The Royal Belfast Academical Institution

Congratulations to the Sixth Form on their well deserved A2/AS examination and BTEC results. The boys deserved to do so well and I am pleased for the Sixth Form and colleagues.

Further details of the results are available on the School’s website: https://rbai.org.uk

Janet Williamson, MA Oxon; NPQH; C.F.
Principal

We’re thinking of the Class of 2024 and their parents as they await A’ Level results tomorrow.

They are a wonderful year group who contributed so much to life at the School. Exciting times ahead as they move on to the next chapter of their journey.

What a summer it has been for Cameron McCracken (12D), who has competed in 3 international competitions and has broken the U17 Championship record in Tullamore for the 100m Hurdles. As a result of this, he has been selected for the Irish U17 Development team.

In addition, Cameron has been selected to compete at the UK School Games against the top schoolboy athletes in the UK.

Well done, Cameron. 👏

The support of the Inst community makes a tangible difference to our pupils.

The 2024 RBAI Foundation Impact Report is available to read online:https://rbaifoundation.org/docs/RBAI-donor-report-JUN24-FINAL.pdf

If you would like to receive a physical copy via post, email: [email protected]

Congratulations to Gannon Robertson (going into Year 14) who won Silver in the 1500m at the Irish Nationals in Dublin last week.

After Jack McMillan’s Olympic success, it is fantastic to see current pupils excelling in the pool!

Join our Team! We're hiring for a number of roles:

◾️Accounts Receivable
◾️Assistant Caretaker
◾️Gatekeeper
◾️Grounds Assistant

For more info visit: https://rbai.org.uk/page/Recruitment/4923/Index.html

ITS GOLD FOR JACK 🥇

Jack McMillan (RBAI 2011-18) and his Team GB 4x200m Freestyle teammates win gold in Paris.

A phenomenal achievement, we are all very proud of you 👏

Providing Opportunities for All

RBAI was delighted to receive funding from Belfast City Council’s Hardship Fund during this past academic year, providing additional support for pupils in receipt of free school meals.

Last academic year, 87 pupils who normally receive Free School meals were able to avail of the additional funding to pay for healthy and nutritional food from the RBAI canteen, assisting with their concentration and academic performance. This fund also provides much needed financial relief for their parents.

Since its inception, RBAI has educated boys from across Belfast and beyond, regardless of their background. The Governors recognise the importance of education in social mobility, particularly given evidence of low educational aspiration and attainment amongst boys from disadvantaged communities.

It’s brilliant to see our hockey players performing on the international stage 🤩

Wishing George, Matthew and Michael the very best for the remainder of the tournament!

On Thursday 20th June, RBAI were glad to host 16 students from Davidson College, North Carolina. They were accompanied by Dr Shireen Campbell and were participating in a month-long summer school, during which they visited a range of different schools across the Northern Irish education sector and investigated the diverse means of educational provision within the province.

Having been given a tour of the school grounds, Mr Leathley and Oliver Mercer of the Lower Sixth delivered a presentation on Grammar School education and the unique environment that RBAI provides to its students.

Following this, the Davidson College group engaged in a Q&A session with Mr Leathley and the other RBAI students present including Eoin O'Neill, Alastair Watt, William Allen and Yago Azuara-Lois.

The visit was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for all involved and we hope to welcome Davidson College back to RBAI next year.

📆 Save the date.

15 years after our spectactular Bicentenary Concert, our musicians will be returning to the Waterfront Hall. It promises to be a brilliant evening of entertainment!

We have a winner!

Congratulations to Daniel Camlin who has won the £25 Wing It voucher. Check your email Daniel!

Members of the Class of 2024 can still sign up to the RBAI Foundation mailing list.

Sign up here: bit.ly/3yq2Ecn

Congratulations to the 15 Explorer Scouts who successfully completed their 4 day Gold Qualifying Expeditions in The Lake District last week.

The boys hiked 18km each day including an amazing 4 peaks on their first day! They worked very well as a team to manage the demands of being self-sufficient in very warm conditions in unfamiliar mountainous terrain. The boys are a step closer to achieving this top award and the King’s Scout Award too.

Thanks go to assessor Mrs Sandra Gillespie and her husband Frank along with supervisors Mr Roy and Mr D Scott.

Young Enterprise gives pupils an opportunity to set up and run their own business over the course of their time in Year 13. Whilst developing skills of teamwork and communication, the directors of the company also invest their own money in hope of making profit!

After taking their dividends this year, the directors decided to make a donation to Storehouse with the money they had generated. At the end of term, Alan Carson from Storehouse attended assembly and received the donation from Oliver Mercer, Managing Director, and other members of the Young Enterprise company.

Alan expressed his thanks to the boys and encouraged all those in assembly to be entrepreneurial in using their skills for the good of society and those around us.

Last term we hosted a superb Junior Drama production of 'Antony & Cleopatra' by William Shakespeare in collaboration with Hunterhouse College Belfast.

We are very proud of the cast and our production team: Mrs McClean, Head of Drama (RBAI), Mr Down, Head of Drama (HHC), Mrs Rice, Miss Lillington and Mr Sadaat.

Special thanks to Mrs Scott, our school librarian, for all her help behind the scenes. We can't wait for our next collaboration with Hunterhouse College!

We are delighted to have been awarded the Gold CyberFirst accreditation by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a part of GCHQ.

This prestigious award acknowledges RBAI as one of the leading cyber schools in the province, recognising our dedication to providing high standards of cyber security education, upgrading from the Silver accreditation received in 2023.

The award was presented at the CyberFirst NI Education Conference, where Mr. Gray, Head of Computer Science, accepted the certificate on behalf of the School.

This accreditation opens valuable opportunities for RBAI students, including connections with businesses and experts in the IT community who can offer support and development courses for both staff and students.Additionally, our students will gain priority access to the CyberFirst Education programme and its bursary scheme, further enhancing their learning and career prospects in the field of cyber security.

To learn more, visit: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberfirst/overview.

📣 Calling all 2024 Leavers

It’s time to join the global Instonian network. Sign up to the RBAI Foundation mailing list before Friday 5th July for a chance to win a £25 Wing It Voucher.

Sign up here: bit.ly/3yq2Ecn

Scout Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Success!

Last week, 25 Explorer Scouts successfully completed their three day Qualifying Expeditions in the Mournes. The weather was not ideal on two of the days, with the second day of the expedition being one of the worst days of weather that the leaders have experienced in mountainous terrain.

Despite the huge challenges of navigating in very poor visibility and coping with a flooded Hen Track area, all 4 groups showed tremendous resilience to complete their arduous expeditions. Congratulations to all the boys!

A special word of thanks must go to Mrs Rogers, Mr Roy and Mr D Scott for supervising the boys so well.

🎶GCSE Music Visit🎶

Last week, Year 11 attended a day of workshops at The Grand Opera House where they had the opportunity to deepen their musical understanding and gain insights from industry professionals in the collaborative art form of opera.

As well as singing well-known opera chorus in Italian and Russian, they had further sessions in linguistics and vocal health led by Jenny Bourke who also teaches singing at Inst.

The RBAI Robotics Team finished 9th out of 30 Schools in the ‘FIRST Tech Challenge UK Championship’ at Cambridge University today 👏

The boys worked to a brief to build and programme a custom-made robot, capable of undertaking a range of tasks, including demonstrating the ability to move autonomously using artificial intelligence.

A brilliant experience for the boys who showed great enthusiasm throughout the year perfecting their robot, applying the STEM curriculum from the classroom to real life!

Senior Drama Auditions take place on Monday 24 June in M1 for next years play, ‘A Christmas Carol: The Musical!’

All boys who will be Year 10 and above next academic year are welcome to attend. See Mrs McClean or Mrs Harshaw for more information!

🏆👏Scouts: Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award🙌

Congratulations to the 32 Scouts who successfully completed their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Qualifying Expeditions! The conditions were ideal in the Mourne Mountains and all five groups hiked, camped and cooked very well. Being self-sufficient for two days in new, mountainous terrain is no easy feat.

Thanks to the assessor Mr Ashley Parks, Bronze Award Leader Mrs Rogers and supervisors Mr Roy, Mr Titterington, Mrs Parks and Mr D Scott.

Schools’ Cup Champions 2024

A massive congratulations to the RBAI Cricket 1XI who have successfully defended the Schools’ Cup, beating Ballyclare High School in a thrilling final at Osborne yesterday afternoon.

It’s been a great year for the club as a whole who also won the McCullough Cup on Saturday after a tough set of fixtures vs Campbell College.

Congrats to all the boys and the coaches for all their hard work this season. What a year of sport we have had!

📲 https://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/adam-leckey-takes-three-wickets-in-four-balls-to-help-rbai-win-a-record-13th-schools-cup/a2145193033.html #

Wishing the Cricket 1XI the best of luck as they take on Ballyclare High School in the Schools Cup Final this Monday.

The match will be played at Osborne Park, starting at 12pm for those wishing to support!

Only 1 week to go until the RBAI & Hunterhouse College Belfast Junior Drama production: ‘Shakespeare & Strawberries'

Showcasing iconic scenes from 'Antony & Cleopatra' and featuring music by Rock and Roll legend Jim Steinman.

Would you do anything for love?

Come and support our pupils for an evening performance on Thursday 20th June, 7pm in our Christchurch venue.

Tickets are on sale at the RBAI front office, as well as at Hunterhouse College. Strawberries and cream will be served to all guests under the marquee after the performance.

We had some former RBAI pupils recognised at Ulster Rugby’s 2023/24 Awards 🏉

A massive congratulations to former 1XV captain David McCann (RBAI 2011-18) on winning the Ulster Rugby Men’s Player of the Year and Rugby Writers’ Player of the Year.

It was also great to see Bradley McNamara (Inchmarlo & RBAI 2005-2019 ) recognised for his outstanding season with Instonians Rugby Club , winning the Ken Goodall Club Player of the Year!

The Science Department very much enjoyed the opportunity to welcome Primary 6 pupils from Cairnshill Primary School to RBAI last week to whet their appetite for the study of post-primary science.

Some of our very own Year 8 guided the visitors through a variety of activities and it’s safe to say everyone thoroughly enjoyed the experience!