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A top Northern Ireland grammar school has been embroiled in an A-Level cheating storm.

An investigation was launched amid cheating claims at Our Lady’s Grammar School in Newry.

Pupils have been disqualified and their results cancelled. It is believed about 15 are affected.

It is understood sections of a sociology exam had been shared on social media.

The school, which dates back almost 130 years, has been rocked by the revelations with staff earlier keeping tight-lipped about the scandal.

This evening, the school released a statement confirming an investigation had been launched.

Concerns were raised about the sociology test, set by the AQA exam board.

An AQA spokesperson said: "No one taking our exams should have an unfair advantage, so we thoroughly investigate accusations of cheating and take action when there’s clear evidence against specific individuals. Our advice to any student who receives supposedly leaked details about an exam is to report it to a teacher straight away."

A source told Belfast Live: “The pupils have been told not to post anything on social media.

“Dozens of pupils took their exam but an investigation means their plans for university were thrown up in the air.”

It was claimed one pupil was allowed to sit an exam earlier than her peers due to a clash with another test.

But when other pupils were said to have received the questions in advance, a probe was launched.

The source added: “The pupils were thrown into limbo.

“Their friends are making plans for university and they don’t know what to do.”

The school said that it regretted the incident.

"We regret to say that there was an incident involving some of our students in relation to one of this year's A2 examinations," it told the BBC.

"The matter was dealt with by the school and the examination board in line with JCQ (Joint Council for Qualifications) guidelines and the students involved have been sanctioned.

"There has been no suggestion of any breach of examination or invigilation protocol by the school.

"We in Our Lady's prize our deserved reputation for integrity.

"We also know the importance of care and compassion in times of difficulty and will offer support as needed to the young women involved, all of whose school careers up to this point were without blemish."

On the school’s website, principal Geraldine Pettigrew talks of the “rich, full life of a very special school”.

She adds: Our Lady’s is a very long established school. We were founded in 1887 and we are very proud of our history and our traditions. We have built up very strong links over the years with all of the communities which we serve and, in our current school population, we have pupils from over fifty different primary schools.

“Our pupils, therefore, have marvellous opportunities to meet new friends and, indeed, we believe that the very positive and affirming relationships which exist between the pupils, teachers and parents of Our Lady’s are central to the ethos of this school.

“As a Catholic school, we work to build upon the values of home and foster a strong sense of faith and belief in all of our pupils. The Mercy tradition of service is also very important to us and all pupils play a part in helping others - in school, in their local communities, in areas of need throughout the world. We encourage every girl in Our Lady’s to see herself as a citizen of the future, a citizen of the world.”