Schools report excellent Leaving Cert results

Wednesday was a day of high emotion for the more than 1,400 people across the county who collected their Leaving Certificate results.
As usual, higher-level maths was a talking point as Clare principals speculated that pupils in the county had done as well in the subject this year, as they had in previous years.
More than 43% of those who sat higher-level maths nationwide were awarded As or Bs. This is down nearly 5% on last year, and 2% on 2008.
Anne Tuohy, principal of CBS Ennistymon, was delighted with her pupils’ results, especially in maths.
“We had a 600-pointer with extras to spare and that is no mean achievement. Declan O’Loughlin is his name and he did very well but all the lads were really pleased. We had quite a number who achieved more than 500 points and we went against the trend here in maths, with quite a number of A1s at higher level.
“The big thing now is to see what happens next week and whether or not everyone gets the place they wanted but we have high hopes. It is a nervous time for the pupils but they genuinely seem pleased this year,” she said.
Also in the North Clare town, Seosaimhín Uí Dhomhnalláin, principal of Scoil Mhuire, wished her pupils well as they start their adult lives.
“Pupils of all ability levels performed very well and that is really important to us here in Scoil Mhuire. A number of pupils achieved outstanding results, close to maximum points, and a significant number of pupils scored in excess of 500 points. We have seen strong performances in all subject areas. The girls worked very hard and it’s wonderful to see their dedication and commitment rewarded,” she commented.
Both Shannon secondary schools were pleased with how their pupils had performed. “I am absolutely delighted with the success of our Leaving Cert pupils.
“The percentage of pupils gaining 500 points or more is unprecedented in recent years and we have certainly bucked the national trend in relation to maths. The percentage of pupils gaining top grades at higher level would compare with the very best in the country, while only a very small number were unsuccessful.
“The majority of our pupils are now confident of gaining third-level places and I want to congratulate them all on their efforts,” said St Patrick’s Comprehensive principal, Morgan Heaphy.
St Caimin’s deputy principal Claire Knight was also happy. “We’re very pleased with all our pupils, they all achieved their potential and we had some excellent results. They worked very hard and they got the results they deserved.”
One student, Eanna Ryan got six A1s and 600 points and Ms Ryan paid tribute to all staff, parents and pupils. “I’d like to thank all the teachers for the efforts they put in and congratulate the pupils and their parents. We’re very happy because it’s a very stressful time and it’s great to get to this day. We’re very proud of them.”
Scariff Community College seemed to have knocked any concern about maths on its head as the results for the subject there were described as good.
Sean Daly, principal at the community college, said that the school and pupils were very happy with the results and the achievements at all levels. Higher and pass-level maths results were good generally and it would appear to go against the grain.
“There was word that the higher-level biology was particularly difficult at exam time but that certainly wasn’t reflective in the results here anyway. We are also particularly happy with the results in engineering and construction studies. We had exceptionally good results, with all 20 of the construction pupils getting all honours,” he said.
In West Clare too it was a similar story, as St John Bosco Kildysart Community College principal Marian Coughlan Flynn said that the school results were particularly impressive in maths.
“I’m pleased with the results, especially in maths,” the school principal said. Ms Coughlan Flynn is confident that most pupils will get a course suitable to their skills. “They may not get their first choice but I think they should get a third-level course. I think that people got rewarded for their hard work,” she added.
St Joseph’s, Spanish Point principal Mary Crawford said that results were excellent across all the subject areas at the school.
“Generally speaking, the results were good in all of our subject areas. I read that there was concern about maths and science nationally but we wouldn’t have had any problems in that regard. Our graphics and woodwork results were really excellent,” she stated.
In South Galway, two Gort Community School pupils received seven As in the Leaving Cert, while a number of girls were awarded five As. 
“They were an extremely academic year. Most of the pupils did really well. It is a great day and for pupils who didn’t get their first choice, I have to stress there are lots of other choices out there,” said a spokesperson for the school.
In Seamount College in Kinvara, pupils and teachers were delighted with the results, which rewarded hard work from both groups.
“We are very proud of the focussed pupils of Seamount College, who set themselves goals and worked hard to achieve these goals. A lot of the pressure we hear about in the media doesn’t really materialise within the school, where there is an atmosphere of work, focus and attainment. We are also happy today to hear about the success of candidates who sat the exam for the pilot programme of the project maths course and look forward to introducing this course in September,” said Maighréad Mhic Dhomhnaill, principal of Seamount College.

Smiles all round in Ennis
IN Ennis, both students and staff were very satisfied with the Leaving Cert results received on Wednesday.
Jean Pound, principal of Coláiste Muire, said they had approximately 100 students who sat the Leaving Cert this year.
“Students reached a very high standard across the board. We had a considerable amount of students with 6 A1s and others with a good amount of As and Bs,” she commented.
Contrary to the national trend of low grades in maths and science, Ms Pound said that results in these subjects were good and no different from recent years.
“We have noticed that results in English were excellent among our students and that has been the case for a few years now.”
She mentioned one student in particular who only moved to Clare from Brazil four years ago.
“She had limited English and that stage and Portuguese was her first language. She got 6 As, including an A1 in higher level English, which is outstanding. Funnily enough, she didn’t get an A1 in her first language Portuguese. It has to have been a challenge for her to do all of her subjects through English, so great credit is due to her for doing so well,” the principal added.
She also praised all of the students in the school who completed the Leaving Cert Applied programme. “They all did very well, with a number receiving a number of distinctions, which is excellent. One girl got 96%, which is wonderful achievement,” she remarked.
She said that all of the students, except three, came to the school to collect their results. In St Flannan’s College, deputy principal John Minogue said that students and staff were very happy with the results across the board.
“We haven’t heard any students making complaints about results in any particular subjects. There are always difficulties for some students with maths, especially at higher level, but in general, students and staff felt the results in maths were good and represented students’ abilities and efforts.
“We have seen very good results in English this year. Students were particularly happy with that because there were some surprises on the paper in June but the results were very good here,” he added.
“In general, the students who worked hard achieved the results they deserved,” he commented.
Louis Mulqueen of Rice College said that most students at the school were happy with their results and that there was nobody distraught over their results.
“We had some very high achievers, while others at all various levels achieved their potential, which is what we all hope for. Now there is high anxiety over whether their points will be enough for their preferred college course because there seems to be a lot of question marks over how points might go up. Monday with the CAO offers will be very telling and students won’t relax until then,” he added.
The school had 120 students sitting the Leaving Cert this year.
Matt Power, principal of Ennis Community College was also delighted with results of students at the school. He said most students reached their potential or exceeded their expectations, which he is very proud of. He also mentioned two deaf students, one girl and one boy, who did very well also. “They came through the deaf unit attached to the school, and had the assistance of three teachers and two special needs assistants. We currently have 11 deaf students in the school working through our deaf unit. The two students took the full Leaving Cert, with the exception of Irish and a foreign language which they are exempt form. They worked hard and did very well, as I expected they would. They will be going on to third level now also,” he commented.

‘Don’t panic’ urges youth worker
STUDENTS hoping to go on to third-level education face a nervous wait for CAO offers after record numbers of people applied for college courses this year.
By Monday, the points required for courses in universities and institutes of technology across the country is expected to be known and for some there will be disappointment.
One man who has been there before is Clare Youth Service youth worker, Glen Guilfoyle.
“The best advice I’d give anyone comes from Douglas Adams, ‘don’t panic’. There are lots of different ways and means to get to where you want in life, so don’t worry too much. There are lots of people who didn’t get what they wanted in the Leaving Cert who are quite happy now.
“When the first-round offers come out, don’t worry if there isn’t a letter waiting for you at home, that doesn’t mean you won’t get the place you want.
“In my situation, I didn’t get what I wanted until the third round and there were plenty of others who didn’t arrive until a week into the college term having been offered places even later than me.
“You won’t know for certain if you have been accepted for a few weeks. Don’t be afraid to talk to people about your options. There is a national helpline and there are people who are available to talk. You can talk to your friends, career guidance professionals or ourselves in the Youth Centre. There are options there for you,” he advised.
Clare Youth Service offered free breakfasts in Ennis and Ennistymon to students collecting their results in an effort to relieve some of the stress for the young people.
“We had about 40 in altogether in Ennistymon, which was a great turnout. One or two came in before they collected their results, maybe putting it off as long as they could.
“Most students were happy out with their results but naturally there were a few who were disappointed and the great thing about the coffee shop was that they had a lot of friends around to support them and relieve some of the pressure that has been building up.
“For those students, it is hard but there are lots of paths out there. They just have to remember not to panic,” Glen concluded.