School Chooser

Glastry College, Newtownards

Secondary · ages 11-18Controlled627 pupilsSixth formArds and North Down
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredNorthern Ireland doesn't publish inspection grades or progress figures, so we can't give its schools a score. GCSE and A level results, attendance, pupil numbers and free school meals are below.
Five good GCSEs incl. English and maths60%NI non-grammar schools 60%
Pupils with special needs27%NI 26%
Attendance88.6%NI 87.9%
Pupils from low-income families28%About the same as most schools in Northern Ireland
Pupils on roll627Census October 2025

Glastry College, Newtownards is a controlled school in Ballyhalbert for pupils aged 11 to 18. It has 627 pupils. About 28 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in Northern Ireland. In 2025, 60% of Year 12 pupils got five good GCSEs including English and maths (non-grammar schools in Northern Ireland: 60%).

14 Victoria Road, Ballyhalbert, BT22 1DQAll details

Inspection

Schools in Northern Ireland are inspected by the Education and Training Inspectorate. Since 2024 its reports end with a written summary and next steps instead of a grade, and there is no published list of outcomes.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

89 Year 12 pupils. We compare them with non-grammar post-primary schools across Northern Ireland, because grammar schools pick pupils by ability, so setting them against other schools wouldn't be fair.

Five good GCSEs including English and maths60%
Northern Ireland 60%
Official name: 5+ GCSEs at A* to C including GCSE English and maths
Five good GCSEs79%
Northern Ireland 85%
Official name: 5+ GCSEs at grades A* to C (or equivalent)
Entered for five or more GCSEs100%
Northern Ireland 99%
Official name: Entered for 5+ GCSEs (or equivalent)
Trend
Five good GCSEs including English and maths
2017 to 2025
2017: 43%43%20172018: 50%50%20182019: 33%33%20192024: 54%54%20242025: 60%60%2025
Since 2017: +17%

A level results, summer 2024

34 pupils in the final year of A level or equivalent courses.

Three good A levels27%
Northern Ireland 57%
Official name: 3+ A levels at grades A* to C (or equivalent)
Two A levels passed94%
Northern Ireland 97%
Official name: 2+ A levels at grades A* to E (or equivalent)
All measures, year by year
Measure20252024201920182017NI non-grammar
Year 12 pupils891109610091
Entered for five or more GCSEsEntered for 5+ GCSEs (or equivalent)100%98%99%
Five good GCSEs5+ GCSEs at grades A* to C (or equivalent)79%80%58%68%62%85%
Five good GCSEs including English and maths5+ GCSEs at A* to C including GCSE English and maths60%54%33%50%43%60%
Year 14 pupils433427
Three good A levels3+ A levels at grades A* to C (or equivalent)27%44%68%52%57%
Two A levels passed2+ A levels at grades A* to E (or equivalent)70%94%100%100%97%97%

No results were published for 2020, 2021 and 2022. Figures include equivalent qualifications; a value is withheld when fewer than five pupils are involved.

Getting a place

No entrance test. When more children apply than there are places, the school's own rules decide who gets in. Usually that means brothers and sisters of current pupils first, then children from its feeder primaries, then whoever lives closest.

Apply through the Education Authority's online admissions system in January.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll627Census October 2025
Pupils entitled to free school meals28%178 pupils; NI 32%
Pupils with special educational needs27%43 with a statement; NI 26%
Newcomer pupils1%arrived with little English; NI 6%
Catholic pupils1%as recorded in the school census; NI 48%

Attendance

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 88.6% of the time. Across similar schools in Northern Ireland it was 87.9%. Northern Ireland doesn't publish figures on pupils who miss a lot of school, or on suspensions, for individual schools.

Attendance88.6%
Northern Ireland 87.9%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Missed without permission3.3%of school time; NI 5.8%

Nearby schools

The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored

No other schools of this phase within 8 km.

Questions parents ask

Is Glastry College, Newtownards a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Glastry College, Newtownards yet. Northern Ireland doesn't publish inspection grades.

How good are Glastry College, Newtownards's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 60% of Year 12 pupils got five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and maths, against 60% across non-grammar schools in Northern Ireland.

How many pupils does Glastry College, Newtownards have?

627 pupils aged 11 to 18 were on the roll in October 2025.

Does Glastry College, Newtownards have a sixth form?

Yes.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
14 Victoria Road, Ballyhalbert, BT22 1DQ
Type of school
Controlled school (Controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Secondary school, ages 11-18, with sixth form
Religious character
None
Local authority
Ards and North Down
Ward
Portavogie
Setting
Rural
DE reference
4210046 · LAESTAB 4210046

Where these figures come from