Annual Report
of the Board of Governors
2013-14
Board of Governors Designation
Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School
2013/2014
Name / CategoryMost Reverend Donal McKeown DD / Chairman Auxiliary Bishop of Down & Connor
(until April 2014)
Mrs Geraldine Goodall / DE Representative
Mrs Joan Cronin / DE Representative
Mr Peter Coll / Trustee
Mr Terry McDaid / Trustee Governor (Acting Chair from April 2014)
Mrs Paula Durkan / Elected Parent Governor
Mr Eugene Leneghan / Elected Teacher Governor
Mr Barry Kelly / Secretary to BOG
The Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School Community is very proud of its catholic ethos. It is very difficult to do justice to our ethos by listing all the events that take place. It is best experienced by being here as a pupil or a teacher on a daily basis or as a parent or friend by attending the wide variety of celebrations that take place throughout the school year.
It is best reflected in the mutual respect that is evident between all members of our community. As a Catholic school we welcome students from a wide variety of backgrounds – accepting that there are different faith backgrounds and none. Nevertheless we are Catholic in our welcome and in the Gospel values we try and live up to in our daily relationships in school and with all our partners in the local community and beyond.
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CONTENTS
Page NumberAccounts/Finances / 4
Art & Design / 5
Biology / 8
Business Studies / 10
CEIAG / 13
Chemistry / 19
Community Link / 21
Drama / 22
English / 25
French / 29
Fundraising / 33
Geography / 35
History / 39
Home Economics / 41
ICT / 42
Irish / 45
Mathematics / 48
Moving Image Arts / 51
Music / 54
Physical Education / 56
Physics / 59
Politics / 61
Religious Studies / 63
Saphara / 66
Science / 67
Sociology / 69
Spanish / 70
Technology & Design / 74
Year 8 / 79
Year 9 / 81
Year 10 / 83
Year 11 / 85
Year 12 / 86
Year 13 / 89
Year 14 / 90
ACCOUNTS/FINANCES AGM 2013-2014
Accounts
2014 / 2013£ / £
INCOME
Department of Education Grants / 4,217,162 / 4,218,337
Other Income / 70,936 / 84,574
4,288,098 / 4,302,911
EXPENDITURE
Teaching Staff Costs / 2,588,353 / 2,629,360
Non Teaching Staff Costs / 1,143,540 / 1,106,732
Other Operating Costs / 522,719 / 459,509
4,254,612 / 4,195,601
Operating surplus / 33,486 / 107,310
Bank Interest Payable / (2,277) / (5,183)
SURPLUS FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR / 31,209 / 102,127
ART & DESIGN AGM 2013-2014
The number of students studying Art and Design in 2013/14 are as follows;
Key Stage / Nos. of Students Studying Art and DesignKey Stage 3 / 349
Key Stage 4 / 44
Post-16 / 14
Staffing Structure
The department consisted of one full-time teacher and two part-time teachers in addition to an Art and Design technician who was employed for 10 hours per week. The department was joined by a temporary part time teacher in February 2013-June 2013 and a temporary relief technician from March 2014. A part time ancillary member of staff was employed throughout the year sharing housekeeping roles with general duties around the department.
Examinations
We continued to follow the CCEA specifications at GCSE, AS and A2 Levels and one of our GCSE Level students achieved full marks at this level.
Aquinas Art and Design Results 2014
Art and Design NI Grammar School Average/Aquinas Grammar Average
NI Grammar School Average(CCEA 2013 provisional) / Aquinas Grammar Average
GCSE (A-B Grades) / 80.8% / 96.3%
AS Level (A-B Grades) / 75.7% / 100%
A2 Level (A-C Grades) / 95.9% / 100%
Celebrating Excellence
Two of our students exhibited in the CCEA “true colours” exhibition in the Ulster Museum. This exhibition profiles the best and most interesting work from GCSE, AS and A2 levels in Art and Design across Northern Ireland and included two units of work; one from a GCSE student and one from an AS student. We were delighted to attend the opening of this exhibition in January 2014 with our Year 11, 12, 13 and 14 students to celebrate the display of work of the two Aquinas students.
Focus for Department 2013-2014
The main focus for the department in 2013-2014 was in line with the school development plan. We integrated the use of I-Pad into our planning, administration and teaching and finalised departmental administration in preparation for uploading on to the VLE.
Links with Community/Outside Agencies
We fostered connections with the local community through our art workshops with primary school children in December 2013 and we promoted the department through the introduction of two junior lunchtime art clubs, which merged into one after school activity later in the year. Art and Design prefects directed the Year 8 art club for the first term and Year 12 students assisted with the art club in the second term as part of the volunteering section of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. We are grateful to classroom assistant, Sophie Rousseau, who assisted with the art club most ably, creatively and enthusiastically.
We also promoted the art and design department through the exhibition of student work representing year groups in the Mall area during special events relevant to their year, such as Mass and parent teacher evenings.
Four of our A level students entered their work for the Saatchi Gallery School Art Prize, an online competition that provides students with the opportunity to exhibit their work on a public forum through the Saatchi website.
One of our Year 8 students was awarded “Merit” in the Texaco Children’s Art Competition and will have her work exhibited in the Ulster Museum in Dec. 14 following its inclusion in the Texaco exhibition’s tour of Ireland.
CEIAG
The Art and Design contributed extensively to the Aquinas Careers’ Insight Evening. A host of visitors were welcomed to the department and included milliner, Grainne Maher; textile designer, Jude Cassidy; motion graphics/3D designer, Tom Hughes; visual artist, Susan Hughes; freelance illustrator and photographer, Paul Fox; QUB architecture student, Emma Dunn; curator at Satis House and assistant curator at the MAC, Eoin Dara; artist, Christine Gormon and fine art student, Caroline McElroy. Pol O Labhradha, UU Art Graduate also assisted at the careers’ evening.
Year 13 and 14 students gleaned insight into careers within art and design in their visits to the RUA Exhibition in October 2013 and in their participation in workshops in Seacourt Print Workshop in November and December. The students worked alongside professional printers in creating their own intaglio prints as part of their coursework units and portfolio addressing Objective 2 and Objective 3 in the CCEA assessment criteria. Aquinas A level students were also accompanied to UU’s Foundation Art Exhibition in addition to the Faculty of Art, Design and the Built Environment’s Information Evening.
The department welcomed, Pol O Labhradha, who successfully completed his BA Degree in UU, Belfast. Pol assisted and observed classes on a temporary basis in January 2014, giving advice to the examination level classes and relating his experiences of art at Third level. Pol later returned to the art and design department as a temporary relief technician from March 2014 until August 2014.
Past pupil, Roisin Tinneny, visited our A-level classes in September 2013 to give a presentation of the she work completed during her Architecture Degree course in Glasgow University. Past pupils, Jenny Gallagher and Sarah Louise Deazley, visited Aquinas to up-date us on their progress in Textiles in Nottingham Trent University and Fashion Communication in Northumbria University respectively. Our students were delighted to welcome them all back and gleaned invaluable insight into careers within the field of Art and Design.
KS3 students researched Graphic Design in preparation for their Graphic Design Poster for the 2013 school production, “Les Miserables”, and Year 10 students researched the textile industry in Northern Ireland as part of the development of their Textile work in Year 10.
Professional development
One teacher attended the GCSE Agreement trial, the AS Agreement Trial and the A2 Agreement Trial. One teacher was employed by CCEA as an A2 Moderator and one teacher was employed by CCEA as an AS Moderator. All members of staff were encouraged to engage in professional development wherever relevant and possible.
Summary of main highlights:
“Les Miserables” Scenery
Ms N Gilmore, teacher of Art and Design, designed and created the scenery for “Les Miserables” assisted by the art and design technician, art teachers and Year 13 students.
KS3
The Year 8 “Welcome to Aquinas” graphic design poster continued with the work of the winning entrants published on the covers of the introductory booklet for our in-coming Year 8 students.
The “Les Miserables” graphic design competition was very successful and was entered by every student in KS3. The winning entrants were delighted to have their work published on the programme and on the poster advertising the production.
KS4
Staff and all examination level students enjoyed an educational visit to the Ulster Museum in October 2013. We viewed the RUA Exhibition, which students found to be beneficial in addressing Objective 1 of the CCEA assessment criteria.
The department continues to offer after school tuition and support for exam students on a weekly basis and introduced a KS3 art and design club that proved very successful. We are delighted that art and design remains a successful choice in Aquinas and that many of our students pursue art and design related courses in further and higher education, leading to careers in this field.
BIOLOGY AGM 2013-2014
There are three specialist teachers within the Biology department. The number of pupils taught in each year is given below.
Year / No. of pupils2013-14 2014-15
10 Bio / 119 118
11 DA / 36 28
11 Bio / 61 73
12 DA / 32 65
12 Bio / 59 62
13 Bio / 43 37
14 Bio
Total / 35 33
385 386
Results overview for 2014 is as follows:
A2: A* 11.5%, A*-A 38.4 %, A-B 61.5 %, A-C 80.7%
AS: A 29.3%, A-B 48.8%, A-C 73.2.1%
GCSE: A* 20.3%, A*-A % 54.2, A*-B 86.4%, A*-C 91.5%
Departmental three year average results compare favourably with N. Ireland figures for the same time period.
At GCSE, the CCEA specification is used. The AQA specification is used for AS/A2 level.
The department continues in its efforts to raise achievement and this is reflected in the results above. Pupils who were underachieving particularly at AS/A2 and GCSE were identified and given additional help. Pupils taking re-sits at AS/A2 were given additional classes at mutually agreeable times and after school. Lunch time sessions were also given on EMPA skills and “How Science Works”. The AQA enhanced results analysis of exam papers again proved useful in identifying specific questions which challenged our pupils and informed support strategies. Core material in Double Award and Biology has been supplemented with extension materials for gifted and talented pupils and support resources were also extended for those with special educational needs. Continued extensive use has been made of the shared area and it has been completely reorganised in order to disseminate good practice. Selected items from the shared area will be posted on Fronter.
The department has continued to focus on sharing good practice and improving the quality of feedback to our pupils. Standard cover sheets for tracking assessments and homeworks continue to be developed. Pupil self-evaluation and peer evaluation sheets are also in use.
Careers in biology are promoted during classroom teaching and through the prominent display of wall posters. Reference to careers is also made in the options booklets and has been integrated into schemes of work. Some topics in GCSE and AS/AS have obvious vocational implications and every opportunity was taken to raise pupil awareness of career issues. The department continues to invite speakers from a range of backgrounds to talk about the work they do. Careers materials from the Royal Society and the Society of Biology are being used with A’level students.
Within the department, staff development has focused on controlled assessment and the carrying out of EMPA’s. This has met with considerable success. All members of the department have participated in EMPA supervision which can be an all day event involving three laboratories, depending on the topic being investigated. Departmental members continue to be vigilant regarding staff development opportunities.
This year, the department again hosted three students from the “Science Ambassadors” scheme. They visited the department on four occasions. The fresh resources developed will benefit our pupils for some time to come.
Highlights of the year have been the visiting speakers, options activities and field work exercises conducted with Yr 12 and Yr 13. As far as “value added” is concerned, we engage in a wide range of activities, talks, competitions and educational visits. The school based electronic news sheet “BioBubble” was used with A’level pupils as a means of achieving stretch and challenge. “Kerboodle Biology”, a range of web based A’level resources including biological content, self-tests, feedback and past exam questions was used stimulating considerable interest among the pupils.
Members of the department look forward to the future with great enthusiasm and are eager to implement the 2014-15 school development plan. It is our aim to continue to be a vibrant, self-improving department through the sharing of good practice and focusing on the needs and aspirations of all our pupils. This will continue to be achieved through the provision of high quality learning and teaching, effective leadership and community involvement. It is our intention that every learner will fulfil his or her full potential at each stage of her or his development. The interests of the pupils will be at the centre of all efforts to improve educational achievement and address under-achievement. Consequently, a child-centred approach and provision for a diversity of need will continue to be evident in all our work. Quality indicators will be employed in the self-evaluation cycle with the aim of improving learning and teaching, the experiences of the pupils and the standards they achieve.
BUSINESS STUDIES AGM 2013-2014
The Business Studies department has 2 members of staff. In 2013-14 we taught 115 Key Stage 3 pupils (Year 10 only), 78 at Key Stage 4 and 36 at Key Stage 5.
At Advanced Level the AQA Business Studies specification is followed. In 2014 there was an 88.2% pass rate at grades A*-C. This compares favourably with the NI Grammar School average of 86.9%. 79% achieved grades A-C in AS Business Studies. At GCSE level the pupils cover the CCEA specification. The results were again favourable with 79% of the pupils achieving grades A*-B in comparison to the NI Grammar School Average of 74%.
In line with the School Development Plan, ‘Together Towards Improvement’ and ‘Every School a Good School’ documents, one focus of the Business Studies department in 2013-14 was to upload resources onto the VLE using Fronter. A second focus was to embed the use of the Ipad. This was followed up with careful evaluation of the resources to ensure their relevance and effectiveness.
Within the Business Studies department we try our best to link the subject content to the development of career thinking. In conjunction with Young Enterprise NI the Business Studies department runs a variety of programmes through which the pupils have the opportunity to work and interact with people from a range of careers. The Company Workshop enables year 13 students to meet and network with Managing Directors, Marketing Managers, Accountants and Sales consultants as well as ICT specialists, giving them an insight into these occupations. AS Business Studies pupils set up and run their own company which involves applying for functional roles. Job Descriptions and Person Specifications are available for each functional position - those students wanting to hold the post of Managing Director give a presentation and are formally interviewed by two Business Advisers. All other posts are interviewed by the function directors from the previous year’s company who know exactly what the post entails. This helps the pupils to develop the skills and capabilities necessary for employability including communication, numeracy, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), working with others, problem solving, decision making, self-management and managing information.
Throughout KS4 and KS5 pupils investigate recruitment and retention procedures taking into account the rights and responsibilities of employees and employers. They consider how employers and employees might maintain an effective working environment as well as investigating the increasing social responsibility of business in the community.
In June the Head of Department hosted the South Belfast Area Learning Community meeting for Business Studies. The purpose of this meeting was to share good practice.
The highlights of our academic year included a variety of industrial visits and visiting speakers which added value to the department.
In 2013-14 Aquinas continued to participate in competitions. The year 13 Young Enterprise Company held their meetings every Friday. A business advisor was also in attendance passing on the benefit of their vast experience and expertise. The students gained practical experience of business and enterprise through setting up and running their own real company. The students participated in the Ballymena Trade Fair in December. This proved to be a very successful day’s trading with the team selling many products and receiving excellent feedback from customers. They also participated in the Belfast and Castlereagh Area Board trade fair in the Kennedy Shopping Centre in January, interacting with the public and a panel of judges and winning the award for ‘Best Product’. In March the team submitted a ten page Annual General Report to Young Enterprise and completed their trading year by taking part in the regional presentations and interviews.
Year 12 GCSE Business Studies pupils enjoyed a field trip to Tayto Castle which provided much relevant information regarding production and marketing. They observed the production process and got great pleasure from tasting various types and flavours of crisps and corn snacks! Year 12 pupils carried out their Controlled Assessment and as part of their research they were fortunate to have a visiting speaker, James McAlister, a past pupil who now owns his own business, Jolly Pies. James provided them with a wealth of fascinating and inspirational information about his business. The pupils also carried out primary research on Survey Monkey to ascertain the relationship between price and demand for Jolly Pies.
Year 11 students completed their first GCSE unit which was worth 35% of the overall qualification. The results were very pleasing with 71.4% achieving A*-B grades. As part of GCSE Business Studies, year 11 students participated in the Young Enterprise ‘Enterprise in Action’ programme which was held in school in September. This included participating in many practical activities which were extremely good fun as students interacted and worked in teams. They also listened to inspirational talks from a successful entrepreneur and local business people. These experiences proved to be both enjoyable and educational.