Grosvenor In View Magazine 2025

14

CELEBRATING SUCCESS

pupils achieving at least 7 A* to C grades, including English and Mathematics. An exceptional total of 51 pupils achieved 8 or more A* to A grades, with 30 of those pupils attaining at least 9 A* to A grades. At A Level, 76% of students achieved at least 3 A* to C grades. An extremely impressive total of 29 students achieved 3 A grades or better, with 5 of those achieving 4 A grades or better. We are delighted that amongst our many gifted and talented students, we have Suzy Zhang who has taken up a place at the prestigious ‘Ecole Polytechnique’ in France; Finlay Moore is now studying at Cambridge and Lucy Storey has gained her place at the London School of Economics. I wish to pay tribute to our students who have continued to work so hard to achieve such amazing success. I also wish to express my sincere thanks to my colleagues, our teachers, whose efforts ensure the best outcomes for our students. Likewise, I thank our parents for the central role that you play in your son or daughter’s individual success and wellbeing. This year has marked a significant milestone in the School’s history, as we celebrated the 80th anniversary of the founding of Grosvenor Grammar School. Amongst the highlights of the year, we saw Belfast City Hall lit up in Grosvenor colours and the School community enjoyed a magnificent gala dinner, held in the Titanic Building in Belfast. Thanks to the huge efforts of Miss Foster and Mr Arnold in particular, we staged our Spring Concert in the iconic setting of the Ulster Hall. It was an evening of spectacular entertainment, following months of preparation for the rehearsals. We were delighted to be joined on the evening by the Renaissance Chamber Choir and the Grosvenor Chorale. Both the Gala Dinner and the Spring Concert provided lasting memories for our Grosvenor Grammar School community and we look forward to many other celebrations in the future. Given that we have had a packed year of events and extra-curricular activities, I am going to break with tradition this year at our Prize Distribution and deliver some of my report in a different fashion. In a few moments, you will get to see a video which showcases the wonderful array of talent, achievements and success that makes Grosvenor Grammar such a wonderful institution. The full details of my Annual Report will be available in the School Magazine which will appear online in the near future. Underpinning everything that you will see today is our School Vision, expressed within our Mission Statement: To inspire our pupils within a supportive, caring environment to be lifelong learners, enabling all pupils to realise their full potential and become tolerant and confident young adults. Last year, our pupils enjoyed a full programme of educational visits and sports tours. As well as our annual Year 8 day trips to Delamont and our surfing excursions to the North Coast, students of Modern Languages

travelled to Spain and Germany. The Religious Studies Department ran their first trip to Rome. We ran two separate ski trips for junior and senior pupils who travelled to Austria and Italy and had an unforgettable experience. Our senior rugby and boys hockey teams enjoyed a tour to Valencia, enjoying valuable time together as a team. My sincere thanks go to all staff members who give up their time to organise and participate in such events. Thank you for providing such an enriching opportunity for our pupils and helping to create memories that they will never forget. Over the course of the year, our students took part in so many events held in school and outside school, that it would be impossible to include them all in this report. The links to developing skills – and in particular career progression – are so apparent, from such wide-ranging activities as Politics visits to Stormont, to participation in COP29. Last year also saw us forge even greater links with our colleagues in the Confucius Institute at Ulster University, as well as with our colleagues in the Chinese Consulate. In November, pupils from Year 8 alongside pupils in Year 13 participated in an online session with students and distinguished participants from across China, the United Kingdom and France. As part of our ever-expanding programme of language and culture, two groups of parents participated in Mandarin evening classes. We received visits from a number of distinguished guests, including Mr Li, Nan (Chinese Consul General) and Professor Yu, Vice President of Hubei Normal University. Our links with the Confucius Institute and with the Chinese Consulate have provided so many new and amazing opportunities for our pupils, staff and parents and we are uniquely placed in Northern Ireland in terms of such special events. The Drama production of ‘Back to the 80s’ involved well over one hundred and thirty pupils from Year 8 to Year 14 and they played to packed audiences in each performance. Our thanks go to all pupils and members of staff who made the show such an amazing success, and in particular to our Director Mrs Young and Musical Director Mr Arnold. The Music Department led a full programme of amazing performances throughout the year. The School’s Annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in St Anne’s Cathedral was an opportunity to worship and celebrate with family and friends, and we were so delighted to see such an ever-increasing number of former pupils amongst our choir numbers. As already mentioned, the Spring Concert has provided a lasting memory for our Grosvenor Community and has been mentioned frequently as the best experience that performers have enjoyed in recent history. The number of individual and group performances is too large to mention, but we pay tribute to all students, under the wonderful leadership of Miss Foster, Head of Music, Mr Arnold, and our music tutors. We look forward to the performances later today. Sport has also continued to be central to our pupils’ extra-curricular participation.

GROSVENOR IN VIEW > 2024/25