Bursary Fund 10th Anniversary Lunch

The Boys’ Model Bursary Fund has marked its 10^th anniversary by raising more than £8000 at a special lunch in the Belfast Reform Club.

Since the fund was set up it has raised almost £120,000 and every penny has gone to awards for pupils to attend university or higher education and apprenticeship courses.

Every director of the fund over the past decade was at the lunch including the former principals Jim Keith and Alan Logan, and the current principal Mary Montgomery. The former teacher and sports broadcasting legend Jim Neilly gave a wonderfully warm and funny speech.

Donors were incredibly generous on the day no doubt inspired by an account of the school’s exceptional exam results from Mary Montgomery. It’s no exaggeration to say that Boys’ Model punches well above its weight when it comes to academic achievement.

The school has an above average number of pupils who are entitled to school meals and who have special educational needs. But that certainly isn’t reflected in their exam results.

Official data indicates that 32 per cent of pupils with special educational needs, throughout all schools in Northern Ireland, achieve 5 GCSEs between A* star and C grades. But at the Boys’ Model that figure is 83 per cent.

 Officially only 12 per cent of special education pupils (SEN) are expected to get 3 A levels grades A* to C. At Boys’ Model, SEN pupils had a 100 per cent success rate last year for those grades – and other years have averaged in the high 80 percentages.

These figures reflect the highest of standards from the teaching staff and the highest of expectations for the pupils – and the boys are working hard to fulfil those expectations, but they need your help to succeed.

Please click the donate link now to help those pupils overcome the social and financial barriers to their academic and occupational success.

Everyone involved with The Boys’ Model Bursary Fund is proud to be associated with the school and would wish all the boys and staff continuing success in the future.