St Mark’s Parish Church, Armagh was once again the scene for a magnificent celebration of achievement on Friday 18th September when the school held its Speech Day. For the second year in a row, the event took an afternoon slot following the success of the move last year. Once again, there was an excellent attendance of pupils and parents. Following the academic procession, the ceremony was opened with the singing of ‘Be Thou My Vision’, and with prayers from the Rector of St Mark’s, Rev. Canon M T Kingston, and the Head Girl, Isabella Speers. The Chairman of the Board of Governors, Archbishop John McDowell, welcomed all present, especially the Chief Guest and speaker, His Honour Judge Neil Rafferty K.C. Judge Rafferty is an Old Armachian and a parent of three past pupils. He has supported school matches and plays and charity endeavours throughout the years. Judge Rafferty has excelled in his field as a lawyer, making his name at the bar from 1990 before being appointed a county court judge in September 2016.

In his opening comments, the Archbishop thanked the governors and staff who had worked so hard throughout the year and commented positively on the level of pastoral care and high academic attainment in school. He paid tribute to the previous bursar and secretary to the Board of Governors, Mr Stephen McConnell, and welcomed his successor, Mrs Hannah Francis. He also spoke of his anticipation of the school play, Les Misérables, and the sports season ahead.

His Honour Judge Neil Rafferty K.C. Judge Rafferty

The Choir, bolstered by leavers for whom this occasion marks the last chance to sing together, sang an arrangement of ‘Like a River’ by Tim Osiek. The music was led by Mr Boyd. The organist was Old Armachian Mrs Eloise Crean.

Mr Montgomery then delivered his report to the school. He stated that the school remained committed to the historic twin aims set out by King Charles I in 1627, “the increase of learning and good manners”. He emphasised that it remained the case that academic achievement and the development of good character and a life well lived were fundamental to the mission of the Royal School.

Mr Montgomery acknowledged and thanked parents for their special contribution to the success of the school and its pupils. He paid tribute to staff who had left school following decades of service, in particular the previous bursar and Mr Spencer Lawson, who had retired from his role as study supervisor after almost thirty years. He welcomed all those who had arrived this year to take teaching and non-teaching roles.

The Headmaster spoke of the school’s sorrow at the death of two colleagues, Mrs Vilma Bucinskiene and Mrs Flow Lawson, and extended the sympathy of the school to their respective husbands and families.

Mr Montgomery observed how Speech Day is one of the great landmarks of the school year. It reflects continuity and tradition but also reminds us that no two years in the life of the school are ever quite the same. Every group of pupils is unique, and each generation brings its own character, energy, challenges and successes.

Regarding academic achievement, Mr Montgomery said that the 2026 A Level attainment had been very strong. He reported that while across Northern Ireland 8.8% of entries achieved an A* grade, at the Royal School that had been 13%. Across Northern Ireland, 30.7% of all grades awarded were A* or A, while RSA saw 38.3% of entries achieve those grades and 72.5% of all grades were within the A* – B range. The percentage of pupils achieving three A Levels at the top grades, A*-C, was 75.3%, while the overall A Level pass rate was 99%.

With regard to individual pupil achievement, he pointed out that an impressive 22 pupils achieved 3 or more A*/A grades, representing 15 percent of the year group.

At GCSE, Mr Montgomery said that attainment was very strong. Forty-eight percent of all grades awarded were A* or A, compared to 31.7% across Northern Ireland generally, and 71% of all grades awarded to the school’s pupils were in the A* to B range.

Overall, the percentage of pupils achieving at least 7 GCSEs at the top grades, A*-C, including English and mathematics, was 87%. Impressively, a third of the pupils gained eight or more GCSEs with A* or A grades!

Mr Montgomery, Headmaster of the Royal School, delivers his annual report at Speech Day 2025, highlighting the school’s academic and extracurricular achievements.

Mr Montgomery praised the young people who studied hard and performed well but also paid tribute to the commitment and professionalism of school staff and the encouragement, support and cooperation of parents and families at home.

The Headmaster reported that interest in the boarding department remained strong, the strength of which he observed was that it had a truly international flavour with pupils drawn from across Ireland, Europe and the Far East. The Preparatory Department, under Dr Kirsten Carson-McClenaghan’s excellent leadership, remained a dynamic and caring place. Last year, pupils had been engaged in a wide range of extracurricular activities, including a trip to Dublin.

Mr Montgomery referred to the vital importance of trips and extracurricular activities which the school believes are essential in developing sound character, leadership capacity and resilience. Last year, these included local, national and global service opportunities such as the work of the Charity Committee, which supported more than a dozen charities throughout the year.
The Combined Cadet Force and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme continued to be significant features of school life.

Mr Montgomery related how service learning remained a key characteristic of school life. In October 2025, the Asha trip saw 25 pupils and 7 staff travel to the Mayapuri and Ambekar slum communities in New Delhi. There, they worked with groups spanning toddlers to the elderly and saw first-hand the good work done with the money raised by the school community.

Sport continued to be important in school, with the 2025-26 season being very successful. Hockey had yet another fantastic year, with the Girls’ 1st XI winning the Belfast Telegraph Ulster Schools’ Cup and the Stevenson Ulster League and finishing as runners-up in the Kate Russell All-Ireland Tournament, which the school also hosted. The team was recognised as School Team of the Year at the Belfast Telegraph Sports Awards, where Mr Greg Thompson was named Coach of the Year.

In rugby, the 1XV were semi-finalists in the Subsidiary Shield and won the Ulster Schools Sevens Shield. The Under-16 XV won its Shield competition, and the Under-12 XV won the Shield at the Down High School blitz.

It was also encouraging to see girls’ rugby strengthening across the age groups, with the Under-12 Sevens team winning all four of its matches at an Ulster Branch competition. The Medallion XV reached the semi-final of the Shield.
Cross-country and athletics produced achievements at district, Irish and international level.

A range of other successes, including music, swimming, dance and Tae Kwon Do, were all reported on. He related how there was particular success in debating, with Reuben Campbell and Sam Gray becoming the school’s first Northern Ireland Schools Debating Competition champions.

Computing pupils achieved exceptional success. In the Sentinus Digital Futures Grand Final, Team Unstitched won first place with an application providing accessible information about clothing sustainability, while Team FitBod came second with an application promoting accessible fitness opportunities. The winning team’s prize included an amazing visit to New York and opportunities to engage with major technology companies.

In bringing his report to an end, Mr Montgomery addressed the leavers, saying that he hoped they would carry with them the enduring vision of the school: the increase of learning and good manners. He reminded them that while learning without character is just information, and character without learning can lack the means to bring about change, together learning and good character have the power to transform communities and lives.

Judge Rafferty then addressed the school. His interesting, humorous, warm and humble speech drew lessons from his career and his school days. He paid tribute to his teachers who had helped pave his road to career fulfilment.

In his final remarks, he encouraged his listeners not to give up when things don’t go their way but to stay focused and keep trying. At the conclusion of his speech, Judge Rafferty distributed the certificates, awards and prizes.

A vote of thanks was then very ably proposed by the Head Boy, Alfie Abbott. Alfie thanked Judge Rafferty for giving of his time to be present at Speech Day and drew specific attention to aspects of his speech. Judge Rafferty was then presented with a gift on behalf of the school by the Head Girl.

After the academic procession left the church, the parents of leavers and prize-winners enjoyed refreshments with staff and Governors in the Crozier Hall, rounding off a special afternoon for everyone involved.