Boys outperform the girls at Hazelwood College

Some 82 per cent of students achieved five or more A* - C grades - up 15 per cent on the 2012 figure.

“For the first time in five years there has been a gender shift, with 52 per cent of those achieving five A*- C grades being boys. This is an extremely pleasing statistic as the college has dedicated considerable resources over the past number of years to raising boys’ achievement,” explained principal Kathleen Gormley.

Students excelled at STEM subjects this year, with almost two thirds of candidates achieving a grade A* or A in Additional Science, 100 per cent C or better in Electronics, 91 per cent of students achieving a C or higher in Engineering and 63 per cent C or better in Maths. Among the college’s other top subjects were Drama, English Literature, History, Spanish, Art & Design and Music.

Congratulating the Year 12 students, their parents and teachers on “an amazing set of results”, Mrs Gormley added: “These tremendous results mean Hazelwood will welcome back its largest ever sixth form. This coincides with the opening, in September 2013, of our new post 16 centre which has been jointly funded by the Integrated Education Fund and The Belfast Trust for Integrated Education. We will now be offering three different pathways at post 16 which will ensure that all of our students are ready for university, further education or employment.”