanks to the Community Action Group girls for their continued enthusiasm!
This has been a very busy year for Prep sports, with a high level of achievement and with school accolades in cross country, swimming and hockey. Prep won all of the preliminary rounds in the NI Cross Country League and qualified for the NI Finals. The team had some fantastic individual runs against a very strong field of club runners from across the province. Special mention must be made of Lauren Patterson, Charlotte Houston and Lois Lyttle who had top ten finishes in every round. Anna Hill had an outstanding season winning gold in every round and also taking gold at the Northern Ireland finals, to be crowned NI primary schools’ cross country champion 2014. Prep also entered a team in the South Antrim area cross country championships where Prep had further success winning the overall South Antrim area, going on to compete in the Belfast finals. The team was placed second overall and Anna Hill fought an incredible race to yet again win gold. These achievements saw Anna qualify for the 2014 NI performance squad.
In October, a team from Prep 5, 6 and 7 competed in the Ulster Minor Schools’ Swimming Championships held in Ballymena. All pupils had great individual swims. For some it was their first experience of an Ulster gala and many set new individual bests. Lois Lyttle was placed 2nd in the 50 metres Backstroke and 4th in Freestyle and Anna Hill was placed 3rd in Breaststroke and 5th in Butterfly. The age group 2 relay team consisting of Lauren Patterson, Ella Ross, Maia Butcher and Molly McGuire, won bronze in the freestyle relay. Ella Ross went on to compete at the Irish Schools’ Championships held at the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin.
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The Prep hockey team has also had another very busy year! Both the A and B Teams played with confidence at the Belfast Regional Tournament and the A squad went on to represent Prep in the mini finals. There were 24 teams and Prep made it to the final. It was a tense match and with 40 seconds left, Edenderry equalised and then scored a golden goal in extra time, awarding them the title. Congratulations to all the squad on their commitment and perseverance. Prep would like to pay special thanks to Mrs Bell, who is stepping down from her role as Prep Hockey coach. Mrs Bell has worked hard to encourage a high standard of Prep hockey and she has laid the foundation for many of the girls to carry on to future hockey success in Senior School. We are grateful to Mrs Bell for all of her support over the last ten years!
This year pupils from Prep 5-Prep 7 had the opportunity to participate in a 12 week introduction to netball course after school from September to Christmas. Following this, a squad of 11 girls from Prep 7 were selected and entered in the Belfast Primary Schools league. These girls played 10 closely contested matches against the top schools and clubs in the greater Belfast area and qualified for the league finals finishing joint third overall. They also competed in 3 friendly tournaments including a cross-community event where Prep welcomed 6 schools to the Richmond campus. Prep would like to congratulate all the girls on their team spirit and for making such wonderful progress in the first Prep netball squad.
For the first time Prep has established a Camogie Team and what a first year they have had! In their first year of playing Camogie, the Prep team (involving 15 girls from P6 and P7) entered and won the indoor Belfast Championship without losing a match. They then progressed to the county championships, losing only one match to Glenravel. In the outdoor Belfast Championship they qualified unbeaten from their group and lost bravely to St. Anne’s in the final. Five players were selected to play for County Antrim – the highest number from any single school. Such an achievement - well done! Thank you to Mrs Henderson, Mrs Bell, Miss Mclaughlin and Mr O’Brien for all of their support with Prep PE this year.
Clearly 2013-2014 was an exciting and eventful year for all! Prep is looking forward to the academic year 2014-2015 and the many new opportunities this will bring.
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BOARDING DEPARTMENT
The new school year commenced with a very full house, 51 boarders from Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Hong Kong, China, and Swaziland, boarders with parents working away and of course those who come from Northern Ireland. Along with the four other boarding schools in Northern Ireland Victoria College participated in an international recruitment fair in Campbell College in May, The event, organised in association with the British Council, facilitated an opportunity to introduce a range of European and Asian agents to the benefits of boarding in Northern Ireland.
Drumglass House has been a happy and productive home, and the boarders have achieved a great deal academically and in the fields of sport and music. Mrs Burns and her team of matrons and staff are very proud to work with such a positive and talented group of students and are grateful to the hard working and committed team in Drumglass.
Pupils in Drumglass House enjoyed a very full programme of activities including choir, orchestra, ballet and many sports activities. The boarders made the most of the many activities available on site and also enjoyed special events such as the Halloween fancy dress party, Christmas festivities and an ‘anti-valentine’ fashion show. Weekend boarders were kept busy and entertained by a variety of trips to the North Coast, Belfast Zoo, ice-skating, bowling and the cinema.
Pupils worked hard in preparation for internal and external examinations both in January with resits, mocks and early modules and again in the summer term. Year 14 pupils who brought such life and vitality into the boarding department over many years left school ready to take on the challenges of higher education. A huge farewell party including a large inflatable assault course was thoroughly enjoyed by staff and girls alike before they left in June during which the girls had the opportunity to say farewell to Mrs Woods, Deputy Head, as she left to take up her position as Principal in Antrim Grammar. Her cheery word and humour was very much appreciated by the boarders and staff alike and she will be very much missed in Drumglass House.
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SECTION 4 – PERFORMANCE DATA
GENERAL FOR SENIOR SCHOOL
UK NI VCB
A*/A grades at A2 level 26% 32.9% 36.4%
A*/A grades at GCSE 21.3% 33% 50%
A*-C grades at A2 68.8% 86.6% 90.7%
A*-C grades at GCSE 68.8% 81.8% 96.6% GCSE 2014
Number of pupils entered for 5 or more subjects 130
% achieving 5+ A*-C grades 96.9%
% achieving 5+ A*-B grades 83.1%
% achieving 7+ A*-C grades 90.8%
% achieving 5+ A*-A grades 49.2% A LEVEL 2014
Number of pupils entered for 3 or more subjects 98
% achieving 2+ A*-C grades 96.9%
% achieving 3+ A*-C grades 80.6%
% A* grades achieved 8.3%
% A*-A grades achieved 36.2% KEY STAGE THREE 2014
Level 5 or above Level 6 or above VCB NI VCB NI
English 99 71.3 73 38.9
Mathematics 100 73.2 78 45.7
VICTORIA COLLEGE RESULTS COMPARED TO N.I. AVERAGE FOR GRAMMAR SCHOOLS
2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 VCB NI VCB NI VCB NI
5+ GCSE A*-C 100 97 98 97 99 97
7+ GCSE A*-C 91 92 90 92 92 94
3+ A LEVEL A*-C 72 77 83 77 88 77
2+ A LEVEL A*-C 100 99 100 99.5 100 100
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PUBLIC EXAMINATION RESULTS 2013/2014 A2 LEVEL RESULTS BY SUBJECT
Subject Entry % of pupils achieving the following grades A* A B C D E U Art and Design 15 6.7 33.3 20.0 40.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Biology 30 16.7 23.3 23.3 20.0 10.0 6.7 0.0 Business Studies 27 3.7 22.3 29.6 11.1 18.5 14.8 0.0 Chemistry 21 14.3 23.8 28.6 9.5 23.8 0.0 0.0 Chinese 9 0.0 44.4 55.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 English Literature 16 0.0 25.0 18.8 43.7 12.5 0.0 0.0 French 7 14.2 28.6 28.6 28.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 Geography 32 3.1 50.0 28.1 18.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 Government & Politics 11 0.0 27.3 54.5 18.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 Health & Social Care 17 5.9 17.7 47.1 29.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 Health & Social Care: Double 8 12.5 12.5 25.0 50.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Award History 15 0.0 20.0 60.0 20.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Home Economics 8 0.0 12.5 37.5 37.5 12.5 0.0 0.0 Information Technology 21 0.0 14.3 23.8 52.4 9.5 0.0 0.0 Mathematics 30 23.3 26.8 33.3 13.3 3.3 0.0 0.0 Mathematics (Further) 2 50.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 50.0 0.0 0.0 Physics 12 8.3 33.3 16.8 25.0 8.3 8.3 0.0 Religious Studies 9 33.3 55.6 0.0 11.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 Spanish 6 33.3 16.7 16.7 33.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 Sports Studies/P.E. 1 0.0 100.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Technology and Design 4 0.0 0.0 75.0 25.0 0.0 0. 0.0 Theatre Studies 12 0.0 33.3 33.3 25.0 8.4 0.0 0.0 Percentage 9.0 27.5 30.7 23.6 7.0 2.2 0.0 TOTAL 313 28 86 96 74 22 7 0
OTHER QUALIFICATIONS
Name of Awarding Body Qualification Number of Pupils % Achieving Entered Qualification Associated Board of the Grades 1-8 46 (Yrs 8-14) 91% Royal Schools of Music and Trinity College and Theory Exam. 2 (Yrs 8-14) 100% Guildhall School of Music
Destinations - Leavers to
No. of Yr Higher Further Employ- Another Job Modern None of 12, 13, Education Education Ment School Skills Apprentice- other 14 ship categories Leavers 2013/14
135 80 40 0 10 0 0 5
ANNUAL ATTENDANCE RATE (ALL PUPILS) Total days attended by all pupils on roll as % of total possible days of attendance = 94.4%
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PUBLIC EXAMINATION RESULTS 2013/2014 GCSE RESULTS BY SUBJECT
Subject Entry A* A B C D E F G U Art and Design 40 7.5 22.5 20.0 42.5 5.0 2.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 Biology 97 17.5 29.9 40.2 12.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Business Studies 34 0.0 11.8 52.9 23.5 11.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Chemistry 74 27.0 29.7 33.8 8.1 1.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Chinese 1 100.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Design and Technology 17 17.6 23.5 29.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Drama 36 11.1 36.1 50.0 2.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 English Language 132 8.3 34.8 39.4 13.7 3.0 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 English Literature 119 12.6 34.5 37.8 13.4 1.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 French 52 26.9 17.3 21.2 28.8 5.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Geography 68 36.8 39.7 22.0 1.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 German 23 4.3 17.4 30.4 39.1 8.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Health & Social Care 26 7.7 38.5 42.3 11.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 History 64 34.4 21.9 20.3 20.3 3.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Home Economics: Food 33 18.2 42.4 33.3 6.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Information Technology 33 33.3 39.4 18.2 6.1 3.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Italian 15 20.0 13.3 33.3 26.7 6.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Latin 4 0.0 75.0 25.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Mathematics 132 22.7 28.0 22.7 23.6 3.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Mathematics: Further 43 27.9 34.9 25.6 11.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Music 7 14.3 85.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Physics 55 10.9 40.0 40.0 5.5 3.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Religious Studies 129 23.3 30.2 27.1 11.6 3.9 3.1 0.8 0.0 0.0 Science Single Award 10 0.0 20.0 80.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Spanish 20 15.0 40.0 30.0 10.0 5.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Sport/P.E. Studies 11 18.2 18.2 18.2 27.2 9.1 9.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 Percentage 18.98 30.98 31.69 14.98 2.75 0.55 0.07 0.00 0.00 TOTAL 1275 242 395 404 191 35 7 1 0 0
% of Year 12 Pupils Achieving no passes in either GCSE or other qualifications Nil
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PREPARATORY DEPARTMENT PERFORMANCE DATA
END OF KEY STAGE ASSESSMENT OUTCOMES ENGLISH AND MATHEMATICS
KS1 Assessment Outcomes 2013-2014
*The expected outcome at the end of KS1 is Level 2 VCB Prep Outcome NI Girls
English Level 1 0% 6%
English Level 2 100% 68%
English Level 3 41% 25%
Maths Level 1 0% 6%
Maths Level 2 100% 73%
Maths Level 3 41% 20%
KS2 Assessment Outcomes 2013-2014
*The expected outcome at the end of KS2 is Level 4 VCB Prep Outcome NI Girls
English Level 3 0% 13%
English Level 4 100% 64%
English Level 5 42% 20%
Maths Level 3 0% 15%
Maths Level 4 100% 59%
Maths Level 5 50% 23%
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SECTION 5 - FINANCE
VICTORIA COLLEGE BELFAST
SUMMARY FINANCIAL INFORMATION
YEAR ENDING 31 MARCH 2014
SUMMARY SCHOOL REVENUE ACCOUNT
2014 2014 2013 2013 £ % £ %
Income Government Grants 4,062,752 70.0% 4,129,122 73.2% Other Income 1,743,256 30.0% 1,511,954 26.8% Total Income 5,806,008 100.0% 5,641,076 100.0%
Expenditure Teaching Salary Costs (3,092,025) 53.4% (3,205,642) 56.5% Other Education Costs (972,040) 16.8% (897,094) 15.8% Premises Costs (799,608) 13.8% (840,615) 14.8% Administration Costs (584,625) 10.1% (473,565) 8.4% Other Costs (339,894) 5.9% (252,966) 4.5% Total Expenditure (5,788,192) 100.0% (5,669,882) 100.0%
Surplus/(Deficit) for the year 17,816 0.3% (28,806) -0.5%
SUMMARY SCHOOL BALANCE SHEET 2014 2013 £ £ Fixed Assets 5,759,024 4,979,067 Current Assets 1,499,778 1,563,216 Current Liabilities (1,147,857) (983,566) Total Assets less Current Liabilities 6,110,945 5,558,717
Financed by: Creditors due after more than One Year 38,267 43,790 Deferred Grant Income 3,496,331 3,130,747 Capital and Reserves 2,576,347 2,384,180 6,110,945 5,558,717
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