Speaking to an assembled audience, headmaster, Dr. Liam O'Cuinneagain, said he applauded the Minister's courage and said he hoped she would find further courage in the wrods of the Aran Island poet, Mairtin O Direain:

Lean on your own stout oars
Against neap-tide and ebb,
Keep alight the coal of your vision;
To part with that is death.
Turning his attention to the academic year 2006-07, Dr. O'Cuinneagain, said: "We significantly strengthened our school identity for the fourth consecutive year, sustaining and raising standards and reaching further and new heights in key areas of our work.

"Firstly, pupil attendance was excellent; in fact, it reached a record level of 94%, positioning Our Lady of Lourdes School in the top 5% of similar-type schools in Northern Ireland in this critical aspect of school performance.

"For the second consecutive year, our pupils starred in the Opening Concert of the All-Ireland Fleá Cheoil in Letterkenny on the last Friday in August, playing to a packed audience and receiving two standing ovations. After Hallowe'en, we had the privilege of hosting the Tory Island painters, singers and dancers and our Key Stage 4 girls performed along with them to great public acclaim in the school and at the University of Ulster in Belfast. These successes were followed by another of the year's most memorable achievements in the form of the outstanding school production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat.

"The pristine condition in which the school and its facilities have been maintained by pupils and staff was reflected in the recognition of Mr Barney McGarry early in the first term of last year as one of the leading Building Supervisors in Northern Ireland. In October our facilities received a further boost when significant improvements to the Sports Hall were completed courtesy of a generous grant by the Big Lottery Fund.

"Again last year, our pupils also raised considerable sums of money for the needy in the world; £1600 for Trócaire, £250 for The Shoe Box Appeal, and a further £250 for St Vincent de Paul.

"For the first time in many years, the work of the pupils was captured in the production of a school yearbook; the publishing of The Torch in June 2006 was another clear reflection of the vibrancy of the school last year and of our determination to do things differently.

"I commenced the highlights of the last school year on the theme of standards of pupil attendance. In closing, I turn to the academic standards attained by the pupils. Our Year 12 pupils who finished in June 2007 were all entered for 5 GCSEs or more, and their examination achievements were excellent. In fact, this cohort of pupils achieved record GCSE results at grades A* to E and at grades A* to G; 100% - each and every Year 12 pupil - gained 5 GCSEs or more within both these grade boundaries.

"To put these GCSE standards attained by our pupils into a wider context, both sets of results place Our Lady of Lourdes School in the top 5% of similar-type schools in Northern Ireland. In particular, the results at grades A* to E in 2006-07 were more than 25% above the NI norm for similar-type schools.

"Furthermore, at grades A* - C, in line with last year's NI average, 45% of our Year 12 pupils achieved 5 GCSEs or more, leaving this school's attainment at grades A* to C in terms of a three-year moving average at 8% above the NI norm.

"Lest we forget, a number of our younger pupils also achieved highly in GCSE last year; Tiarnán Scott, in Year 8, and Sorcha Jennings, in Year 9, gained top grades in GCSE Irish and Bláithín Buckley, in Year 11, gained a top grade in GCSE Drama.

"Finally, the outstanding overall performance of our pupils at GCSE in 2006/07 is also evident in the Weighted Qualifications Index of 35 points achieved per pupil – in other words, our Year 12 pupils attained on average the equivalent of five A grades each at GCSE last year.
"I thank: the parents for their strong support for the work of the school; the Governors for their unstinting assistance; and the staff for their cohesion and commitment. We salute our pupils; they are a great credit to themselves, their families, their parishes and to Our Lady of Lourdes School Ballymoney.

"In these challenging times, Minister, we trust that you will take with you from us into the post-primary debate the great benefits of small, effective all-ability schools that are epitomised by the achievements of Our Lady of Lourdes School Ballymoney i.e. our performance shows clearly that we are a small school with: a big heart; a strong community dimension; large-scale pupil participation in extra-curricular activities; and a deep pastoral and personal interest in fulfilling the potential of each individual pupil, the outcomes of which are a quality holistic education indelibly stamped with high standards."